Interview with Bill Malizia

Kevin M. Neibauer recently had the opportunity to sit down with Bill Malizia of
the Philadelphia Lacrosse Foundation.

You may not have heard of Bill or the Foundation, but Bill is hoping to change
that in the very near future.

The Philadelphia Lacrosse Foundation is geared toward teaching city kids the
value of the oldest team sport known to man, Lacrosse.

Bill Malizia, an extremely energetic man, has been around the game for over
thirty years, Malizia also has worked in the Department of Recreation in the
City of Philadelphia for quite a few years.

Well, why don't we let Bill tell you about his goals with the Foundation?

KMN- "Bill, the Philadelphia Lacrosse Foundation, what do need to know about
it?"
BM-"The Philadelphia Lacrosse Foundation is the newest non-profit Lacrosse
organization in the Philadelphia area. There are many other organizations
that use
“Philadelphia” in their title and claim to work within the city, but they
actually don't deal with people who live in Philadelphia or the city proper. Our
organization is going to be different; we are going to work specifically with
kids inside the city."

"We will also expose the kids to not only the field game in the spring; we are
also going to introduce them to box lacrosse in the summer, so they can get the
total Lacrosse experience."

KMN- "do you have a game plan on how to get the kids to come out?'
BM-"We are going to utilize some of the local recreation centers and some of the
local sports organizations that are already running programs."

"Also, word of mouth put the word out with kids that I already know. Friends,
acquaintances, other coaches. We will use High Schools that already play, which
is the Catholic League schools to recruit players that will do some work with
us."

"Websites, Fliers, Face book, whatever we can use to get our word out. The sites
that we are going to use are Philadelphia Department of Rec sites or programs
related to that. There are plenty of fields, plenty of indoor facilities that
are not being utilized. One of the components of our program will be giving
something back to the community." We plan to do several community services
projects throughout the city.

For instance, if we go into a facility where the field is not so good or the
building is not so good, we will help renovate in exchange for use of the
field." We will provide a program for the children in that area too.

KMN-"Philadelphia is a big area, are you going to break it up into sections?"
Or, attack it as a whole?"
BM-"Our basis is in the Northwest Philadelphia area, so that's where we started.
We have a program underway at Kendrick Recreation Center; we plan to use
McDevitt Recreation Center in East Falls. We will take the format for that and
expanded it into areas such as Port Richmond, Fishtown, Bridesburg, South
Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, and the Northeast"
Those are the areas that we have targeted first. We want to give the kids a
structural program just so they can see what Lacrosse is. We may bring in
experienced players, pro players or coaches, do a demonstration. The goal is to
put a stick and a ball in every kid's hands."

KMN-"What is your Lacrosse background?"
BM- "I have been around Lacrosse for about thirty five years as a player and as
a coach. I was fortunate enough to have met Norm Treinish, who was the founder
of the Barry Ashbee League, before he founded the league, when he was the
secretary and treasurer of the original PhiladelphiaWings Lacrosse team, back in
1974, through him, I started playing when I was fifteen." He taught me a lot of
Lacrosse and a lot about life as well.

"I participated in two of his programs, I was named the team Captain and leading scorer of his first team, the Merion Shooting Stars,
and I just got hooked on the box lacrosse that was being played by all those
Canadian players."
I went to field lacrosse, played on club teams. I also founded the Philadelphia
Box Lacrosse Association in 1985, which is still in existence today."

"I have been recognized by the Canadian Lacrosse Association by the Iroquois
Confederacy. I was the High School Coach at Roman for three years from
1999-2002. And have and coached in various leagues up till three years ago."

KMN-"Iroquois Nation...sounds like something that you can bring into your
Foundation."
BM-"Yes, they have been around the game since its origins, they are not some
"Johnny come lately". So, I'm going to utilize their knowledge, history, and
expertise as well as some of their players and coaches to help us out."

"We already have a commitment from the Onondaga Nation to make an appearance in
Philadelphia to play one or two of our youth teams."

KMN- "when you start your Box league, are you using the NLL and the American Box
Rules or strictly Canadian Rules?'
BM-"We will play Canadian Box Association Rules. The reason being, they have
played and formulated the game since the early 1900's, the game has been
successful, if you look at all the players, where they come from,
the premier players are all-pretty much from Canadian Box Lacrosse league, so
why mess with that kind of success? So, we're going to run that kind of program
here in Philadelphia, give our kids a better opportunity to grow and develop at
a faster rate than all the other kids."

