Orlando Titans Game Notes
May 5, 2010 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Orlando Titans News Release
Radio: Orlando Titans Radio Network
Flagship: ESPN 1080 AM Affiliate: WKIQ 1240 AM
TV: TSN (Canada)
Internet: NLL.com
Tickets: $31-$38, available at Amway Arena Box Office, all
TICKETMASTER outlets or 407-601-6516.
THE GAME: TITANS FACE TORONTO, RETURN TRIP TO CUP ON LINE
The Orlando Titans (12-5) return to the turf at Amway Arena to take on the Toronto Rock (10-7) in the East Division Finals of the 2010 National Lacrosse League playoffs. The Titans advanced to the game with a thrilling come-from-behind 12-11 win over the Boston Blazers; while Toronto had to overcome deficits of 5-0 and 6-2 before defeating the Buffalo Bandits, 13-11, in Toronto. At stake is a trip to the Champion's Cup Final. The Titans will be looking to make their second consecutive trip to the NLL Finals, while the storied Toronto franchise will be looking to make their seventh trip to the Finals, but their first since the 2005 season.
TITANS ADVANCE TO EAST FINALS WITH 12-11 WIN
Behind team captain Casey Powell and goalie Matt Vinc the Orlando Titans came from behind to defeat the fourth seeded Boston Blazers in the first round of the NLL playoffs, 12-11. Although the Titans jumped out to leads of 1-0 and 2-1 behind first quarter goals from Pat Maddalena and Matt Zash, Orlando appeared to be in trouble early as the Blazers got a pair of goals from Nick Cotter and singles from Gary Bining and Dan Dawson to jump out to a 4-2 lead at the first quarter break. The Titans continued to trail throughout the second quarter. Powell cut the lead to one with his first goal of the game at 8:17 mark, but Boston answered right back with a goal by forward Jamie Rooney less than a minute later. The scoring continued to flip-flop as Mike McLellan scored another for the Titans, but Mat Giles and Daryl Veltman scored back-to-back for Boston late in the half, giving the Blazers the 7-4 lead at halftime. Orlando opened the third quarter with back-to-back goals by Powell, giving him a hat trick for the night. The Titans were back within one early in the second quarter, but a Boston goal by Veltman at the 4:55 mark of the third put the Titans back down by two. Orlando then answered right back with two consecutive goals in 40 seconds one by Bill Greer and one on an unassisted rip by John Orsen. The Titans found themselves tied with Boston at the 2:08 mark of the quarter. Veltman regained the lead for Boston with nearly a minute remaining in the period, also giving him a hat trick and his teammates a 9-8 leading heading into the final stanza. The decisive fourth quarter would belong to the Titans. Powell electrified the crowd with two incredible goals. Taking the ball behind the net, Powell dove over the crease line and buried the ball in the five-hole (see picture) to tie the game at 9-9. Two minutes later, he scored a sensational goal on a behind the back shot from 40-feet out to give the Titans their first lead since the 4:47 mark of the first period Jarett Park then added a goal on a breakaway transition play to make it an 11-9 Titans lead at the 8:10 mark of the period. But Boston briefly stole back the momentum with two goals coming 10 seconds apart, with Bining's goal that tying it with 6:17 left. Jordan Hall would then get the eventual game-winner, scoring with 4:02 remaining to give the Titans a 12-11 lead. From there, the Titans defense withstood a barrage of shots in the final minutes to hang on for the win.
TITANS HEAD COACH ED COMEAU
Whether he has been a head coach, general manager, or an assistant coach the name Ed Comeau has been synonymous with success for more than a decade in the National Lacrosse League. Comeau is in his second season as head coach and general manager of the Titans organization and in his 13th season of affiliation with the NLL. Comeau assumed the dual role of head coach and general manager of the Titans on June 30, 2008. In his first season with the team, Comeau captured an Eastern Division championship with a 10-6 record and then led the Titans to playoff victories over Rochester and Buffalo. The season concluded with a hard-fought 12-10 road loss in the Champion's Cup Final to highly-favored Calgary. For his efforts, Comeau received votes for Coach of the Year, but it was his shrewd personnel moves before and during the season that made the Titans a championship contender and resulted in Ed being named NLL General Manager of the Year. With an East Division title in 2010, Comeau has now captured back-to-back division crowns in his two seasons with the Titans.
