By Tom Hoffman
Trailing by four goals entering the final 15 minutes of play and playing without leading scorer Athan Iannucci, out with a finger injury suffered last week in Rochester, Philadelphia Wings fans could have been forgiven for thinking the night would not end well. The Wings had other ideas though and used a six goal outburst to defeat the Toronto Rock 12-11 at Wells Fargo Center. With the Wings victory and the Boston Blazers losing to Rochester Philly now has their playoff destiny in their own control.
The Wings came out playing some good physical lacrosse in what ended up an even opening 15 minutes of play and stayed close until they tied the game at five apiece on a shorthanded score from Drew Westervelt. Just 17 seconds after evening up the game the Rock's Garrett Billings tallied on the power play to break the tie and start a four goal Toronto run to give the Rock a 9-5 halftime lead. Each team scored once in the third and while the Rock seemed to ease up on the throttle, a four goal lead seemed to be a lock.
Once the fourth quarter began the Wings offense came to life and they finally began to solve Toronto backup keeper Pat Campbell, who started tonight after Bob Watson handled the Rock overtime win at home against the Washington Stealth on Friday. Westervelt got the scoring started in the fourth with a pair of goals to complete a hat trick. Brendan Mundorf finished off a hat trick of his own to pull the Wings within one before Max Seibald gave the Wings their first lead since Mundorf's goal to open the game.
The Wings would add goals from Ryan Boyle and Matt Danowski (in his first game as a Wing) and would then get some help from video review as a Toronto goal was reversed due to the Rock's Colin Doyle just slightly having his foot on the crease line. This would serve huge especially after Blaine Manning scored to make it a 12-11 game with 1:25 to play. The Philly defense would stop Toronto on their next possession and successfully kill off the clock and deliver the Wings just their second win at home in the 2011 season.
Boyle's seven point night (1G, 6A) would lead the Wings with Westervelt right behind with six (3G, 3A). The defense, meanwhile, held the Rock's dangerous sophomore duo of Billings and Stephan LeBlanc to a goal each. Brandon Miller, shaky in the second quarter, was very sharp in the second half only allowing a pair of goals and making 31 saves overall.
For the Wings, their playoff season begins Saturday night when they travel to Boston to face a Blazers team that has struggled mightily in their last five games. A win for the Wings would not only pull them even with Boston in the win column but would also give the Wings the all important tiebreaker in the season series. For a team that has struggled themselves for the majority of the season this would be a big boost for a young Wings squad looking to right their ship and find consistency.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
2011 Wings Lacrosse (4-2-11 vs. Toronto)
by Tom Hoffman
The Philadelphia Wings (4-8) will look to end an overall four game losing streak, a three game home losing streak and keep their slim postseason hopes alive when they host the Toronto Rock (9-3) at the Wells Fargo Center at 7 PM. The game will be shown live on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 9-21 all time in regular season play (0-2 this season) against the Rock including their first season in 1998 as the Ontario Raiders. At home the Wings are 6-10 against Toronto, 0-1 in 2011 following a 16-13 loss on February 26. The Rock also defeated the Wings in Toronto on March 4 by a score of 15-10.
Last Week
The Wings lost to the Rochester Knighthawks 13-10 last Saturday at Blue Cross Arena. The Wings were led by Brendan Mundorf with six points (2G, 4A) and a hat trick from Ryan Boyle. Drew Westervelt (2G, 3A) and Alex Turner (5A) each added five points. Toronto lost at Calgary 14-9 to the West leading Roughnecks last Friday. The loss ended a five game win streak for the Rock.
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:
Only two American born players have played for the Toronto Rock and both have ties to the Wings. Who are they? Answer at the end of the preview.
Notes
All time the Wings are 1-1 on April 2. They defeated the Albany Attack 13-12 in overtime in 2000 and lost to Toronto 17-15 in 2005.
Three players in the National Lacrosse League’s top 10 scoring leaders will be on the floor in this game. Toronto’s Stephan LeBlanc is tied for fifth with 65 points while teammate Blaine Manning is tied for eighth with the Wings Athan Iannucci, each with 60 points. Iannucci is fourth in goals scored (29); one ahead of LeBlanc while Manning is tied for second with 41 assists.
The Wings are currently 1-5 at home. The only time the Wings have had just one win at home was in 1992 when they finished 1-3. This season will be the fifth time the Wings have had a sub .500 record at home (1992, 2004, 2005 and 2010).
Next Game
The Wings travel to Boston on April 9 to face the Blazers for the last time in the 2011 season to start a back to back weekend that ends on April 10 with a home tilt against Rochester.
Trivia Answer
Ex-Wing Kevin Finneran in 2003 became the first American player to suit up for the Rock while current Wings forward Bill McGlone was the second one. McGlone played for Toronto in 2009 following the dispersal draft of the Chicago Shamrox.
