Jax Look For Season Sweep Over Rush

February 28, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Portland Lumberjax News Release


PORTLAND - Let the Madness that March brings begin. Fresh off two consecutive home wins, the Portland LumberJax will try for their third straight win as the Edmonton Rush travel to the Rose City. The Jax (3-5) host the Rush (0-6) at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 1 at the Rose Garden Arena.

Portland is coming off a 13-9 win over the Calgary Roughnecks on Feb. 22. Defenseman Brodie Merrill and forwards Dan Dawson and Derek Malawsky all scored five points apiece as Portland rallied in the fourth quarter for the win.

Merrill, who was named a starter in his third straight National Lacrosse League All-Star Game earlier this week, collected his 500th loose ball in the first quarter against Calgary. 13 of Merrill's 18 points have come in the last three games.

Both Dawson and Malawsky, who were both selected in the 2007 Dispersal Draft, have settled comfortably into their roles with the team. Dawson matched a franchise-high with nine points (3 goals, 6 assists) the last time out against Edmonton on Feb. 17. He's also averaging two goals and 2.63 assists per game this season. Dawson will join forward Ryan Powell and Merrill in the 2008 All-Star Game in Edmonton.

Malawsky, who's on pace to set a career-high with 30 goals, has scored at least two points in every game this season.

In general, the entire offensive unit has started to gel. Forward Peter Morgan, who has played some defense, has scored seven goals in the last three games and has added an additional component to the transition game. Forward Scott Stewart has added some additional depth as he's moved the ball in transition the last few games.

In the last three games, the Jax are averaging 13.33 goals per game and have seen 14 different players score goals. Of the 14 players, seven have scored three or more goals in the last three games. Head Coach/General Manager Derek Keenan spent the bulk of his off-season reworking the offense, and all his efforts are beginning to pay huge dividends.

The defense has continued to limit the scoring opportunities for the opposition. Goalie Matt King has allowed fewer than 10 goals the last two games. More importantly, Portland has kept itself out of the penalty box, which has limited the amount of man down situations.

The Jax are coming off a franchise-low six penalty minutes, which plagued the club in the early going of the 2008 season. Playing Edmonton, the lowest penalized team in the league, should make for an evening of five-on-five lacrosse.

From day one, the series has belonged to Portland. The Jax won the first three meetings by a combined total of 11 goals. Edmonton's lone win came on 2/23/07 in a 9-8 overtime win at Rexall Place.

Since the loss, the Jax have won three straight over Edmonton to take a 6-1 advantage in the series history. The most recent win over Edmonton on Feb. 17 rocked the Rush's world in more ways than one.

Two days after the 14-8 loss, Edmonton relieved Head Coach/GM Paul Day and his coaching staff of their duties. Bob Hamley, a Colorado Mammoth assistant and former Arizona Sting Head Coach/GM, took over the reins and brought on Jamey Bowen and Chris Stachniak as assistants. In their first game with Hamley at the helm, the Rush fell 11-8 to the San Jose Stealth to remain winless.



National Lacrosse League Stories from February 28, 2008


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