KMN-"Those of us that have been around the game know that a lot of NHL players
have also played Lacrosse, for the kids that love hockey, give me some
examples."
BM- "Wayne Gretzky, everybody knows him, but also, Joe Nieuwendyk was also a
great lacrosse player, he came out of Whitby, Ontario and played in the NHL for
Calgary. Some Flyers players of the past have played. Doug Favell being one.
Gary Roberts of St.Louis."

"Not to forget, NFL Hall of Famer, Jim Brown. Was one of the greatest lacrosse
players ever. Brown even said that he would have played Lacrosse over Football
if there was a professional league."

KMN-"You are bringing this to the inner city; a lot of these kids have never
seen the game and don't have any idea what Lacrosse is. How do you get them
out?"

BM-"The game will sell itself, a lot of the kids that play basketball will adapt
to Lacrosse rather easily. It is a lot of the same strategy and played very
similar. Once you show the kids what it is, and they can make a connection, all
the mystery goes away."

"The major component is the parents, once the kid sees the game, he says, "Mom,
I want to play.", Once the parents see a picture or video of the game they get a
better idea. To the average person, the game looks too rough. But, once we
educate the parents we'll be fine."

KMN-" Bill, bottom line...my kid sees the game and wants to play, what will it
cost me?"
BM-"To fully outfit a kid to play lacrosse in today's world would be around
$275.00. That would include a stick, all the equipment and spikes or cleats. We
realize that it's hard enough just paying your bills, so there will definitely
be a commitment for the kids to play."

"That's why we start with an Instructional program, just a stick and a ball,
when the parents realize that there is definitely a commitment from their child,
it is easier to move forward." Plus it gives the kid a chance to see if he
really likes it, without having to put up a lot of money.

"We plan on running fundraisers and events to help offset the cost that the
parents will have to make." We are working on a deal with a sporting goods store
to provide an “equipment start up package” that is affordable and realistic!

KMN-"You mentioned Fundraisers, do you have anything planned'?
BM-"We do. We have a couple of things that we are planning. The first one we are
calling it our "Kick-Off" a night at McFadden's at 3rd and Callowhill. Thursday
April 2nd, from 5 to 9PM. We're going to try to draw a lot of college kids and
other lacrosse people from around the area. We are hoping to get 200 people down
there."

"We'll also use that night to springboard to our other events, recruit some
volunteers."

"We are also sponsoring a "Night at the Wings" on March 28, when the Wings play
the Colorado Mammoth. We are using our kids from our youth program from the East
Falls/Roxborough area to sell a lot of tickets."

"If we sell 200 tickets, our kids can go on the floor between 3 and 4 PM and the
Wings have promised us that Athan Iannucci will be on the floor with the kids."

KMN-"You mentioned Athan Iannucci, do you have any other professional players on
board?"
BM-"I have a verbal commitment from George Castle, one of the Wings. We are
working with John Grant (Rochester). He is hoping to do a clinic for us." in the
future, we are also working with the Philadelphia Wings management and hope that
we can partner with them for a few mutually beneficial programs.

Thanks to Bill Malizia and the Philadelphia Lacrosse Foundation
_________________
Kevin
PhillyLax.com
PLPA.com
PHN.com

For more info, go to Philadelphia Lacrosse Foundation


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Comeback not enough for Wings after another opening zero

By Tom Hoffman

For the second game in a row, and third time this season, the Philadelphia Wings found themselves held scoreless after the first quarter. And for the third time, the Wings found themselves on the losing end of this type of game. After yet another comeback that had this game looking like it would go into overtime, Minnesota's Chad Culp scored on a behind the net shot with 4.5 seconds left in regulation to give the Swarm their third straight win, 13-12 over the host Wings.

The Wings looked lackluster at best in the horrid first, outscored 4-0, outshot 15-5 and outhit on numerous plays. Faceoffs were a problem as well as Geoff Snider, despite taking part in the pre game warmup, was a scratch as he recovers from the trachea injury suffered two weeks ago in Edmonton. Athan Iannucci finally got the Wings on the board 5:30 into the second quarter and his second goal of the night late in the stanza allowed the Wings to trail by just two scores at halftime. The teams traded goals in the third, the Wings twice getting within a goal before Minnesota answered with a goal of their own.

