Wings Lacrosse 2013 (4-6-13 at Rochester & 4-7-13 vs. Minnesota)

By Tom Hoffman

Looking to stop a four game losing streak and possibly clinch a spot in the 2013 National Lacrosse League playoffs, the Philadelphia Wings (5-7) embark on their final weekend of back to back games when they travel to Rochester, NY on Saturday to face the Knighthawks before coming home on Sunday to take on the Minnesota Swarm.  Game time Saturday is at 6 PM and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.  Sunday’s faceoff is at 4 PM and can be seen live at www.youtube.com/thelacrossenetwork.

History

The Wings are 16-27 in regular season play against Rochester with a 6-15 record at Blue Cross Arena.  In 2013 the teams have split their first two meetings, Rochester winning 20-10 on February 8 in Philadelphia and the Wings were victorious on February 23 in Rochester by a 10-8 score.  The Wings are 7-11 all time against the Swarm, 4-4 in Philadelphia. The Wings are 0-1 in 2013 against Minnesota losing last Friday 20-11 in St. Paul.

Last Weekend

The Wings were swept last weekend on the road losing 20-11 to the Swarm on Friday and falling 10-9 to the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday.  Against the Swarm the Wings were tied at 5 at halftime and took a 6-5 lead early in the 3^rd quarter before the wheels fell off and were outscored 15-5 the remainder of the game.  Kevin Crowley and Drew Westervelt each had three goals while Kevin Ross added a goal and six assists in his first game against his former team.  Brendan Mundorf made his 2013 debut for the Wings adding 4 points (2G, 2A).  Angus Dineley made his debut in goal as Brandon Miller served a suspension stemming from an altercation in the March 9 game against the Washington Stealth and made 31 saves.

Saturday’s game in Denver was a tale of two halves as the Wings trailed 10-4 at halftime after being outscored 7-1 in the 2^nd quarter.  The Wings owned the second half though as Brandon Miller and the Wings defense shut out the Mammoth while outscoring them 5-0 but could not get the tying goal.  Crowley was the offense again on this night with four goals while Ross added another four assists.  Miller made 39 saves in his return to the net.

Rochester defeated the Toronto Rock 12-8 on Saturday at Blue Cross Arena.  Minnesota will host the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday before heading to Philadelphia.        

On this date

The Wings are 2-1 on April 6.  In 1996 they defeated the Boston Blazers 10-8 in a playoff game at the Spectrum.  This was the Wings last game at the Spectrum before moving to their current home at the Wells Fargo Center.  In 2008 they defeated the Toronto Rock 11-9 at home and in 2012 lost at home 13-9 to Minnesota.  On April 7 the Wings are 4-1. In 1989 the Wings defeated the New York Saints 11-10 at the Spectrum to claim the first of their six championships.  In 1990 they again defeated the Saints at the Spectrum in the playoffs by a 9-8 score.  In 2001 they defeated the Columbus Landsharks 17-7 at Nationwide Arena and in 2007 beat the New York Titans 20-8 at the Wachovia Center.  In 2012 the Wings lost on the road 17-7 to Buffalo. 

Stat Leaders

Goals: Kevin Crowley (26), Assists: Crowley (32), Points: Crowley (58), Loose Balls: Brodie Merrill (88), Goals Against Average: Brandon Miller (11.54), Saves: Miller (420).

Next Game

The Wings will face the Toronto Rock on April 13 in the regular season home finale.

Max Seibald vs Kevin Neibauer

In an exclusive to LaxPhilly.com Max Seibald took time out to chat with Kevin M. Neibauer about his injury, the team and chemistry....

KMN-"When do you plan on coming back from the injury?" "What was the nature of the injury?'

MS- "Broke my 5th metatarsal and needed to get surgery. Return date still TBD".

KMN-"How much of an impact do you think you make when you join forces with Paul Rabil?"

MS- "Im just as interested to see as you. We played very well together on Team USA in 2010, but the outdoor game is very different."

KMN-"Despite not being able to participate in practices and games, how much imput do you have on team matters?"

