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Panther City Lacrosse Club Practice Report - February 26, 2022

February 26, 2022 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Panther City Lacrosse Club News Release


Fort Worth, Texas - The Panther City Lacrosse Club completed two practices sessions prior to their game against the Vancouver Warriors, Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. This will be the third matchup between the two teams, with Vancouver taking the first two contests. Defensively, Liam Byrnes has been a bright spot for the club as he currently sits fourth among defenders with 16 caused turnovers as well as ninth amongst NLL defenders with 69 ground balls. The game will also be a special moment for Panther City's Jeremy Thompson, as it is the 'Origins of Lacrosse' night in Fort Worth, which will honor the history of the game and the involvement of all the Indigenous people throughout the game's history. Thompson is coming off one of his better games of the season, as last week against Calgary he notched his first two goals of the 2021-22 season.

See below for quotes from Panther City Head Coach Tracey Kelusky and transition player Jeremy Thompson prior to tonight's matchup with Vancouver.

HEAD COACH TRACEY KELUSKY QUOTES

On the advantages and disadvantages of playing a team three times

"We certainly know tendencies and obviously what they are trying to do on both sides of the ball. We make adjustments. From my perspective, this is a good tell-tale of what we have as a group. We talk about culture and all those things. This is the tell-tale of now can guys sort out the X's and O's. The X's and O's are the easy part - I think for our coaching staff we have some great minds, but how do the guys respond to that and how do they respond to subtle changes and subtle tweaks in how we want to play them?"

On the team being near the league lead in 1st quarter goals scored and continuing that momentum throughout the entire game

"That is one of the constant messages from us. We need to be consistent. That was part of our game plan. Be consistent for four quarters. Find ways when teams are making subtle adjustments on us - how do we go about it and how do we tweak what we are doing. At the end of the day, it is all mindset stuff and hopefully we have a good first quarter again and can ride it out."

On manufacturing goals on 5-on-5

"I think we don't turn the corner well. We are content with that outside shot. Obviously [Vancouver Warriors goalie Alex] Buque is a big boy. [Vancouver Warriors goalie Steve] Fryer played for them last week. He is a big boy as well. They get in the lanes. It is just a mindset of wanting to turn the corner, knowing you are probably going to get whacked, knowing you are probably going to get hacked. We have to get inside for our guy that is trying to set the pick, [he needs to] get inside and take his lumps, so that we can turn the corner and manufacture things from inside out."

TRANSITION PLAYER JEREMEY THOMPSON QUOTES

On the advantages and disadvantages of playing a team three times

"I think it simply comes down to the saying of 'third times the charm'. I like our chances there. Obviously the third time playing them you get to know one another, and I think it is just about re-adjusting and re-setting our mind frames on how we are going to approach the game. We have done that from tweaking our system a tiny bit. I like our chances on offense. We have tweaked a couple things on defense, so it is going to come down to goaltending - whose goalie is going to show up better and we honestly feel like we are evenly matched, so we are just going to go from there and see what we can do."

On the team being near the league lead in 1st quarter goals scored and continuing that momentum throughout the entire game

"I think the biggest thing is mentally. We have started off and are high up in the rankings with goals scored. I think it is really about re-setting and having a balance with it. We [have been] a first-half team and have gotten off to good starts. It is about maintaining that and possession of the ball. Obviously, different ends of the floor are different where we have our long bench and our short bench. I think those things make a huge difference. We are going to utilize that. Getting our offense off the floor and the obviously when we need to get on the floor we need to possess those and get our shots. We are a team that is underneath and doesn't shoot as much, but we have found that rhythm where we get our shots."

On today being the 'Origins of Lacrosse' Day

"This game is special. This week is special, and this event is special to me. Being a part of Panther City Lacrosse and me being myself, being welcomed and having our first game coming in and being welcomed by a group of Natives within the Fort Worth and Dallas community [meant a lot]. Obviously, Panther City - being supportive behind myself and around our communities. It is a start. We are in a day and age where things are more inclusive into different cultures and groups throughout North America and the world. It is going to be awesome. It is going to be a good celebration. It is going to be a start to recognizing Indigenous communities throughout North America and the surrounding areas here in the Dallas and Fort Worth, so I am excited. I feel honored and blessed to be a part of it."

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