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Minnesota Swarm Face Toronto Rock in Division Showdown

February 12, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Minnesota Swarm News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Swarm (3-2) will look for its second straight home victory on Friday when the team faces the East Division leading Toronto Rock (4-1) in a home-and-home series. The two teams will first meet at The Hive on Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. CT faceoff at Ho-Chunk Nation Field at Xcel Energy Center. Fans can catch the game for free on UniversalSports.com (U.S.) and TSNGo (Canada).

The Swarm and Rock then meet again at Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Saturday evening for 6 p.m. tilt. Fans can watch a live stream of the game on NLL Live by visiting live.nll.com (U.S.) and TSNGo (Canada). For just $30, fans in the United States can purchase NLL LIVE to watch all the hard-hitting, fast-paced action online via their computer, tablet or mobile device all season long.

The Swarm are coming off a huge 7-6 overtime win against the three-time defending champion Rochester Knighthawks last Friday night at The Hive in front of almost 10,000 fans. Minnesota got off to a strong start with two early goals in the game and led 5-1 at halftime. Rochester went on a five-goal scoring streak to open the second half and took its first lead of the game at 6-5.

Minnesota's captains however would not go down without a fight. Captain T Andrew Suitor (4g, 5a) was able to pump up the crowd with his game-tying goal in the middle of the fourth quarter, and re-energized the Swarm on both ends of the floor. Fans then witnessed intense end-to-end action until the end of regulation when the game was forced into overtime. In sudden death territory, forward Callum Crawford (11g, 19a) scored the game-winning goal two minutes in on a long shot off a pick-and-roll. The goal marked Crawford's 200th in his NLL career. The crowd was loud and proud at The Hive and made quite an impact on the players as the team fought for its victory.

"Unbelievable, if we can get crowds like that every game I think that's going to help us win so it was amazing to see that many people and we're hoping to see that again this week," Crawford said.

Minnesota's defense in particular was on point against Rochester, holding one of the top offenses in the NLL to just six goals. Goaltender Zach Higgins currently leads the league in both goals against average (9.30) and save percentage (.801) to go along with a 3-1 record. As a unit, Minnesota ranks first among teams that have played five or fewer games this season in total loose balls. Part of that success is due to transition player Jordan MacIntosh, who ranks second in the NLL with 55 loose balls.

The Swarm will once again need to be on top of their game as they welcome the Rock to The Hive. Toronto currently boasts the top record in the East at 4-1, and its only loss came to Rochester on Jan. 24. Rock forward Josh Sanderson (5g, 29a) was named the NLL's Player of the Month in January and ranks first in the league in assists. This weekend marks the first home-and-home series for both teams this season.

"This is a big weekend, but our main focus right now is Friday night at The Hive so we have to really reel that in and think about Saturday when it comes along," Swarm assistant coach Aime Caines said. "Our main focus is to get that win and try to get that separation on Toronto and focus just solely on what we have to do in our systems for Friday night."

Friday is Heroes and Superheroes Night at The Hive. Fans are encouraged to dress-up as their favorite SuperHeroes for the game. The first 2,000 fans will receive a Swarm rally towel courtesy of Lions Tap. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-888-MN-SWARM or visit www.mnswarm.com for purchasing information.



National Lacrosse League Stories from February 12, 2015


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