Bridgeport Barrage Game Notes
Published on June 13, 2003 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Philadelphia Barrage News Release
Barrage at a Glance: The Bridgeport Barrage are set for their game against the New Jersey Pride. The Barrage will look to attain their first ever win against the Pride in their brief two year history. Top players for Bridgeport include MLL All-Star Roy Colsey, World Championship MVP Doug Shanahan, and the number one draft pick of the College Draft, Chris Rotelli.
Newest Face: The Bridgeport Barrage recently acquired 2003 Division II Player of the Year, Goalie Matt Hunter from the Player Pool. Hunter led the New York Institute of Technology to the Division II National Championships behind a flawless 14-0 record while only allowing an average of 7.76 goals per game. Hunter is also ranked fourth in Division II Lacrosse with a .645 save percentage. He joins Bridgeport Goalies Matt Spruyt and Justin Cynar in the Crease for the Barrage.
Recent Injuries: Goalie Mark Spruyt and Defenseman Carey Egan have both been placed on the Injured Reserve. Spruyt, who recently suffered a concussion in warm-ups this past Thursday, was unable to play for the Barrage in the game against Baltimore. Egan suffered a pulled groin halfway through the game and was forced to sit the rest of the game out. The Barrage will look to their two-week break between contests to give both Egan and Spruyt time to recover.
The Best of the Best: When looking at the Barrage roster this season, one fact stands alone, Bridgeport is the only team in the MLL to have two Tewaaraton Award winners play for them. MLL Rookie, Chris Rotelli, a 2003 graduate of the University of Virginia was recently named the 2003 winner of this prestigious award. He joins teammate Doug Shanahan, the 2001 winner, as the second Barrage to be recognized as the nations top player.
Take Two: The Barrage have a winning record in their two year history when playing a second game within two days after a loss. Bridgeport finds themselves 3-2 in that second game, going 2-0 against Baltimore, 1-1 against Boston and 0-1 against New Jersey.
Corp Scorers: The core of the Barrage offense has come from their midfielders this season. The top three scorers on the team are the three starting midfielders, Doug Shanahan (9pts (8g (1 2pt)), Blake Miller (9pts (8g, 1a)), and Roy Colsey (8pts (7g 1a)). The attackman rank directly under the experienced midfield with veteran Keith Cromwell leading the pack with 7 points (1 2pt, 5a). MLL Rookie Michael Springer leads all attackman with 4 goals.
Blake's Back: Midfielder Blake Miller has come alive for the Barrage in the past three games of the season, and is currently tied with Doug Shanahan for first on the team with nine points, after scoring a career high five goals against Boston on June 6. Blake's previous game high came in 2002 when he scored his sole hat trick of the season against Baltimore early in the season. The most impressive part of Blake's scoring is his shot percentage, which ranks among the best in the league with 72.7% of his shots hitting the back of the opponent's net. Miller had a career high 29 points in 2001 for the Barrage and seems to be on a similar pace to push past that mark this year.
The Task Ahead: MLL All-Time points leader, Jesse Hubbard and a cast of other Pride Players will make a win in New Jersey very difficult. The Barrage remain winless after three games and look for their first win against the Pride.
The Face-off Factor: The Bridgeport Barrage currently lead the league with a 59% face-offs won percentage. Leading the cause for the Barrage is Midfielder Doug Shanahan who also leads the league winning 68% of all face-offs won. A close second to Shanahan is face-off specialist, New Jersey's Peter Jacobs winning 60% of face-offs taken. The Pride are a very close second to the Barrage winning 58% of all face-offs. The game tonight will truly be a show down of the best face-off players in the league.
Two-Point Threat: Bridgeport's Roy Colsey leads the MLL with 12 all-time two-point goals. He netted seven two-point shots for the Barrage in 2002. Attackman Keith Cromwell recently joined Colsey as the only other Barrage player to score more than one two-point goal, as his second all-time came against Boston this past Friday night.
Last Time They Met: The Barrage lost to the Pride 16-17 in overtime on July 6, 2002. The Barrage outscored the Pride 6-2 in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 16. The loss was one of many overtime losses in 2002 for the Barrage. Top performances from the Barrage came from Keith Cromwell, who scored five goals including his first ever two-point goal in his MLL career, and Jim Mormile who had his first hat trick of his career against the Pride.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from June 13, 2003
- Bridgeport Barrage Game Notes - Philadelphia Barrage
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