Jax And Stealth Meet In First Back-To-Back

April 1, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Portland Lumberjax News Release


PORTLAND, April 1, 2008 - The National Lacrosse League's trade deadline was on March 25 and the Portland LumberJax (4-7) were serious buyers as they made a significant roster move that has the team poised to push into the postseason.

The blockbuster deal sent goalie Matt King, defenseman Ian Crashley and a First Round Selection in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft to the Edmonton Rush in exchange for goalie Matt Disher and a Fourth Round Selection in the coveted 2009 NLL Entry Draft.

Disher, a nine-year veteran, brings an 11.65 goals-against-average and .750 saves percentage with him this season. The cagey veteran has been to the playoffs three times in his career, two of those appearances the last two seasons with the Minnesota Swarm.

The trade solidified a goaltending position that now features Disher, the future hall-of-famer Dallas Eliuk and rookie Joel Weber.

In a separate roster move made after the trade deadline, the Jax re-signed defenseman Bruce Alexander. A staple of the team during its first two seasons, Alexander scored six goals and added 16 assists last season in Portland. A 2007 All-Star, Alexander is sixth in franchise history in points scored (67) and fourth in assists (49).

Now, the new look Jax will play their first game since the roster moves, hosting the San Jose Stealth (6-5) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 at the Rose Garden Arena. A day later, the two teams will complete the home-and-home series by playing in San Jose at the HP Pavilion at 4 p.m., less than 24 hours after playing in Portland.

The series history has been about as even as possible for the two clubs. Both have split the six meetings and San Jose has scored only one more goal than Portland in those six games. In four of the six meetings, the final score has been determined by three goals or less.

In 2006, the Jax won all three games, with two of them coming in San Jose. The Stealth evened the score in 2007, winning all three games, with two of those coming in the Rose City.

As well as San Jose has been playing, Portland is coming off its most dramatic win of the season over the division rival Colorado Mammoth. In a season-defining win, the Jax outmuscled, outhustled and ultimately out willed the Mammoth 16-15 in front of 6,182 earsplitting fans. Rookie forward Peter Jacobs sunk the game winner with 1:06 left in the fourth quarter.

Forward Derek Malawsky had his highest point scoring output of the season, tallying nine points (2 goals, 7 assists) and tying franchise high's in assists and points scored. Forward Dan Dawson matched a season-high with four goals and forward Peter Morgan tallied the ninth hat trick in his Portland career.

The win gave the Jax even more separation as the final lap of the 2008 season nears. With Colorado and San Jose sitting in the upper echelon of the West Division standings, the Jax can continue to solidify their playoff position with the back-to-back games against the Stealth.



National Lacrosse League Stories from April 1, 2008


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