By Tom Hoffman
Paul Dawson may have thrown a knockout punch when he dropped Buffalo's Travis Irving in the fourth but the more convincing knockout was delivered by the Bandits offense and John Tavares as Buffalo used a 9-2 second half to defeat the Wings 16-7. A season high 9,649 witnessed the carnage, pink jerseys on the Wings and some history at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Wings, for the fifth game this season, scored first on a power play tally from Alex Turner. The fans then got to see some history made when Tavares became the first player in National Lacrosse League history to score 700 goals when his goal with the man advantage tied the score. He would add two more goals in the quarter while assisting on a Tracey Kelusky score to give Buffalo a 4-1 lead after 15 minutes. After Athan Iannucci and Chad Culp traded goals, the Wings would score the next three goals to even things up a five apiece but woul;d trail 7-5 at half following Bandit scores from Culp and Kelusky.
Dan Hardy would get the Wings within a goal just :56 into the third session but that would end up as close as the Wings would get the rest of the evening. Buffalo would run off seven straight goals to effectively put the game away. But at the 2:39 mark of the fourth the Wings fans had their last real moment to cheer when Dawson connected on his punch that left Irving quite woozy and needing medical attention. While it fired up the fans it did nothing to wake up a lackluster Wings effort. After Drew Westervelt stopped the Buffalo scoring streak, Mark Steenhuis would score on a five minute major to the Wings Jeff Reynolds and in the process help chase All-Star starting goalie Brandon Miller for the second straight game and second time since getting the All-Star nod. By the time Steenhuis scored again with under a minute to play, many had already headed for the exits.
The ageless Tavares would end up adding to his Hall of Fame bound totals with a nine point evening on five goals and four assists in leading the Bandit attack. For the Wings, it was once again a frustrating night of little offense and poor fundamentals as they dropped many passes and failed to corral ground balls and rebounds. Now, as the Wings head to Buffalo to reach the season's mid point next weekend, they have to wonder which team will show up: the team that dominated the Boston Blazers a few weeks ago in Boston or the squad that has looked harried and hopeless in losing their last two games.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
2011 Wings lacrosse (2-12-11 vs. Buffalo)
By Tom Hoffman
The Philadelphia Wings (3-3) will look to get back on the winning track when they host the Buffalo Bandits at 7 PM on Saturday February 12 at the Wells Fargo Center. History could possibly be seen that night as Buffalo’s John Tavares needs just one goal to have 700 for his career. The game can be seen live on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 19-21 against the Bandits, 11-9 at the WFC. The Wings are 0-1 in 2011 against Buffalo following a 9-6 loss in Philadelphia on January 15. After playing to a 3-3 tie after one quarter the Wings were outscored 3-0 over the next 30 plus minutes and could not catch the Bandits. Athan Iannucci and Drew Westervelt each scored two goals for the Wings while John Tavares, Tracey Kelusky and Chad Culp each tallied twice for Buffalo.
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:
The Wings record for most goals scored in a game first occurred against the Bandits while their record for most goals given up in a game also occurred against the Bandits. What was the number of goals scored/given up and what seasons did each occur? The answer will be at the end of the preview.
Last Weekend
The Wings were defeated by the Rochester Knighthawks last Saturday at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. The Wings were shut out for two quarters and trailed at one point 9-2 in seeing their three game win streak come to an end. Athan Iannucci and Drew Westervelt led the Wings with two goals each while Brandon Miller was pulled from a game for the first time this season after making 23 saves and giving up eight goals. Ray Hodgkinson made his NLL debut and gave up two goals on four shots. The Bandits defeated the Minnesota Swarm 15-12 last Friday night in Buffalo. Mark Steenhuis and Chad Culp each scored a hat trick for Buffalo.
Notes
Wings goalie Brandon Miller was named the starter for the East squad in the upcoming National Lacrosse League All Star Game on February 27. This will be Miller’s second All Star appearance. Reserves will be named later this week.
The Wings are 1-1 on February 12. In 1989 they defeated the Baltimore Thunder 14-9 at the Spectrum while in 2005 they dropped a 16-15 decision in Rochester.
John Tavares scored his 400th career point (a goal) against the Wings in 1999.
Next game
The Wings travel to Buffalo for their final regular season matchup with the Bandits on February 19.
Trivia Answer
The Wings have scored 26 goals in two games but did it for the first time on April 16, 1994 when they defeated the Bandits 26-15 at the Aud in Buffalo to claim their third title in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. The Wings would equal that output in 1996 in a 26-11 win against the Charlotte Cobras at the Spectrum. 26 would be the Bandits lucky number against the Wings on January 20, 2001 at HSBC Arena when they handed Philly a 26-18 shellacking.
The Philadelphia Wings (3-3) will look to get back on the winning track when they host the Buffalo Bandits at 7 PM on Saturday February 12 at the Wells Fargo Center. History could possibly be seen that night as Buffalo’s John Tavares needs just one goal to have 700 for his career. The game can be seen live on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 19-21 against the Bandits, 11-9 at the WFC. The Wings are 0-1 in 2011 against Buffalo following a 9-6 loss in Philadelphia on January 15. After playing to a 3-3 tie after one quarter the Wings were outscored 3-0 over the next 30 plus minutes and could not catch the Bandits. Athan Iannucci and Drew Westervelt each scored two goals for the Wings while John Tavares, Tracey Kelusky and Chad Culp each tallied twice for Buffalo.
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:
The Wings record for most goals scored in a game first occurred against the Bandits while their record for most goals given up in a game also occurred against the Bandits. What was the number of goals scored/given up and what seasons did each occur? The answer will be at the end of the preview.
Last Weekend
The Wings were defeated by the Rochester Knighthawks last Saturday at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. The Wings were shut out for two quarters and trailed at one point 9-2 in seeing their three game win streak come to an end. Athan Iannucci and Drew Westervelt led the Wings with two goals each while Brandon Miller was pulled from a game for the first time this season after making 23 saves and giving up eight goals. Ray Hodgkinson made his NLL debut and gave up two goals on four shots. The Bandits defeated the Minnesota Swarm 15-12 last Friday night in Buffalo. Mark Steenhuis and Chad Culp each scored a hat trick for Buffalo.
Notes
Wings goalie Brandon Miller was named the starter for the East squad in the upcoming National Lacrosse League All Star Game on February 27. This will be Miller’s second All Star appearance. Reserves will be named later this week.
The Wings are 1-1 on February 12. In 1989 they defeated the Baltimore Thunder 14-9 at the Spectrum while in 2005 they dropped a 16-15 decision in Rochester.
John Tavares scored his 400th career point (a goal) against the Wings in 1999.
Next game
The Wings travel to Buffalo for their final regular season matchup with the Bandits on February 19.
Trivia Answer
The Wings have scored 26 goals in two games but did it for the first time on April 16, 1994 when they defeated the Bandits 26-15 at the Aud in Buffalo to claim their third title in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. The Wings would equal that output in 1996 in a 26-11 win against the Charlotte Cobras at the Spectrum. 26 would be the Bandits lucky number against the Wings on January 20, 2001 at HSBC Arena when they handed Philly a 26-18 shellacking.
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