2011 Wings Lacrosse (4-9-11 at Boston and 4-10-11 vs Rochester)

By Tom Hoffman

The Philadelphia Wings will take to the floor this weekend in a pair of games that could quite possibly clinch the team’s first National Lacrosse League playoff berth since 2008. The biggest game of the season takes place on Saturday when the Wings visit the Boston Blazers at 7:30 PM at TD Garden. Should the Wings be victorious they could then clinch a spot in the postseason when they host the Rochester Knighthawks Sunday at 2:30 PM. Both games will be shown on the NLL Network at NLL.com.

History

The Wings are 3-5 in regular season play against the Blazers and 1-1 in 2011. The Blazers won the season opener 10-6 at the Wells Fargo Center on January 8 while the Wings returned the favor on January 28 with an 11-5 win at TD Garden. The Wings are 2-2 all time at TD Garden, 1-2 against the current Blazers franchise. Against the Knighthawks the Wings are 15-22 all time in the regular season and 0-2 in 2011 with both losses taking place at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena. The Wings are 10-8 at home vs. Rochester.

Last Week

The Wings used a six goal outburst in the fourth quarter to defeat the Toronto Rock 12-11 last Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center in front of a crowd of 9,044. Drew Westervelt and Brendan Mundorf chipped in hat tricks while Ryan Boyle added six assists. Brandon Miller held the potent Rock offense to just two second half goals. The Wings weekend opponents faced each other last Saturday in Boston with the Knighthawks defeating the Blazers 19-8.

Playoff Scenarios

According to NLL.com the playoff scenarios for the Wings and Blazers are pretty simple. A Boston victory on Saturday will eliminate the Wings while a Philly victory in Boston coupled with a win against Rochester will give the final spot in the East to the Wings. Otherwise it could come down to each team’s final game (Wings at Minnesota, Boston at Buffalo) to determine the four Eastern teams.

Trivia

This season is the 25th season of Wings Lacrosse and the 10th anniversary of the Wings last championship victory in 2001. This column will feature a trivia question each week and will attempt to tie in the 2001 champions and/or other moments in Wings history, as well as that week’s opponent. This week’s question is:

On March 26, 1994 Paul Gait set a new league record by scoring 10 goals in one game. What team did he set this record against?

Notes

Former Wings captain Thomas Hajek signed with the Blazers on March 5. He joins former 2008 teammate Jamie Rooney on the Boston roster.

The Wings are 0-1 all time on April 9 losing in 2005 to the Toronto Rock 15-11. On April 10 the Wings are 1-3 all time. The lone win on this date was in the 1994 playoffs over the New York Saints.

Next Game

The Wings will close out the regular season with a visit to the Xcel Energy Center to face the Minnesota Swarm on April 16.

Trivia Answer

Paul Gait scored 10 goals against the original Blazers franchise in a 16-10 Wings victory at Boston Garden.