The Wings caught fire in the fourth as goals from Iannucci (his fourth of the night), Rob Van Beek and Merrick Thomson gave Philly its first lead of the night at 10-9. Former Wing Dan Marohl continued to be a thorn in the side of his former team as he tied the game just 24 seconds after the Wings took the lead. Iannucci's fifth of the night gave the Wings their last lead of the night as Minnesota would reclaim it on goals from Aaron Wilson and Sean Pollock. When Thomson potted his third of the night with 1:25 left in regulation it appeared the Wings would force overtime, maybe even pull out a late win, until Culp's last second heroics sent the Swarm home victorious.

Rob Blasdell did a solid job in relief of starter Brandon Miller, making 41 saves and keeping the Wings in the game. Iannucci added three assist to his five goals for his best game of the season while Van Beek and the Swarm's Sean Pollock gave the fans a Flyer type highlight with a toe to toe bout early in the third quarter. For Dave Huntley's squad, they now find themselves in fifth place with the loss and have another week off before hosting the Colorado Mammoth on March 28. With five games remaining, there will need to be some sense of urgency if the Wings want a return to the postseason. And the scoreless first quarters will need to be put to rest.

Wings 2009 Game 11 (vs. Minnesota 3-14-09)

By Tom Hoffman

Fresh off the National Lacrosse League's All Star Break, the Philadelphia Wings (4-6) will begin their push towards the postseason when they host the Minnesota Swarm (4-5) Saturday evening at the Wachovia Center. Faceoff is at 7:30 and can be seen live on NLL.com.

History

With their 13-12 win over the Swarm on February 12, the Wings are now 5-6 all time vs. Minnesota and 3-2 in Philadelphia. In that game, Athan Iannucci celebrated his return to the lineup with a three goal, two assist performance. Merrick Thomson also added three goals and Mat Giles tallied a goal and five assists. Former Wings Ryan Ward (3G, 2A) and Dan Marohl (1G, 5A) paced the Swarm.

Last Games

The Wings split a back to back weekend prior to the All Star Game, defeating Edmonton 14-9 on February 27 before falling to Portland the next night 12-10. Against the Rush, Merrick Thomson scored six goals and A.J. Shannon added four to lead the Wings while Brandon Miller made 39 saves in goal. In Portland, the Wings trailed 5-0 after the first quarter before making the game close. Thomson added three more goals and Kyle Wailes added three in the losing effort. Minnesota swept a weekend series away from home, defeating Toronto and Buffalo to end a five game losing streak.

All Stars

The Eastern Conference won their third straight All Star Game 27-21 over the West in front of a crowd of 13,380 at Denver's Pepsi Center. The Wings Drew Westervelt scored a goal and added three assists while Kyle Sweeney had a goal and an assist. Westervelt replaced teammate Geoff Snider, who missed the game due to a tracheal fracture suffered in the Wings game at Edmonton.

New Wing

Prior to the game in Edmonton the Wings signed Jon Harasym, who had been released by the Toronto Rock. To make room on the roster, Jim Borell was released. Borell was picked up by San Jose.

Next Game

After a week off, the Wings return home on March 28 to face the Colorado Mammoth.

Wings 2009 Game 9 (at Edmonton 2-27-09) and Game 10 (at Portland 2-28-09)

By Tom Hoffman

After a much needed win last weekend, the Philadelphia Wings (3-5) head out West for a tough pair of matchups. Friday night the Wings will be at Rexall Place to square off with the Edmonton Rush (3-5) with a 9:30 PM faceoff. Saturday the Wings will head to Portland to meet the Lumberjax (4-3) at the Rose Garden. Saturday's faceoff is at 10:30 PM. Both games can be seen live on NLL.com

Histories

The Wings and Rush have met just once, in the 2007 season opener in Edmonton. The Rush won 13-12 on a last second goal by Randy Daly after Kyle Wailes had tied the game with 1:49 remaining in regulation. Wailes (3G, 3A), Geoff Snider (G, 2A) and Athan Iannucci (3G) each made their Wings debut that night. The Wings are 1-2 against Portland, each team winning on the road. Last season the Wings made their first ever visit to Portland and came back to defeat the Jax 13-10, using a 6-2 fourth quarter to overcome a six goal night from Portland's Dan Dawson. Brandon Miller earned the win in goal with 45 saves while Athan Iannucci had a six goal night of his own.

Last Game

The Wings stopped a two game losing streak with a 13-12 win over the Minnesota Swarm Saturday night. Athan Iannucci returned to the Wings lineup with a five point night (3G, 2A) while Drew Westervelt also added five points (2G, 3A) and Merrick Thomson also chipped in with a hat trick. Portland last played February 7 when they defeated San Jose 16-13 in Portland.

