Philadelphia Barrage game preview
Published on July 21, 2004 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Philadelphia Barrage News Release
Last Game Recap: The Philadelphia Barrage were ready to prove to their loyal Philadelphia fans that they want to and can win for them. Their record (3-5) a little more than half way through the season is already two games better than last year. Last Thursday nights win against Long Island was the second consecutive win at home for the new Philly team. Four different players had at least four points total for the night, giving the Barrage a huge boost against the visiting Lizards. Keith Cromwell (3g, 3a) and Ryan Boyle (1g, 5a) were the high scorers for the night, both tallying 6 points. Boyle, a rookie for the Barrage who had only played in 4 games already has 23 points (6g, 17a), and has been named the MLL Rookie of the Week three times. Roy Colsey had a great night, adding another two-point goal to his career, as well as 3 other points (3g, 1 2-pt g, 1a). Blake Miller, who achieved his 100th career point during the night, registered 4 points (3g, 1a).
The Cannons Last Contest: The Cannons barely beat the Rattlers last Saturday, winning the game 18-17. Conor Gill was again their high scorer with 7 points (3g, 4a) as well as Michael Watson, who also registered a high 7 points (6g, 1a) in the victory over Rochester. No one else on the Boston squad had over 3 points that night. Kevin O'Brian had a record 33 saves for the night, and the Cannons went 5 for 10 on power plays.
Feature Match-Up: Michael Watson of the Boston Cannons has scored 12 goals in his past two games. Last week Boston played Rochester where Watson had a high 7 points (6g, 1a). In the previous week, he dumped in 5 goals against Philadelphia in their 20-18 victory. Nicky Polanco, one of Philadelphia's top defenders will be stopping Watson. When the Barrage played the Rattlers, Polanco stopped Casey Powell from even scoring a goal. Hopefully he will have the same outcome against Boston's Watson. Conor Gill is the top point scorer in the league. He has 50 points, 6 of which he scored against Philadelphia the last time the two teams met. Brian Spallina, another one of Philadelphia's fierce defenders will be marking Gill, attempting to halt their main attacking force.
100 Career Points: Two of the Barrage's main point scorers have already achieved their 100th career point this season. Keith Cromwell was the first Barrage player to do so, and since then has a total of 118 points (69g, 5 2-pt g, 44 a). Blake Miller just recently made this milestone against the Lizards. He was at 96 points before the start of the game, and by the end had reached his 100th point. He has a total of 77 goals and 23 assists.
Last Time They Met: On July 10th, at Nickerson Field, the Philadelphia Barrage fell to the Boston Cannons 20-18. Although the Barrage got off to a good start, 6-2 at the end of the first quarter, they could not hold onto the lead. Boston's main offensive threat, Conor Gill, had a great night with 6 points (3g, 3a). Michael Watson had five goals, while Chris Rotelli (3g, 1a) and Kevin Leville (2g, 2a) had four points a piece for the night. David Evans, another one of the Cannons top offensive players, was virtually shut down by the Barrage defense, only registering 3 points (2g, 1a). Blake Miller did all he could to help gain a victory, dumping in 6 goals and adding an assist. Boyle had another high scoring night with 6 points (1g, 5a), while Cromwell added another 5 points (3g, 2a). Philadelphia was 2 for 2 on their power play conversions topping the Cannons record of 2-5 for the night.
The Task Ahead: If the Barrage can play the way that they have in their last two contests, they can come out of this with another victory. The offense has been on fire, while the defense has kept a steady hand on the opposing attack. The Barrage seem to have a slight lull in their play, usually in the second or third quarter, giving the other team a chance to regain some control of the game. Philadelphia has been outscored 43-25 for the season in the second quarter. If Philadelphia can stay steady through the whole game, their record will be 4-5 after this match.
Players of the Week: Keith Cromwell was named Offensive Player of the Week after his stunning performance against the Long Island Lizards. He added six points (3g, 3a) to help the Barrage defeat Long Island. Nicky Polanco was awarded Defensive Player of the Week after game 8 vs. Long Island. He held Tim Goettelmann, one of Long Islands offensive threats, to only one goal for the night. Ryan Boyle, who recorded 6 points (1g, 5a) against the Lizards, was this weeks Barrage Rookie of the week, as well as the MLL Rookie. He has been named to the league's Rookie of the Week award three times since his arrival to the league just four games ago.
Recent Transactions: Philadelphia's attackman Liam Banks requested his release and was placed on waivers. (Banks was active yet not dressed for four consecutive games and therefore eligible for release.) The New Jersey Pride claimed him off of waivers. Tom Kessler, another Philadelphia attacker, has been picked up by Long Island off of the practice squad.
Leading Scorers: Conor Gill seems to be an unstoppable force in the MLL. He is the leading scorer for the league with 50 points; his closest competitor 9 points away (R. Powell) He currently has 21 goals and 29 assists for the 2004 season. Kevin Leville (18g, 1 2-pt g, 9a) is the Cannons second leading scorer, a whole 22 points behind Gill. Michael Watson (24g, 4a) also has 28 points this season. Philadelphia's Blake Miller has notched a high 35 points this, recording 27 goals and 8 assists. Keith Cromwell is not far behind with a total of 32 points, 19 goals, 1 2-point goal and 12 assists. Ryan Boyle, Philadelphia's star rookie, has 23 (6g, 17a) points in just the four games he has played this season.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from July 21, 2004
- Major League Lacrosse Names David Gross First Commissioner - MLL
- Philadelphia Barrage game preview - Philadelphia Barrage
- Cannons Host Barrage Thursday July 22 - Boston Cannons
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