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Swarm Come Up Short in Toronto 13-12

January 25, 2013 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Minnesota Swarm News Release


TORONTO, Ont. - The National Lacrosse League's (NLL) Minnesota Swarm (0-2) lost 13-12 against the Toronto Rock (3-1) Friday night at the Air Canada Centre in front of 10,509 fans. The Swarm led for the majority of the game and had a 12-10 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. However, a 5-0 run by Toronto to finish the game was the difference.

There was a lot of excitement around the Swarm's four first round picks at the start of the 2013 season and Friday night they all delivered.

Rookie Kiel Matisz, a 6-foot-5 Ontario native, scored five points (3 g, 2a) to nab a hat trick. Matisz's initial goal came in the fourth minute of the game and was the first of his NLL career.

After the game Matisz said, "It was definitely nice to score in front of family and friends. As an offensive transition player I always like to get a couple of goals, but I also like to contribute on defense and that's more what I'm looking to do."

Equally huge on and off the court was 6-foot-6 Rookie Brock Sorensen, whose goal midway through the third quarter gave the Swarm a 10-7 lead. The Ohio State product stole the ball from a Toronto Rock player, passed up to F Ryan Benesch, darted up the field to receive the pass from Benesch, and scored a behind-the-back goal that could be described as SportsCenter Top-10 worthy.

Fellow rookies Alex Crepinsek and Shayne Jackson were steady contributors as well. Despite being a defender, Crepinsek scored a goal in the second quarter off of a Matisz assist. Jackson had plenty of assists himself on the night, finding teammates time and time again to finish with four.

Veteran forwards Ryan Benesch and Callum Crawford were reliable for Minnesota as usual, scoring two goals apiece. Benesch leads the team in points after two games of action with 12 (6g, 6a). Crawford is the next-highest scorer on the Swarm with 9 points on the year (4 g, 5a).

Second year T Jordan MacIntosh commanded face-offs Friday night, winning 21 of 29 while collecting 14 loose balls and even scoring a goal in the process.

Also scoring on the night were F Joel Henry and T Andrew Watt, each grabbing their first goals of the year.

Garrett Billings led the way for the Rock with eight points (2g, 6a) and goaltender Nick Rose had 24 saves.

Minnesota continues their 2013 season tomorrow night on Treasure Island Field at Xcel Energy Center at 7 CT against the Washington Stealth. It will be the first Swarm home game of the season and the organization will be celebrating Native American heritage.

Swarm fans looking to lock up 2013 Season Tickets can take advantage of a Buy 2, Get 2 at 50% offer. By purchasing two season tickets at full price, fans can add an additional two tickets for half the cost. Single Game Tickets start as low as $21 for all eight home games in 2013. For purchasing information on both Season and Single Game Tickets, fans can call 1-888-MN-SWARM or visit mnswarm.com

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