More All-Star info

The Wings added another member to the Eastern Conference All Star team when defenseman Kyle Sweeney was named as one of the reserve players. Sweeney will join Geoff Snider in Denver on March 7, for Sweeney this will be his first NLL All Star appearance.

Wings Mid-Season records (last five seasons)

2008: 7-1

2007: 4-4

2006: 4-4

2005: 3-5

2004: 4-4

Quotes

Wings coach Dave Huntley on the upcoming weekend: "Edmonton's a big, physical defense. They've got some very talented guys on the front door and a goalie, Chugger (Steve Dietrich), with great experience. Our reward for playing them Friday is we get to play the "Oregon Redwoods" of the Lumberjax. They're a gigantic team. It'll be a real challenge."

Next Game

Following the All Star break, the Wings will return home to face the Minnesota Swarm on March 14.

Wings rediscover the win column against Swarm

By Tom Hoffman

After last week's humiliation at home against the Boston Blazers, the Philadelphia Wings needed a night like last night. Getting their # 1 weapon back in the lineup (Athan Iannucci), facing an opponent struggling almost as bad as the Wings have been (four straight losses prior to last night) and had also played the night before (home against Boston) seemed to be the perfect tonic for the Wings. A quick start allowed the Wings to hold on at the end and defeat the Minnesota Swarm 13-12 before a season high of 10,559 at the Wachovia Center.

The teams were in a snarling mood even before the opening faceoff as the Wings Geoff Snider and Minnesota's Ryan Cousins had to be separated by the officials. The Wings got off to the fast start they needed in the first, getting a hat trick from Merrick Thomson and a tally from Geoff Snider to take a 4-0 lead. Former Wings Ryan Ward and Dan Marohl would combine on the Swarm's first two goals to make the game 4-2 Wings after the first. After Ryan Sharp scored one minute into the second to get Minnesota within a goal Wings fans got to see what they have been missing all season, an Athan Iannucci score just nineteen seconds later. The 2008 MVP would add a second goal later in the quarter and assisted on Drew Westervelt's goal that gave the Wings an 8-4 halftime advantage.

Kyle Wailes opened the second half scoring for Philadelphia before Minnesota began to show some life on the floor. The Swarm scored five of the next six goals to cut the Philly lead to 10-9 before Westervelt's second of the night and a one from Rob Van Beek restored the three goal cushion. The eventual game winning goal came after Minnesota's Kevin Fines brought the Swarm within two and was a show of pure beauty and strength. Iannucci took a feed from A. J. Shannon and one handed a shot past Swarm keeper Kevin Croswell to put the Wings up 13-10.

"It was a great pass by A.J.," Iannucci said. "Put it right in my stick."

The Swarm would get the game's last two scores, the last by rookie Brad Favero with 1:08 left in regulation but the Wings were able to hold off the Swarm and walk off with the victory. Hostilities didn't end with the final whistle as Snider and Minnesota's Ryan Sharp were exchanging words in the handshake line.

While Mat Giles led all Wings scorers with six points (1G, 5A), it was Iannucci the fans were concerned with, and he did not disappoint with a five point night (3G, 2A). Afterwards, he felt like a player in his first full game of the season.

"I felt a little slower than I wanted to," Iannucci said. "I'm just sore all over, tired. You can practice all you want but there's no substitute for a game."

Fortunately for Wings fans, the knee Iannucci had injured last summer was feeling fine. His presence back in the lineup certainly sparked the offense, which goalie Brandon Miller noticed as well.

"Our offense really stepped up tonight," Miller said. "After that debacle last week it sure was nice to see everyone came to play tonight. It was a great team win."

Miller had 39 saves in the cage for the Wings but felt it was not one of his better games.

"I think the guys bailed me out tonight," Miller said. "I wasn't having my strongest game, I was, for some reason, just a little bit off tonight."

While quite happy with the win, Wings coach Dave Huntley saw some things that he felt still needed some improvement heading into the second half of the season.

"I thought we came out with great energy," Huntley said. "I'm disappointed that at this stage of the season we still aren't buying into possession before transition and just getting off the floor. We still have to buy into the idea of getting off the floor and picking the ball up before we run up the floor."

The Wings will look to maintain that energy when they hit the road for a pair of games out West, Friday night in Edmonton and Saturday night in Portland.