Game day preview: Baltimore vs. Philadelphia
Published on June 17, 2004 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Philadelphia Barrage News Release
Season Recap: Despite the Barrage's first three losses of the season, they were able to defeat the New Jersey Pride and hope to use some of that momentum going into Saturday's game against Baltimore. Miller leads the team with a total of 15 points (12g, 3a), while Liam Banks leads the team in assists with a total of 8. Goalie Greg Cattrano has been doing an outstanding job in the cage, earning himself the MLL Defensive Player of the Week. Conor Ford, a player the Barrage acquired in a trade with Rochester after the 2004 Collegiate draft, had a great debut on Saturday afternoon against the Pride. He scored two goals in the Barrage's win.
New Faces: The wait is finally over for the Barrage, as their coveted first-round draft choice, Attackman Ryan Boyle, will make his MLL debut on Saturday, June 19 vs. the Baltimore Bayhawks. Boyle was forced to miss the past two games due to prior commitments.
Behind the Arc: As a team, the Barrage are one of the top 2-point scoring threats in Major League Lacrosse. Last season, the team led the league in 2-point goals scored with 15. The team has developed four threats from outside the 15-yard mark: Colsey (5), Shanahan (4), Cromwell (3) and Springer (3) all accounted for multiple 2-point goals in 2003. In last Saturday nights game (6/12) vs. the Pride, Michael Springer scored his first two-point goal of the season. He has a total of 13 points for the year (9g, 1 2 pt. G, 3a).
Feature Match Up: This week's feature match up will be Philadelphia's defenseman Nicky Polanco against Baltimore's Mark Millon. Polanco will hope to shut down the league's leader in points (26), goals (16), and two point goals (3). Last time the two teams met Polanco matched up on Millon and allowed him to only score 1 goal in the Barrage's win over Baltimore. Approaching Milestones: Attackman Keith Cromwell needs just six points to attain his 100th, (52g (5 2pt), 34a) a goal that should be attained by the time the Barrage face the Rochester Rattlers on June 26th at Villanova Stadium. The 2001 MLL Rookie of the Year has scored 30 or more points in each of the last two seasons. Cromwell will not be dressing for the June 12th game vs. New Jersey due to personal responsibilities.
The Face-off Factor: Barrage Midfielder Doug Shanahan is a do-everything type of player, and this includes the face-off duties. In his rookie season of 2003, Shanahan finished with a 52.2 face-off percentage, winning 154 of 295 face-offs. Shanahan will be going up against Baltimore's Paul Cantabene for the draws. Cantabene is Baltimore's main faceoff guy, with a 2004 winning percentage of 64.5 (71/110). Shanahan's winning percentage for this year is 46.2 (42/91).
Philly Pride: Philadelphia lacrosse will be represented this weekend, especially when Baltimore comes into town. Between the Philadelphia Barrage and the Baltimore Bayhawks, there are eight players who are currently on the Philadelphia Wings 2004 Roster. Jake Bergy, Paul Cantabene, Mark Frye, Tom Marechek, Bryan Cole, Dan Marohl, and Shawn Nadeleh are all currently on both Baltimore's roster as well as the Philadelphia Wings. Keith Cromwell is the only Philadelphia player who is on both the Barrage and the Wings. The Philadelphia Wings are part of the NLL or National Lacrosse League, an indoor lacrosse league that plays during the winter months.
Players of the Week: Michael Springer was the Barrage's Offensive Player of the Week. In last Saturday's game against New Jersey, Springer tallied 5 points (3g, 1 2pt g 1a), leading the offense in points. Springer is in second place on the Barrage roster for total points with 13. The Defensive Player of the Week was Greg Cattrano. He was not only the Barrage's pick for defensive player of the week, but was also the MLL Defensive Player of the week. Cattrano had a lot of pressure to perform as well as he did last week against Long Island, where he racked up 21 saves. He did not crack under the pressure, coming up with 23 saves against the Pride to help the Barrage to their first victory.
The Task Ahead: The Barrage are looking to use the momentum from their first win to go into Saturday night's game and come out with another victory. The defense will have to be on their toes because Baltimore has some of the top offensive players in the league. Mark Millon leads the league in points, goals, and two-point goals. Gary Gait, a player/coach for the Bayhawks is second on the team in goals with 13. Mark Frye ties for second in the league for two-point goals. It will be a tough game for Philadelphia's Greg Cattrano. Last October, Cattrano was traded from Baltimore to Philadelphia. This is the first match-up of the two teams in the 2004 season, as well as the first time Cattrano will defend his goal against his ex-teammates.
Last Time They Met: The Barrage defeated the Bayhawks last time they met July 19th, 2004, 22-17. B.J Prager led the Barrage attack with 5 goals. Keith Cromwell had a great night recording 8 points (4g, 2 2 pt g, 2a). For Baltimore, Tom Marechek notched 6 points for the night (4g, 2a), while Gary Gait and Mark Millon tied for 5 points a piece. (Gait, 3g, 2a; Millon, 1g, 4a).
League Leaders: Currently the Barrage's Liam Banks is in third place for the league leader in assists with 8. Philadelphia is second in the league in penalty kill percentage with 77.8 (14/18) behind Rochester who has 81.3% (13/16).
Major League Lacrosse Stories from June 17, 2004
- Game day preview: Baltimore vs. Philadelphia - Philadelphia Barrage
- Boston Looks to Break Away in Week Five of MLL Action - MLL
- Bayhawks Face Former Goalkeeper in Meeting with Barrage on Saturday - Chesapeake Bayhawks
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.
