Philadelphia Wings Battle Calgary in Sole Matchup of Season
April 2, 2014 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Philadelphia Wings News Release
Philadelphia, PA - Looking to keep their winning streak alive during their postseason push, the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) host the Calgary Roughnecks at Wells Fargo Center on Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m. The Wings are currently tied with the Toronto Rock in the NLL East Division for the third and final playoff spot.
Philadelphia looks revived after tweaking their roster at the NLL trade and free agency deadlines in March. The Wings finished the month with a record of 2-2 and on a winning streak. The outcome of each game at this point in the season has a large impact to teams making the playoffs. With the hopes of evening the all-time series against Calgary, Philadelphia currently trails in the series with a record of 2-3.
"Hopefully this recent turnaround can be used as a springboard to develop a run for us," said Head Coach Blane Harrison. "We have a lot of heavy lifting left to do as we finish out the regular season. Calgary can run their transition game as good as anyone. Their offense has been solid all season, averaging nearly 13 goals per game."
This will be the first Friday home game of the season for the Wings. The first 2,000 fans in attendance over the age of 16 will receive a specialized t-shirt jersey of Philadelphia radio icon Pierre Robert of WMMR (93.3FM). The giveaway features a Wings logo on the front and Robert's name on the back. Fans can meet Robert prior to the start of the Wings game in the Cure Insurance Club starting at 6 p.m.
Wings Forwards Kevin Crowley and Garrett Thul were recently nominated as candidates for NLL Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month for March. During the four-game stretch, Crowley recorded 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) and 22 loose balls while Thul added seven points (five goals, two assists) and 12 loose balls.
"We need to keep running the floor with our transition game," said Harrison. "It has injected energy into our game and has allowed us more opportunities on offense. Sticking to our fundamentals will allow us to compete."
Calgary (8-5) is currently second in the NLL West Division. Roughnecks Forward Dane Dobbie leads the NLL in goals (37) and ranks in the top 10 in the league for points (64). Transition Player Geoff Snider squares off against his former squad for just the second time in his career. In his first meeting against Philadelphia in 2013, Snider recorded four points (three goals, one assist). Snider recently became the all-time faceoff win leader in NLL history, surpassing the 2,091 mark originally set by Jamie Hanford.
The Wings travel across the northern border to face the Toronto Rock for the final matchup in their regular season series (currently tied 1-1) at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday, April 12 at 7 p.m. Philadelphia hosts the Colorado Mammoth for their regular season finale on Friday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Center.
Tickets for all Wings 2014 home games are available by phone at 215-389-WING or online at WingsLAX.com.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from April 2, 2014
- Colorado Looks to End a 'Mammoth' Winning Streak - Colorado Mammoth
- Philadelphia Wings Battle Calgary in Sole Matchup of Season - Philadelphia Wings
- Swarm Prepare to Play Two with Rochester - Minnesota Swarm
- Rush Protect Perfect Start over Two-Game Weekend - Edmonton Rush
- Rush's Perfect Start to be Tested against Colorado - Edmonton Rush
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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