MS- "Not much. Hard to have much of a say on whats going on day to day if you cant go out on the field and back it up or be in their shoes to know what is going on with the team on and off the field and on road trips."

KMN-"Every team has injuries during the season, the Wings in particular have been hit pretty hard. How does a team prepare for that adversity?"

MS- "Not much you can do to prepare for injuries. It happens every year to every team. The Wings have obviously had some bad luck this season with a number of injuries this season, but the team is more than just a few players. There is a large and deep group of committed players, coaches, and owners that have put in a ton of time from training camp, practices, film breakdown, etc. so that even with some bad luck and injuries, the team is still put in a great position to succeed."

KMN-"You play in the MLL, will the injury impact that at all?"

MS- "Still TBD."

KMN-"Favorite NLL city to play in?'

MS- "Philly for sure. Other than the home field, I love playing in Denver and in Toronto."

KMN-"Rochester has had the Wings number for a few years. With playoffs approaching, how much does the prospect of facing them affect the team?"

 

MS- "In this league, on any given night, any team can beat any team. Its just a matter of putting in the time to prepare, and executing on game day."

 

KMN-"What are your thoughts on the play of Paul Rabil and his ability to adjust to the box game?'

 

MS-"He is a great player, who has good size, athleticism and strength along with a great stick and understanding of the game. With that and his desire to win he will continue to fulfill his role with the Wings which makes the rest of the team better.'

 

KMN-"A lot was made of the American team ideal that was presented by the Wings....was it a lot of hype? What was the mindset behind that?"

 

MS- " I don't believe it is hype, I think we have a talented group of players who bring a different element of speed, strength, and pure athleticism to the floor that many other teams can't match, and is a little different than the traditional indoor lacrosse style of play. Its a matter of staying healthy, utilizing our strengths to our advantage, and continuing to build on team chemistry."

 

I want to thank Max Seibald for his generous cooperation !!!

Kevin M. Neibauer

Wings Lacrosse 2013 (3-29-13 at Minnesota & 3-30-13 at Colorado)

By Tom Hoffman

The Philadelphia Wings (5-5) will seek to not only end a two game losing streak but also clinch a spot in the 2013 National Lacrosse League playoffs when they hit the road for back to back games with the Minnesota Swarm (4-7) on Friday and the Colorado Mammoth (4-8) on Saturday.  Game time Friday is at 8:30 PM and 9PM on Saturday.  Both games can be seen live at www.youtube.com/thelacrossenetwork.

History

The Wings are 7-10 all time against the Swarm and are 3-6 at Xcel Energy Center and have lost their last two visits here.  Last season the Wings lost both meetings vs. the Swarm, losing 13-9 in Philadelphia on April 6 and 15-10 on April 21 in St. Paul, MN.   The Wings are 31-14 all time vs. Colorado in regular season play, 9-4 since the franchise has been in Denver.  The Wings are 4-2 at the Pepsi Center and have won their last four visits here.

Last Weekend

The Wings lost 13-8 to the Toronto Rock on March 16 at the Wells Fargo Center.  Kevin Crowley scored four goals for the Wings while Brandon Miller made 38 saves.  Minnesota last played on March 16 when they ended a three game losing streak by defeating the Washington Stealth 12-5 at Xcel Energy Center.  Colorado saw a two game win streak end on March 23 when they dropped a 12-11 overtime decision to the Calgary Roughnecks at Scotiabank Saddledome.       

Trivia

Name the current Wing who was chosen 11^th overall in the 2008 NLL Entry Draft by the Swarm?    

On this date

The Wings are 1-1 on March 29 having played the Rochester Knighthawks both times at Blue Cross Arena, winning 13-9 in 1997 and falling 20-12 in 2008.  On March 30 the Wings are 0-2 losing 12-11 to the Washington Power in a 2002 playoff game at the First Union Center and losing in 2007 15-6 to the Toronto Rock at Air Canada Centre.. 

Notes

The Wings can clinch a spot in this season’s playoffs with wins in both games this weekend (per NLL.com).

G Brandon Miller and D Mike Manley each dropped their appeal of their respective one game suspensions that were issued following altercations on March 9 against Washington.  The suspensions will be served on Friday at Minnesota.