The Philadelphia Wings (4-8) will look to end an overall four game losing streak, a three game home losing streak and keep their slim postseason hopes alive when they host the Toronto Rock (9-3) at the Wells Fargo Center at 7 PM. The game will be shown live on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 9-21 all time in regular season play (0-2 this season) against the Rock including their first season in 1998 as the Ontario Raiders. At home the Wings are 6-10 against Toronto, 0-1 in 2011 following a 16-13 loss on February 26. The Rock also defeated the Wings in Toronto on March 4 by a score of 15-10.
Last Week
The Wings lost to the Rochester Knighthawks 13-10 last Saturday at Blue Cross Arena. The Wings were led by Brendan Mundorf with six points (2G, 4A) and a hat trick from Ryan Boyle. Drew Westervelt (2G, 3A) and Alex Turner (5A) each added five points. Toronto lost at Calgary 14-9 to the West leading Roughnecks last Friday. The loss ended a five game win streak for the Rock.
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:
Only two American born players have played for the Toronto Rock and both have ties to the Wings. Who are they? Answer at the end of the preview.
Notes
All time the Wings are 1-1 on April 2. They defeated the Albany Attack 13-12 in overtime in 2000 and lost to Toronto 17-15 in 2005.
Three players in the National Lacrosse League’s top 10 scoring leaders will be on the floor in this game. Toronto’s Stephan LeBlanc is tied for fifth with 65 points while teammate Blaine Manning is tied for eighth with the Wings Athan Iannucci, each with 60 points. Iannucci is fourth in goals scored (29); one ahead of LeBlanc while Manning is tied for second with 41 assists.
The Wings are currently 1-5 at home. The only time the Wings have had just one win at home was in 1992 when they finished 1-3. This season will be the fifth time the Wings have had a sub .500 record at home (1992, 2004, 2005 and 2010).
Next Game
The Wings travel to Boston on April 9 to face the Blazers for the last time in the 2011 season to start a back to back weekend that ends on April 10 with a home tilt against Rochester.
Trivia Answer
Ex-Wing Kevin Finneran in 2003 became the first American player to suit up for the Rock while current Wings forward Bill McGlone was the second one. McGlone played for Toronto in 2009 following the dispersal draft of the Chicago Shamrox.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Wings shake up lineup
By- Kevin M. Neibauer
Philadelphia, PA.- The Philadelphia Wings have made major changes to their roster in the past week and some of the moves have fans wondering what happens next.
The Wings have severed ties with veteran defensemen Kyle Sweeney and Taylor Wray. Shawn Nadelen was a healthy scratch for the game against the Calgary Roughnecks. After a listless and uninspired defeat to the Roughnecks, the Philadelphia club found itself with an extremely uphill battle. Forced to win all of its remaining games to have a shot at a playoff spot. The Wings now have seven defeats and are the outside looking in.
Rumors swirled after the Calgary game. Front Office Personnel and the Coaching staff were in a closed door meeting and no comments were being made. Rumor had it that several of the players confronted Head Coach John Tucker and aired several grievances. If that is true, then apparently Tucker won the battle. Team Captain Taylor Wray was released as well as Assistant Captain Kyle Sweeney. Sweeney has signed with Edmonton. A press release was issued stating that Sweeney was released with "no intention" of bringing him back.
Sources indicated that the Wray move was a paper only move, due to his unavailabilty for the teams game due to coaching commitments. Also the addition of Matt Zash mandated an open roster spot. It is thought that Wray will be brought back to the club, although, no announcements have been made. (Note: Wray was re-signed by the Wings on March 17).
The oddity is that Wray was "released" to make room for Zash even though the club is currently carrying three goaltenders on the active roster. (Brandon Miller, Ray Hodgkinson and Brodie McDonald). Common logic is that one of the goaltenders could have been put on the Practice Squad.
How will the shake-up affect the team? Philadelphia is in the second week of their two week bye and time will tell.
Philadelphia, PA.- The Philadelphia Wings have made major changes to their roster in the past week and some of the moves have fans wondering what happens next.
The Wings have severed ties with veteran defensemen Kyle Sweeney and Taylor Wray. Shawn Nadelen was a healthy scratch for the game against the Calgary Roughnecks. After a listless and uninspired defeat to the Roughnecks, the Philadelphia club found itself with an extremely uphill battle. Forced to win all of its remaining games to have a shot at a playoff spot. The Wings now have seven defeats and are the outside looking in.
