Slow start dooms Wings

By Tom Hoffman

For the first time this season the Philadelphia Wings did not score the first goal of the game at home. And by the time they did get on the board they were already facing a five goal deficit that they would not be able to overcome in a 16-13 loss to the league leading Toronto Rock Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center. While the 13 goals scored was a season high, the Wings would set an all time low for attendance as only 7,082 were there to witness the game.

Brandon Miller may be starting the All Star Game tomorrow for the East but he did not look anywhere close to an All Star in this game, struggling to make just 24 saves and failing to make a key save when the Wings could've really used one. And there were certainly more than a few times that a big save might have helped turn the tide in a key divisional matchup. For the second straight home game the Wings would come back to close to within a goal but could not equalize or go ahead. Tonight the moment would occur in the late moments of the first quarter and first seven minutes of the second quarter when Brendan Mundorf and Drew Westervelt, with two goals each, would help the Wings cut a 6-1 Rock lead down to 6-5.

For Mundorf, who did not suit up last week in Buffalo, those two goals equalled his output in his first seven games. Yet much like their last game at home the Wings rally would be muted by a run by their opponent, in this case a Toronto run of five goals that extended their lead to 11-5 just 30 seconds into the 2nd half. Athan Iannucci would start a three goal run for Philly but after a Garrett Billings goal that survived a challenge by Wings coach John Tucker, the teams would end up trading goals the rest of the evening.

Mundorf's night would see him add two more goals and finish with a nine point evening (4G, 5A), as did Iannucci while Alex Turner would chip in with a hat trick. Billings would lead all scorers with 10 points for Toronto while career Wing killer Colin Doyle quietly notched nine points.

For the Jekyll and Hyde Wings, a big back to back weekend awaits starting with a Friday night rematch with the Rock in Toronto before heading home to face former teammate Geoff Snider and the Calgary Roughnecks who will just be happy to still be playing lacrosse following this week's news that the franchise may not be able to finish the season due to lacking finances. If the Wings are to secure a postseason berth they may very well have to sweep this weekend set; a tall task given their lackluster history at Toronto's Air Canada Centre and their dismal record (1-4) this season in front of the home fans.