Bridgeport Barrage Game Day Preview
August 9, 2002 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Philadelphia Barrage News Release
Barrage at a Glance: The Bridgeport Barrage are coming off a 15-13 win over the Long Island Lizards last Wednesday, July 31 in a game that they led the entire way. With the win, the Barrage posted back-to-back win for the first time in team history. The Barrage began the streak with a 19-17 victory in Lowell, Mass. over the Boston Cannons. In both wins, Barrage goalie Mark Spruyt was named the game's Bud Light MVP. He made a team-record 25 saves in the win over Long Island and posted 22 saves in the win over Boston. Roy Colsey tied his personal best with four goals to go along with an assist in the win over Long Island. In the process, Colsey netted his fourth hat trick of the season. Colsey has now scored eight goals in the last two Barrage wins that include three two-point goals. Leading the way for the Barrage are Dan Denihan (19g, 19a), Roy Colsey (24g, 6a) and Keith Cromwell (16g, 13a).
Cannons at a Glance: The Boston Cannons are coming off a 18-17 win over the Long Island Lizards where Mike Regan scored the game winning goal with just six seconds remaining in regulation. David Evans led the way for the Cannon's offense with five goals in the game, including a pair of two-point goals. Keith Cynar made 13 saves between the pipes for his second win of the year. The win for the Cannons is third MLL leading third by a goal this season. Thus far the Cannons are 7-7 all-time vs. American Division rivals Bridgeport and Long Island, but are a combined a 0-11 vs. National Division foes, Baltimore, New Jersey and Rochester. Leading the way for Boston this season are Michael Watson (17g, 16a), David Evans (17g, 11a) and Mike Regan (20g, 4a).
Oh Bother: The Barrage-Cannons game could feature a battle of brothers between in opposing goals. Keith Cynar (Harvard, 2000) plays for Boston while his brother Justin Cynar (Cornell, 2002). Both graduated from their respective colleges as All-Americans.
Last Time They Met: The Barrage handed the Cannons a 19-17 loss at Cawley Stadium on 7/27. In the game, the Barrage never trailed en route to snapping a five-game losing streak. Goalie Mark Spruyt was named the Bud Light MVP after making 22 saves, including nine in the fourth quarter. In the win, Tom Kessler netted four goals in his Bridgeport debut while Roy Colsey scored four goals of his own, including a pair of two-point goals. Bridgeport fell to the Cannons 22-13 on 7/18 in their other trip to Cawley Stadium in game that they trailed throughout the contest. Boston also defeated the Barrage 19-18 in overtime on 6/15 at Harbor Yard. That loss was the first of three in overtime this season for the Barrage. Bridgeport led by four goals down the stretch, but Paul Gait knotted the game at 18-18 in reguklation with two consecutive two-point goals. Boston's Mike Regan then put the game away 26 seconds into overtime with his first goal and shot of the game.
What a Difference a Year Makes: The Bridgeport Barrage have matched their win total of a year ago when they finished the 2001 season with a 3-11 record. At this point last season they
Back-to-Back Wins: The Bridgeport Barrage had never posted back-to-back wins in MLL play until notching the 15-13 win over the Lizards on 7/31. It was the first time in five tries that the Barrage were able to post back-to-back victories after posting a win.
Won 6/17/01 vs. BAL 12-9, Then lost on 6/23/01 at ROC 19-14
Won 7/12/01 at LI 13-12, Then lost on 7/14/01 at BOS 17-15
Won 8/19/01 vs. BOS 17-15, Then lost on 8/25/01 at BOS 15-14
Won 6/22/02 at BAL 15-12, Then lost on 6/28 vs. LI 21-20 OT
Won 7/27/02 at BOS 19-17, Then Won on 7/31 vs. LI 15-13
Beginner's Luck: Tom Kessler has scored five goals to go along with one assist since being acquired on 7/26 in a trade with the Baltimore Bayhawks. Since Kessler (Hofstra, 2002) has joined the team the Barrage are a perfect 2-0. He made an immediate impact for the Barrage in his debut in the 19-17 win at Boston on 7/27. The rookie attackman scored four goals in his Bridgeport debut after being acquired just a day earlier in a Barrage trade with the Baltimore. In that deal, the Barrage picked up 2001 MLL Defenseman of the Year Rob Doerr along with Kessler while sending two-time MLL All-Star defenseman Jamie Hanford to Baltimore. Kessler had scored two goals in limited action in two games with the Bayhawks in 2002. He was a first round collegiate draft pick (6th overall) by Baltimore. Kessler graduated from Hofstra in the spring as the school's all-time leading goal scorer (140) while setting the single-season record in 2002 with 51 goals. Kessler is second all-time for points (207) and was also a two-time All-American.