Rumors swirled after the Calgary game. Front Office Personnel and the Coaching staff were in a closed door meeting and no comments were being made. Rumor had it that several of the players confronted Head Coach John Tucker and aired several grievances. If that is true, then apparently Tucker won the battle. Team Captain Taylor Wray was released as well as Assistant Captain Kyle Sweeney. Sweeney has signed with Edmonton. A press release was issued stating that Sweeney was released with "no intention" of bringing him back.
Sources indicated that the Wray move was a paper only move, due to his unavailabilty for the teams game due to coaching commitments. Also the addition of Matt Zash mandated an open roster spot. It is thought that Wray will be brought back to the club, although, no announcements have been made. (Note: Wray was re-signed by the Wings on March 17).
The oddity is that Wray was "released" to make room for Zash even though the club is currently carrying three goaltenders on the active roster. (Brandon Miller, Ray Hodgkinson and Brodie McDonald). Common logic is that one of the goaltenders could have been put on the Practice Squad.
How will the shake-up affect the team? Philadelphia is in the second week of their two week bye and time will tell.
2011 Wings Lacrosse (3-26-11 at Rochester)
By Tom Hoffman
The Philadelphia Wings (4-7) will take to the floor for the first time in three weeks this Saturday evening when they travel to Rochester, NY to face the Knighthawks (5-5) in a game important to the playoff hopes of both teams. Faceoff at the Blue Cross Arena is at 7:35 PM and the game can be seen live on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 15-21 all time against Rochester and are 5-13 at the Blue Cross Arena. The only previous meeting this season went to the Knighthawks on February 5th by a score of 11-6. The Wings trailed 9-2 after three quarters and never really got too close. The Wings last victory in Rochester was on January 10, 2009 by a score of 16-13. The teams will meet once more in 2011 on April 10th in Philadelphia.
Trivia
This season is not only the 25th season of Wings Lacrosse; it is also the 10th anniversary of the Wings last championship victory in 2001. To celebrate both, this column will feature a trivia question each week and will attempt to tie in both the 2001 champions, as well as that week’s opponent. This week’s question is:
Name the current Knighthawk who was a member of the Wings 2001 practice squad? The answer will be at the end of the preview.
When Last They Played
The Wings were defeated by the Calgary Roughnecks 13-7 on March 5th at the Wells Fargo Center. Rochester’s last game was also on March 5th when they travelled to Buffalo losing to the Bandits by a score of 11-8.
Notes
Several roster moves have occurred since the Wings last took to the floor. D Kyle Sweeney (released prior to the Toronto game on March 4th) was signed by the Edmonton Rush while D Taylor Wray was re-signed on March 17th after being released prior to the Calgary game due to coaching commitments at Lehigh University. G Kurtis Wagar and D Pat Heim were added to the roster after Brodie MacDonald and Dan Hardy were placed on the hold out list. Defensemen Jeff Bigas joins F Matt Danowski on the practice squad.
The Wings are 1-1 in games played on March 26th. They defeated the Boston Blazers in 1994 16-10 behind a 10 goal night from Paul Gait. In 1999 they lost 14-13 at Nassau Coliseum to the New York Saints.
Athan Iannucci remains among the NLL’s top 10 scorers. Iannucci is currently seventh with 56 points and is one of several players tied for second with 27 goals. Washington’s Rhys Duch leads all goal scorers with 29. Boston’s Dan Dawson is the league’s point leader with 68.
Next game
The Wings will return to the Wells Fargo Center on April 2 to face the Toronto Rock.
Trivia Answer
Current Knighthawk transition player Chris Schiller was a member of the Wings practice squad in 2001 along with Rich Brzeski and Joe Ceglia.
The Philadelphia Wings (4-7) will take to the floor for the first time in three weeks this Saturday evening when they travel to Rochester, NY to face the Knighthawks (5-5) in a game important to the playoff hopes of both teams. Faceoff at the Blue Cross Arena is at 7:35 PM and the game can be seen live on the NLL Network at NLL.com.
History
The Wings are 15-21 all time against Rochester and are 5-13 at the Blue Cross Arena. The only previous meeting this season went to the Knighthawks on February 5th by a score of 11-6. The Wings trailed 9-2 after three quarters and never really got too close. The Wings last victory in Rochester was on January 10, 2009 by a score of 16-13. The teams will meet once more in 2011 on April 10th in Philadelphia.
Trivia
This season is not only the 25th season of Wings Lacrosse; it is also the 10th anniversary of the Wings last championship victory in 2001. To celebrate both, this column will feature a trivia question each week and will attempt to tie in both the 2001 champions, as well as that week’s opponent. This week’s question is:
Name the current Knighthawk who was a member of the Wings 2001 practice squad? The answer will be at the end of the preview.
When Last They Played
The Wings were defeated by the Calgary Roughnecks 13-7 on March 5th at the Wells Fargo Center. Rochester’s last game was also on March 5th when they travelled to Buffalo losing to the Bandits by a score of 11-8.