Comeau's NLL Coaching Career (*NLL Champion)
Year Team Position Record Pct.
1998 Ontario Asst. Coach 6-6 .500
1999 Toronto Asst. Coach 11-3* .786
2000 Toronto Asst. Coach 11-3* .786
2001 Toronto Asst. Coach 12-4 .750
2002 Toronto Asst. Coach 13-5* .722
2003 Toronto Asst. Coach 13-5* .722
2004 Toronto Int. Head Coach 2-4 .333
2005 Rochester Asst. Coach 11-7 .611
2006 Rochester Head Coach 10-8 .556
2007 Rochester Head Coach 17-2* .895
2008 Rochester Head Coach 8-8 .500
2009 New York Head Coach 12-7 .632
2010 Orlando Head Coach 12-5 .706
NLL Career Totals Head Coach 61-34 .642 Asst. Coach 77-33 .700
THE COACH IS QUESTIONABLE FOR THIS GAME
Titans head coach Ed Comeau missed a second consecutive game this past weekend as he remained home in Toronto after his wife underwent surgery. Assistant coach Paul Day was behind for the Titans. The former head coach of both Edmonton and Rochester, Day has been in daily contact with Comeau as they prepared a game plan for Toronto. Coach Comeau's status for this week will not be known until later this week.
HOME FIELD DISADVANTAGE? NOT SO FAST
Since Feb. 15 to the end of the regular season, home teams in the NLL did not exactly feast on opponents. In fact, the home team was victorious just 42% of the time as the visiting team won 31 of 53 games. That trend changed last week, as the home team won three of four playoff games (although both Orlando and Toronto had to post come-from-behind efforts). Orlando has found success in Amway Arena this year, winning six of nine home games (.667) in their first season in Orlando.
CAPTAIN PLAYING LIKE AN MVP
If consistently excellent play on a winning team is the true mark of an MVP candidate than Titans captain Casey Powell should receive some consideration for the award. Powell is coming off the best month of his season, with 29 points (18 Goals, 11 Assists) in leading the Titans to a 4-1 mark in April. Powell finished the season with a career-high 44 goals, the second best total in the National Lacrosse League; while his 3.14 goals per game is the best the league (Casey missed two games mid-season with a knee injury). Powell has scored three or more goals in 10 of 14 games played and his 5.71 points per game is 4th best in the NLL. Last week in the playoffs, Powell scored five goals and added a pair of assists. The outing led to Powell being named "GAME MVP" for his efforts and marked the fourth consecutive game that the captain had earned that honor.
TITANS CAREER LEADERS
(Regular Season Games Only - Does not reflect stats accumulated while playing for other teams)
Goals Scored
Casey Powell 143 2007-10
Pat Maddalena 119 2007-10
Mike McLellan 111 2007-10
Ryan Boyle 81 2007-10
Brendan Mundorf 74 2007-09
Jordan Hall 65 2007-10
Power Play Goals
Mike McLellan 49 2007-10
Casey Powell 44 2007-10
Pat Maddalena 32 2007-10
Brendan Mundorf 20 2007-09
Assists
Casey Powell 186 2007-10
Pat Maddalena 181 2007-10
Ryan Boyle 174 2007-10
Jordan Hall 154 2007-10
Mike McLellan 78 2007-10
Brendan Mundorf 75 2007-09
Points
Casey Powell 336 2007-10
Pat Maddalena 306 2007-10
Ryan Boyle 258 2007-10
Jordan Hall 224 2007-10
Mike McLellan 189 2007-10
Brendan Mundorf 149 2007-09
Loose Balls
Jarett Park 514 2007-10
Pat Merrill 367 2006-10
John Orsen 310 2007-10
Pat Maddalena 293 2007-10
Greg Peyser 297 2007-10
Casey Powell 281 2007-10
Jordan Hall 267 2007-10
Ryan Boyle 252 2007-10
Penalty Minutes
Rory Smith 194 2008-10
Patrick Merrill 124 2008-10
John Orsen 109 2007-10
Greg Peyser 113 2007-10
Jarett Park 103 2007-10
Stephen Peyser 44 2009
Face-Offs Won
Stephen Peyser 320 2009
Jamie Hanford 264 2008
Greg Peyser 150 2007-10
Joe Ghedina 123 2007
Anthony Kelly 72 2007-08
Matt Zash 40 2007-10
Saves
Matt Vinc 2199 2007-10
Caurtis Palidwor 120 2007
