The Philadelphia Wings will look to recover from an opening night loss in Orlando when they host the Boston Blazers in the Wings 2010 home opener on Saturday night. Faceoff at the Wachovia Center is at 7 PM. The game can also be seen on the NLL Network free of charge.
History
The Wings struggled against the expansion Blazers in 2009 losing all three meetings. On January 23, the Blazers won their first ever NLL game 13-11 over the Wings in Philly's 2009 home opener. Boston rookie Daryl Veltman scored four goals that night while league MVP Dan Dawson had seven assists. The following evening the Blazers dominated the Wings 11-7 at TD Banknorth Garden. Boston jumped out to a 5-0 in this game and never looked back. The Wings did close to within a goal at 8-7 before the Blazers scored the game's last three goals to ice the win. Matt Lyons tallied five goals while Dan Dawson added a goal and seven more assists earning Offensive Player of the Week honors for Week four of the 2009 season. The final meeting is a game Wings fans would like to forget as they were held to just one goal over three quarters as they were embarrassed by Boston 8-4 on February 13. The Wings trailed 7-1 with just over ten and a half minutes to play before scoring three of the games last four goals. The lone highlight for Philadelphia was a 48 save night by goalie Brandon Miller.
Last week
The Wings were defeated 13-8 by the Orlando Titans in front of 8,145 fans at Orlando's Amway Arena last Friday. After taking a 2-1 lead in the first quarter, the Titans reeled off seven straight goals to put the game out of reach. Casey Powell led the Titans with four goals while Jordan Hall added six helpers. The Wings leaders were Drew Westervelt with three goals and Dan Teat with two goals and two assists while Brandon Miller made 33 saves.
Boston's opener was just as tough as they fell at home to the Toronto Rock 17-7 on Saturday. Dan Dawson scored three goals and added two assists while Daryl Veltman had four points (2G, 2A). Both Anthony Cosmo (12 Goals Against) and Mike Poulin (5 GA) struggled in net for Boston. Before coming to Philly the Blzaers will travel Friday to Toronto for a rematch of opening night.
For Openers
The Wings have a home opening record of 13-10, only 6-7 at the Wachovia Center. In addition to last years loss, the Wings were 2-1 in home openers against the original Blazers (1989-1997).
Next Game
The Wings will return to the Wachovia Center on January 23 to host the Colorado Mammoth.