Notes
Several roster moves have occurred since the Wings last took to the floor. D Kyle Sweeney (released prior to the Toronto game on March 4th) was signed by the Edmonton Rush while D Taylor Wray was re-signed on March 17th after being released prior to the Calgary game due to coaching commitments at Lehigh University. G Kurtis Wagar and D Pat Heim were added to the roster after Brodie MacDonald and Dan Hardy were placed on the hold out list. Defensemen Jeff Bigas joins F Matt Danowski on the practice squad.
The Wings are 1-1 in games played on March 26th. They defeated the Boston Blazers in 1994 16-10 behind a 10 goal night from Paul Gait. In 1999 they lost 14-13 at Nassau Coliseum to the New York Saints.
Athan Iannucci remains among the NLL’s top 10 scorers. Iannucci is currently seventh with 56 points and is one of several players tied for second with 27 goals. Washington’s Rhys Duch leads all goal scorers with 29. Boston’s Dan Dawson is the league’s point leader with 68.
Next game
The Wings will return to the Wells Fargo Center on April 2 to face the Toronto Rock.
Trivia Answer
Current Knighthawk transition player Chris Schiller was a member of the Wings practice squad in 2001 along with Rich Brzeski and Joe Ceglia.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Weekend is a big zero for Wings
By Tom Hoffman
For the Calgary Roughnecks, just playing tonight's game against the Philadelphia Wings certainly had to help take their minds off the fact that their season is on life support due to the franchise's current economic woes. By defeating the Wings 13-7 at the Wells Fargo Center, they just may have put the Wings season on life support.
If any of the 9,604 in attendance were disappointed by not seeing former Wing standout Geoff Snider in the Calgary lineup due to injury, the Wings effort would prove to be even more disappointing. After playing the league leading Toronto Rock almost even for three quarters on Friday night, the Wings carried over the spiritless fourth quarter from that game into tonight's tilt. The Wings, who have not held a lead since scoring the game winning goal at Buffalo two weeks ago, had to be lucky to be only trailing 3-2 after the first quarter as they were outshot 15-5 and easily outplayed. After Calgary's Dane Dobbie opened the scoring in the second, the Wings Brendan Mundorf would pull the Wings within a goal at 4-3 with just over 10 minutes until halftime. By the time Drew Westervelt would score the Wings fourth goal of the night at 9:32 of the third quarter the Wings had given up six consecutive scores and would see goalie Brandon Miller head to the bench to be replaced by Ray Hodgkinson.
While the Roughnecks season sits at day to day, the financial dark cloud they are under did not seem to affect the players on field performance as they gave a tough, spirited and emotional effort. The Wings hopefully took some notes as they will need to find that kind of effort if they want to earn a playoff berth in this 2011 season. They will have plenty of time to think about this game as they don't take the field again until March 26 against an equally desperate Rochester Knighthawk squad. The Wings will need to treat that game as a playoff since a loss there will not only cost them a tiebreaker with the K-Hawks but more than likely will sink any chances the team has of playing in the postseason.
For the Calgary Roughnecks, just playing tonight's game against the Philadelphia Wings certainly had to help take their minds off the fact that their season is on life support due to the franchise's current economic woes. By defeating the Wings 13-7 at the Wells Fargo Center, they just may have put the Wings season on life support.
If any of the 9,604 in attendance were disappointed by not seeing former Wing standout Geoff Snider in the Calgary lineup due to injury, the Wings effort would prove to be even more disappointing. After playing the league leading Toronto Rock almost even for three quarters on Friday night, the Wings carried over the spiritless fourth quarter from that game into tonight's tilt. The Wings, who have not held a lead since scoring the game winning goal at Buffalo two weeks ago, had to be lucky to be only trailing 3-2 after the first quarter as they were outshot 15-5 and easily outplayed. After Calgary's Dane Dobbie opened the scoring in the second, the Wings Brendan Mundorf would pull the Wings within a goal at 4-3 with just over 10 minutes until halftime. By the time Drew Westervelt would score the Wings fourth goal of the night at 9:32 of the third quarter the Wings had given up six consecutive scores and would see goalie Brandon Miller head to the bench to be replaced by Ray Hodgkinson.
While the Roughnecks season sits at day to day, the financial dark cloud they are under did not seem to affect the players on field performance as they gave a tough, spirited and emotional effort. The Wings hopefully took some notes as they will need to find that kind of effort if they want to earn a playoff berth in this 2011 season. They will have plenty of time to think about this game as they don't take the field again until March 26 against an equally desperate Rochester Knighthawk squad. The Wings will need to treat that game as a playoff since a loss there will not only cost them a tiebreaker with the K-Hawks but more than likely will sink any chances the team has of playing in the postseason.
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