Answer

Kevin Buchanan.  He was one of three players chosen in the first round by Minnesota in 2008; Andrew Watt was chosen 8^th and Joe Cinosky 13^th.

Next Game

The Wings will return to action with another set of back to back games starting on April 6 in Rochester against the Knighthawks before returning home to face Minnesota on April 7.

Wings fans will remember a guy who came on the scene known as " Bill Bergey's Kid"...in a short time, the kid became a Wings icon....it is my pleasure to present Jake Bergey... 

          Kevin M.Neibauer had the chance to chat with Jake Bergey....

KMN- Tell us what you have been up to since you left the Wings?

      JB-" I have been busy with my full time job in the medical sales field.  Between that and my two kids, there 
is not a whole lot of free time.  I do however enjoy every minute with them."

KMN- Coaching, How was that experience?

JB-" Coaching was a learning experience.  I think I learned as much as the players did.  I realize how much time my coaches really put in over the years."

KMN-What is the future of the Wings?

JB- "I m not really sure.  I know there was talk about trying to add teams, but I need to see what the future holds"

KMN- Do you see yourself continuing to Coach ?

JB-"I will be coaching at some level for as long as I can see.  My son is now playing lacrosse, but my passion is the indoor game.  I would love if there was Box lacrosse leagues for young kids that was true box lacrosse."

KMN- You had an Wings staff in Reading...does that make it more enjoyable?

JB-"Absolutely,  I worked with Tom  Slate who is one of my best friends. He has quite a bit of coaching experience so I learned a lot from him, as well as enjoyed talking about it over a beer after the games and practice.." 

KMN-Many of  the guys that you with and against, have moved to the NLL as coaches (Troy Cordingly, Bob Hamley, Tom Ryan, Thomas Hajek)...do you plan on joining them?

JB-" I would love to say yes, but I doubt it.  With my job, I do not have the freedom of getting away so often and would be tough to do.  I will never say never though."

KMN- Favorite game as a Wing?

JB- "So many to pick from, but the 2 that stick out in my mind the most was my first pro game.  It was a win in Buffalo.  I was pretty overwhelmed but did end up having 2 goals.  The second was the championship game where we beat Toronto on their home field. Not many people gave us a shot but that was special.".  

KMN-You are still greeted warmly by the fans when you come to games, what was it like to play in Philadelphia?

JB-" People ask me when I go to games if I miss playing.  My answer is yes, but what I think I miss the most is them announcing my name hearing the crowd cheer and running out in front of all those screaming fans.  I love every Philly Wings fan and cannot thank them enough for the support they gave me.  I am so glad I played my whole career in Philly because I would not have wanted to be anywhere else."

Thanks Jake, we will post it to www.LaxPhilly.com

Kevin M. Neibauer

LaxPhilly.com

267-597-0685

Wings still winless in second half after falling to Rock

By Tom Hoffman

Success in the second half of recent seasons has eluded the Philadelphia Wings and so far that trend seems to be continuing this season as well.  After today’s 13-8 loss at home to the Toronto Rock the Wings have lost both games since starting the latter half of the 2013 season.  And the score was not anywhere as close as it would suggest. 

After Toronto opened the scoring just 55 seconds in, Ned Crotty tied the game for the Wings which would be as close as they would get all afternoon.  Toronto scored the game’s next three goals to lead 4-1 after the first quarter.  Following a Paul Rabil goal the Rock would then increase their lead to 7-2 before goals from Kevin Ross and Drew Westervelt cut the deficit to 7-4.  The Wings issue on this day was stopping Josh Sanderson which they had little success in doing.  Sanderson had four goals on the day, all in the first half and the Rock led at the half 9-5.

The second half was very low scoring as each team tallied just once in the third.  Kyle Belton scored twice in the fourth (three for the game) and Scott Johnston added the final score for the Rock to go up 13-6 before Kevin Crowley scored a pair of meaningless goals after Rock coach Troy Cordingley replaced starter Nick Rose for the game’s final two minutes.

For the Wings they now have a week off before starting back to back weekends of back to back games.