SERIES NOTES VS. BOSTON
Saturday's game marks the 8th time the Titans and Rock have metprior to this game, all seven previous meetings have occurred in the regular seasonThe Titans lead the all-time series 5-2, including a pair of wins this seasonOrlando swept the regular season series with a 16-12 win over the Rock on Feb. 27 and a 10-8 win at Amway Arena on Mar. 27the 16 goals in the first game tied for the 4th most goals scored by a Titans team in franchise historyTitans goalie Matt Vinc, who was game MVP in the first win, has stopped 99 of 118 shots in the two games this season - a save percentage of (.839)the game will feature two of most iconic players in NLL history, as Toronto's Colin Doyle and Orlando's Casey Powell are considered two of the greatest players ever in the NLLDoyle (84 points), Garrett Billings (83), Stephan LeBlanc (82) and Blaine Manning (82) finished 8th, tied for 9th, and tied for 12th respectively in the league scoring race to give the Rock four players in the top 15 in that categoryAs a Titan, Powell has averaged six points a game against the Rock with 16 goals and 20 assists (36 points) in six career gamesJordan Hall has averaged 5.2 points per game (9 G, 13 A, 21 Pts.) in four career games; while Pat Maddalena (11-21-32) and Ryan Boyle (10-22-32) have also averaged moe than five points a game against the Rock while playing with the Titans.
2010 ORLANDO VS. TORONTO COMPOSITE STATS (2 Games)
Scoring Leaders Goals Assists Points
Casey Powell, Orlando 6 9 15
Pat Maddalena, Orlando 3 10 13
Colin Doyle, Toronto 4 6 16
Ryan Boyle, Orlando 3 5 8
Blaine Manning, Toronto 1 6 7
Garrett Billings, Toronto 3 3 6
Stephan LeBlanc, Toronto 3 1 4
Goalies GP SOG Saves GAA* Save Pct.
Matt Vinc, Orlando 2 118 99 9.50 .839
Bob Watson, Toronto 2 79 55 13.04 .696
TITANS SMITH BREAKS PENALTY MINUTES RECORD
With 104 penalty minutes this season, Rory Smith broke Geoff Snider's record for most penalty minutes in a regular season (103, 2008). Smith accumulated 49 of those penalty minutes in the season opener, being called for an unprecedented three game misconduct penalties.
BOYLE/McLELLAN HAVE PLAYED IN THEM ALL
Given the extreme physical nature of professional indoor lacrosse, combined with the travel issues and professional non-playing careers most players deal with on a weekly basis, it's pretty impressive when any NLL player can put together a lengthy consecutive games played streak. Enter the names of Titans' forwards Ryan Boyle and Mike McLellan on that very special list. Since the Titans organization began play in 2007, Boyle and McLellan are the only two players to have appeared in all 70 games in franchise history (64 regular season games, six post-season). Titans forward Pat Maddalena is not too far behind, having played in 68 of the possible 70 games. Maddalena has been something of an "Ironman" in his career, missing just five of 177 games since his rookie year in 2000.
TEAM NOW ACCEPTING 2011 DEPOSITS
The Orlando Titans are now accepting season ticket deposits for the 2011 season when the Titans move into the luxurious new Amway Events Center. A $50 per seat deposit will establish seating priority for both the new building and will also establish priority privileges for the 2010 playoffs. Call the Titans Ticket Office at 407-601-6516 for more information.
National Lacrosse League Stories from May 5, 2010
- Clutch Play In The Cards For Secore And Powell - Edmonton Rush
- Merrill Wins NLL Player Of The Month In April - Edmonton Rush
- Rock Forward Leblanc Named April's NLL Rookie of the Month - Toronto Rock
- Brodie Merrill Named April Player Of The Month - NLL
- Orlando Titans Game Notes - Orlando Titans
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