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Boston Blazers Seek Sixth Straight Win

March 12, 2009 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Boston Blazers News Release


Boston MA (March 12, 2009) - The Boston Blazers (7-3) look to extend their winning streak to six straight games when it takes on East Division foe the Toronto Rock (2-7) this Saturday night at the TD Banknorth Garden at 7:30 P.M. The Blazers are in second place in the East Division standings and trail first place Buffalo (7-2) by a mere half game as the team begins the second half of the season. It is the first meeting between the teams as the Blazers prepare to face divisional foes in each of its six remaining regular season games.

March Towards the Playoffs

After dropping its first two games, the Blazers have surged into playoff contention winning seven of the last eight games led by the standout play of NLL All-Stars Dan Dawson and Anthony Cosmo who have stabilized the team at both ends of the floor. Dawson leads five Blazers with 30 or more points with 21 goals and 48 assists (69 total points is 2nd best in the NLL). Other key offensive contributors include rookie Daryl Veltman (21 goals, 29 assists), Brenden Thenhaus (14 goals, 20 assists), Matt Lyons (13 goals, 21 assists) and Gary Bining (13 goals, 17 assists).

Defensively, goalie Anthony Cosmo has backstopped the Blazers in net. After giving up 32 goals in their first two games, the Blazers have allowed just 71 goals (8.9 goals against average) in the last eight games while holding opponents to 10 or less points in six of these eight contests. Overall, Cosmo ranks fifth in the NLL with a 10.27 GAA and a .772 save percentage.

NLL All-Star Recap

The Blazers return to regular season play after a break for NLL All-Star festivities in Denver on March 7 and 8. The game featured Boston's Dan Dawson, Anthony Cosmo and Mitch Belisle representing the East Division. In the contest, the East defeated the West, 27-21, behind seven goals from Buffalo's Mark Steenhuis and five scores by Titans forward Pat Maddalena. Dawson had two goals and seven assists. The East scooped up a whopping 120 loose balls on the night while goalies Ken Montour and Cosmo combined for 47 saves. For the game, Cosmo stopped 24 of 34 shots while Belisle scooped seven loose balls.

Blazers Last Game

On Saturday, February 28 at the TD Banknorth Garden, the Blazers defeated the Stealth, 16-10, in front of 6,833 fans to remain perfect for February. Boston started slowly as the Stealth led 4-2 at the end of the first period before the Blazers regained control scoring five straight times and outscoring San Jose, 7-2, to close out the half leading, 8-6.

Dan Dawson paced the Blazers with four goals and five assists, while Matt Lyons and Brenden Thenhaus each scored three goals and three assists. Other contributors for Boston included Daryl Veltman who scored two goals and five assists, while four others added singles. Anthony Cosmo made 26 saves in the win.

League Honors for Daryl Veltman and Kyle Ross

Last week, the NLL announced that Boston forward Daryl Veltman was named Rookie of the Month for February for the second consecutive month. Veltman led all rookies with 10 goals and adding 13 assists and 35 loose balls. He becomes the first player since Brodie Merrill in 2006 to win consecutive Rookie of the Month awards. Veltman's performance helped lead Boston to a perfect 5-0 record in February.

The NLL also announced that Boston's Kyle Ross was named Transition Player of the Week for the week of March 2, after his standout play in Boston's win over San Jose. Ross had 11 loose balls, which was tied for the most in the game, to go along with one goal and three assists. He also helped hold Stealth forward Colin Doyle (currently third in the league in points) scoreless during even-strength situations.

Upcoming Games

March 14 vs. Toronto, 7:30 PM

March 28 at Rochester, 7:35 PM

April 3 at Toronto, 7:30 PM

April 4 vs. Toronto, 7:30 PM

April 11 vs. Rochester, 7:30 PM

April 18 at Buffalo, 7:30 PM

Broadcast Information

Fans can watch all Blazers games live online and free of charge via the NLL Network at NLL.com.

Ticket Information

Tickets for the Blazers home game against Toronto on Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 PM at the TD Banknorth Garden are available now by logging onto www.BlazersLacrosse.com or calling 1-888-BLAZERS. Tickets are also available via Ticketmaster and at the TD Banknorth Garden box office.



National Lacrosse League Stories from March 12, 2009


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