Philadelphia Barrage Game Day Preview
May 21, 2004 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Philadelphia Barrage News Release
Ticket Information: Tickets will be available at Villanova Stadium on Saturday, May 22. Ticket prices are: $20 Premium Sideline, $15 Reserved Box, and $10 General Admission. Tickets for the VIP Village are $15 each, which includes all-you-can-eat food and beverages. The VIP Village will open at 5:30 pm, and stadium gates open at 6:00 pm. Parking is located across the street from Villanova Stadium and is $5 per vehicle.
Major League Lacrosse Introduction: Major League Lacrosse is the elite professional outdoor lacrosse game. It features an up-tempo style of play that includes a 45-second shot clock and a two-point arc set at 15 yards from the goal. The top 138 active lacrosse players in the world participate in the MLL, which includes players from the US, Canada and Australia. Each team carries a 23-man active roster, of which only 18 can dress per game. The season consists of 12 regular season games for each of the six MLL franchises, and runs through August 22, with the New Balance Championship Game, played this year at Villanova Stadium.
Barrage at a Glance: The Philadelphia Barrage are set to begin a new era with their inaugural game in Philadelphia against the New Jersey Pride. The team spent the past three seasons in Bridgeport with a combined record of 7-33. The Barrage boast one of the strongest Midfield lines in Major League Lacrosse in Roy Colsey, Blake Miller and Doug Shanahan, who combined for 89 points last season. The team spent the off-season upgrading the league's worst defense. New additions to the defensive side of midfield are Goalie Greg Cattrano, and Defensemen Brian Kuczma and Brian Spallina. The team has spent the last three seasons developing one of the league's youngest teams. There are currently 17 players on the 2004 roster who graduated college in, or after, 2001.
New Faces: The Barrage have seven new players on the roster from the 2003 campaign. Goalie Greg Cattrano and Midfielder Ryan Moran came over in a trade with Baltimore and Defenseman Brian Kuczma arrived in a trade with Boston. Midfielder Dan Paccione and Defenseman Brian Spallina were selected by the Barrage in the 2004 Supplemental Draft after being left unprotected by their former team. Attackman Liam Banks and midfielder Kinte Moon were also selected in the 2004 Supplemental Draft and are the only players currently on the Barrage roster without MLL experience.
Local Flavor: Defenseman Kyle Sweeney will enter his second season with the Barrage and brings a local tie to the Philadelphia area. Sweeney grew up in Springfield, PA and played lacrosse at Springfield High School. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1999, where he was an All-Central league selection three years in a row, All-State two years in a row, league MVP, and an All American in his senior year. Kyle then attended Georgetown University where he made an immediate impact as a long stick midfielder, earning ECAC's Rookie of the Year. In the next three years, he was selected twice as the ECAC's Defensive Player of the Year, First, Second, and Third Team All American, and a candidate for the prestigious Tewaaraton Trophy.
Supplemental Draft Success: The Barrage still have each of their top picks from the past three Supplemental Drafts on the roster. Doug Shanahan was the team's pick in 2002, Paul Rao in 2003, and Brian Spallina in 2004.
Behind the Arc: As a team, the Barrage are one of the top 2-point scoring threats in Major League Lacrosse. Last season, the team led the league in 2-point goals scored with 15. The team has developed four threats from outside the 15-yard mark: Colsey (5), Shanahan (4), Cromwell (3) and Springer (3) all accounted for multiple 2-point goals in 2003.
Stars and Stripes: The Barrage are represented by three players who were members of the 2002 World Lacrosse champion Team USA. Midfielders Matt Striebel and Doug Shanahan both had outstanding performances in the championship game, with Shanahan taking home World Games MVP honors. Defenseman Nicky Polanco served as an alternate for the team in 2002.
Between the Pipes: The Barrage acquired one of the top goalies in Major League Lacrosse in Greg Cattrano. In the trade with Baltimore, the Barrage surrendered their #1 overall pick in this season's collegiate draft, as well as backup goalie Rob Scherr. Cattrano was the league's MVP in 2002 and is the only goalie to appear in every MLL Championship Game. His 57.4 save percentage in 2003 was second best only to Brian Dougherty of Long Island. He has a career save percentage of 59.4 in facing 1,196 shots in the 39 games he has played.
One Hundred Plus: Attackman Dan Denihan holds the distinction of being the first Barrage player to attain his 100th career regular season point in the MLL. Denihan currently has 115 points (56g (1 2pt), 66a), after his breakout performance against the Long Island Lizards on June 26, when he tied his 2002 season high with seven points (4g, 3a). Dan spent the first season with the Baltimore Bayhawks where he scored 20 goals and 25 assists for Baltimore. Midfielder Roy Colsey has scored 111 points (72 g (17 2pt), 22a) in his three-year career with the Barrage franchise.
Approaching Milestones: Attackman Keith Cromwell needs just fourteen points to attain his 100th, (50g (4 2pt), 32a) a goal that should be attained by the time the Barrage face the Rochester Rattlers at Kearney Field on August 2. The 2001 MLL Rookie of the Year has scored 30 or more points in each of the last two seasons.
The Dirty Work: While it usually goes un-noticed, the Barrage will work in some of the top short-stick defensemen in the league throughout the game. Nick Russo has earned his roster spot by shutting down midfielders. Kyle Sweeney and Brian Spallina will also exchange their long-poles for short-sticks in an effort to beef up the defense. Major League Lacrosse only permits three long-stick defensemen on the field at a time.
The Task Ahead: The Barrage are looking for their first-ever victory against the visiting New Jersey Pride. The Pride are led by Attackman Jesse Hubbard's 184 career points (148g (8 2pt), 28a) and Goalie Trevor Tierney (8-6 as a starter with a career 52.2 save percentage).
The Face-off Factor: Barrage Midfielder Doug Shanahan is a do-everything type of player, and this includes the face-off duties. In his rookie season of 2003, Shanahan finished with a 52.2 face-off percentage, winning 154 of 295 face-offs.
Last Time They Met: The New Jersey Pride defeated the Barrage 22-14 at Bridgeport's Harbor Yard Stadium on July 31, 2003. The Barrage were led by Attackman Dan Denihan's 5 points (4g, 1a) and Midfielder Blake Miller's 3 points (2g, 1a). New Jersey was paced by Attackman Jesse Hubbard's 7 points (4g, 3a) and Scott Urick's 6 points (5g, 1a). New Jersey leads the all-time series 6-0.
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Major League Lacrosse Stories from May 21, 2004
- Major League Lacrosse Kicks Off Its Fourth Season of High Scoring, Fast Moving, Hard-Hitting Action - MLL
- Philadelphia Barrage Game Day Preview - Philadelphia Barrage
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