Three-Time MVP: Bridgeport's Mark Spruyt has taken Bud Light MVP honors while guarding the crease in all three Barrage wins this season. In Bridgeport's most recent win over the Long Island Lizards on 7/31 he recorded a franchise-record 25 saves in goal. On 7/27 in the win at Boston, Spruyt made 22 saves while allowing 11 goals that included an MLL record five, two-point goals by the Boston Cannons. He also made a game-high nine saves in the fourth quarter. Spruyt also shined in the Barrage win at Baltimore on 6/22, making 16 saves in the 15-12 win over the Bayhawks. That win marked his first MLL start between the pipes.
Head of the Class: B.J. Prager (Princeton, 2002) and Tom Kessler (Hofstra, 2002) have made an immediate impact for the Barrage as new players to the league. Both rookies have had hat tricks for Bridgeport, most recently as Tom Kessler scored four goals in the win over Boston on 7/27. Prager scored three goals to go along with an assist in the Barrage game vs. Long Island on 6/28. Boston's Conor Gill set the single-game scoring record for rookies with four goals and three assists on 7/18 vs. Bridgeport.
Top 5 Rookie Point Leaders 1. Conor Gill (BOS) â 19 pts. (10g, 9a)
2. Josh Coffman (ROC) â 16 pts. (10g, 6a)
3. B.J. Prager (BRG) â 10 pts. (9g, 1a)
4. Tom Kessler (BRG) â 8 pts. (7g, 1a)
5. Don Little (BOS) â 7 pts. (4g, 1a)
Beyond the Arc: Roy Colsey tied his own team record in the win at Boston on 7/27 with two, two-point shots. Both goals gave the Barrage a huge boost in the second half. His second two-pointer gave Bridgeport a three-goal cushion after beginning the fourth quarter with a 15-14 lead. Colsey also netted two, two-point goals in 2001 in a 18-17 loss against Long Island. Colsey is currently second in the league with six goals beyond the arc while leading the franchise with 11 two-pointers since last season.
Down the Wire: The Bridgeport Barrage are 1-8 all-time in games decided by a goal, including three overtime losses this season. The Barrage are also 0-5 all-time in overtime games. The only Barrage win by a goal came at the expense of Long Island (13-12) in 2001. The Baltimore Bayhawks have compiled a 6-0 record in one-goal games with all six victories coming in 2001. This season the narrowest margin of either a victory or a loss has been three goals for Baltimore.
Game Decided by a Goal 2002 All-Time
Baltimore 0-0 6-0
Long Island 2-2 (1-0 in OT) 7-4
New Jersey 2-1 (2-0 in OT) 6-3
Rochester 2-1 4-6
Boston 3-2 (1-1 in OT) 4-7
Bridgeport 0-3 (0-3 in OT) 1-8 (0-5 in OT)
Between the Pipes: Mark Spruyt has not played an entire game vs. the Long Island Lizards in goal. He played the last few minutes of the fourth quarter in the season-opening 21-8 defeat at Long Island and then started in the 21-20 overtime loss before being replaced by Jim Mule in the third quarter. Spruyt made 11 saves while surrendering 13 goals in the loss vs. Long Island in 41 minutes of patrolling the cage for the Barrage. Overall this season, he has posted a .591 save percentage while holding opponents to a 12.6 goals against average.
Road Warriors: The Barrage have won their only two games this season on the road. Dating back to last season, three of their six wins since play began in 2001 have come on the road.
2002 Barrage Results Date Opponent Score Barrage Leading Scorer
Sun. June 2 @ Long Island L 8-21 Roy Colsey (3g, 1 two point shot)
Fri. June 7 @ New Jersey L 7-12 Matt Panetta (3g)
Fri. June 15 Boston L 18-19 OT Matt Panetta (6g, 1a)
Fri. June 21 Baltimore L 7-15 Roy Colsey (2g)
Sat. June 22 @ Baltimore W 15-12 Blake Miller (3g)
Fri. June 28 Long Island L 20-21 OT Dan Denihan (3g, 4a)
Sat. July 6 New Jersey L 16-17 OT Keith Cromwell (5g, 1 two-point shot)
Fri. July 12 @ Rochester L 5-15 Dan Denihan (2g)
Thur. July 18 @ Boston L 13-22 Dan Denihan (4g, 1a)
Thur. July 25 Rochester L 12-16 Andy Towers (1g, 2a)
Sat. July 27 @ Boston W 19-17 Roy Colsey (4g, 2, two-point goals)
Wed. July 31 Long Island W 15-13 Roy Colsey (4g, 1a)
Roster Moves: The Bridgeport Barrage have activated goalie Justin Cynar (Cornell, 2002), attackman B.J. Prager (Princeton, 2002) and midfielder Jim Gonnella (Duke, 1997). In turn, they have placed attackman Marc Morley (UMass, 2002), goalie Jim Mule (St. Johns, 1990) and goalie Mark Spruyt (Hofstra, 1998) on the inactive list. Blake Miller (Hofstra, 1996) remains on the injured reserve. The Barrage also signed goalie Larry Falkman (Southampton, 2001) and released attackman Dave Ulrich (Notre Dame, 2001).
Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 9, 2002
- Bridgeport Barrage Game Day Preview - Philadelphia Barrage
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