2012 Wings Lacrosse (1-27-12 at Buffalo)

by Tom Hoffman

Coming off an exciting overtime win last Saturday, the Philadelphia Wings will hit the road for the first time in 2012 when they travel to First Niagara Center to face the Buffalo Bandits on Friday night. Game time is at 7:30 PM and can be seen on the NLL Network at NLL.com.

History

The Wings are 20-22 all time against the Bandits. In Buffalo, the Wings have a record of 9-12 but are 8-8 at First Niagara Center and have won their last two meetings there. In 2011 the Bandits won the season series 2-1 winning both games in Philadelphia (9-6 on January 15 and 16-7 on February 12) while the Wings won in Buffalo 10-9 on February 19.

Last Game

Kevin Crowley scored five goals, including the overtime winner as the Wings defeated the Washington Stealth 10-9 last Saturday at Wells Fargo Center. Drew Westervelt added a hat trick while Brendan Mundorf chipped in a pair of goals. Brandon Miller made 49 saves in goal.

The Opponent

The Bandits are 2-0 in 2012 following victories at home vs. the Toronto Rock (14-10) and on the road against the Rochester Knighthawks (12-9). John Tavares leads the team in scoring (6G, 9A) while Mike Thompson has been in goal in both games (9.50 GAA).

Familiar Faces

Former Wings on the Buffalo roster include Kyle Sweeney (played for the Wings from 2005-2011), Luke Wiles (2006), Ian Llord (2007), Jon Harasym (2009) and Mat Giles (2009-2010). Current Wing Mike Hominuck played for the Bandits in 2004 and 2005.

Stats and Stuff

John Tavares has had his greatest success in the National Lacrosse League against the Wings. In 41 regular season games against Philadelphia, Tavares has 109 goals and 142 assists. In 2011 he scored his 700th goal (2-12-110 and picked up his 1500th point (2-19-11) against the Wings.

On this date

The Wings are 3-0 on January 27 with all three wins coming at home. In 1996 the Wings defeated the New York Saints 23-8, in 2001 they defeated the Albany Attack 18-9 and in 2007 they defeated the Toronto Rock 10-9.

Next Game

The Wings return to the Wells Fargo Center to face the Toronto Rock on February 4.