Philadelphia Barrage mid season report
Published on June 30, 2004 under Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
Philadelphia Barrage News Release
Although it may seem that the Philadelphia Barrage have gotten off to a slow start, if measured by their 2-4 record, the team has made leaps and bounds of progress since the 2003 season. The attack needed a few games to find their rhythm, but now that they did they are virtually unstoppable.
Numerous players have shared the mid-field duties, while the faceoff winning percentage has been rising with every game. The Barrage defense has been solid from the start. With a ferocious four man rotation, the opposing attack has to work extra hard to get a shot off. Getting the shot off is one thing, but actually firing it behind netminder Greg Cattrano is quite another. Since coming from Baltimore, Cattrano has become a staple in the Barrage success.
Blake Miller is currently leading the Barrage's attack. With a total of 24 points (18g, 6a) Miller has become a "go to" player if the job needs to get done. Out of the six games that the Barrage has played, Miller has tallied at least a hattrick in four of the games. In fact, eight of Philadelphia's players, both attackers and midfielders, have registered at least one hattrick this season. (Colsey (1), Boyle (1), Miller (4), Springer (2), Cromwell (2), Striebel (1), Prager (1). In 2003, The Barrage led the league in 2-point goals scored with 15. This season, only six games in, the numbers that each individual player threw up are almost there. Roy Colsey registered a total of five 2-point goals in 2003, and this season he already has three. Keith Cromwell netted three last season and has one for this year, while Michael Springer also notched three in 2003, and currently has recorded one 2-point goal. Doug Shanahan is the only Barrage player who scored 2-point goals in 2003 (4) and has yet to register one this season.
In the 2004 Collegiate Draft, Philadelphia acquired Ryan Boyle (Princeton) in a trade with Rochester. Philadelphia originally picked up Tillman Johnson, a goalie out of Virginia, but with the talent of Greg Cattrano and Matt Hunter, they realized that another goalie was not in need. The trade has turned out to be beneficial for both teams. Johnson has made huge strides for Rochester, creating a record with 31 saves in a night. Although this was outstanding, Cattrano recorded that same number of saves the following night. Boyle was not intimidated at all about going from the collegiate level to the professional level. In his first game for the Barrage, he registered 5 points (3g, 2a). The following week against Rochester, he scored a total of 6 points (1g, 5a). Boyle plays with intensity and passion, and has a quickness about him that is unbelievable. He may just be the key to the Barrage success. Conor Ford was another player acquired in the 2004 Draft. He played at Johns Hopkins and was one of their top attackers. He made his mark with the Barrage in their first victory of the season against the New Jersey Pride with two goals.
The draw is always a challenge. It seems that whoever wins the most draws will come out on top. Doug Shanahan, Ryan Moran, and Ben DeFelice split the faceoff duty, with Shanahan earning the most time. In 2003, he had a 52.2 faceoff winning percentage, winning 154 of 295 draws. This season he is almost at the 500 mark, with a solid 42.4 winning percentage, winning 59/134, making his career winning percentage 49.1, 213/434. Moran also takes turns with the faceoff. He has not had the experience that Shanahan has, not taking any draws in 2003, but this season he has been successful.
He is currently at a 43.4 winning percentage, winning 23/53. Another 2004 Collegiate Draft choice for Philadelphia was Ben DeFelice. DeFelice played at Towson and was one of the best faceoff men in the NCAA. DeFelice's time on the draw has been limited so far this season, only attempting 12 faceoffs, but he has a 8.3 winning percentage. The faceoff is an area of lacrosse that is imperative to the win of the game.
The Barrage defense is made up mainly of five men, including the goalie. Nicky Polanco, Brian Spallina, Kyle Sweeney, and Brian Kuczma are Philadelphia's main long-poles. Brian Kuczma is a new addition to the Barrage for the 2004 season, coming from the Boston Cannons. Nicky Polanco is as tough as they come. He always marks up against the opposing teams best attacker, and as recently as this weekend held Casey Powell to no goals in Philadelphia's first ever win against Rochester.
Brian Spallina is a man known for penalties, but his aggression shows when stopping his attacker. In the past two games, Spallina has only received one minor penalty (30 seconds). Kyle Sweeney is a player of finesse. His defensive position and checks are always on target, limiting his opponent's options. Sweeney and Spallina are also sharing time this season playing short stick defense because the MLL only permits 3 long poles on the field at a time.
Greg Cattrano, also known as "The Cat", is one of the MLL best goalies. If you have ever seen him play, you understand why his nickname is such; from splits, to dives, to impossible saves, Cattrano does it all. He makes saves, runs down the field with the ball, he creates assists, and even scores goals. In last week's game against Rochester, Cattrano became the only goalie in MLL history to have scored a goal. At Brown, he scored three goals, creating the NCAA record of most goals scored by a goalie. This season he has created a 54.5 save percentage. His total career is at 58.5 percent. He has been playing in the MLL since 2001, and since then he has never had a save percentage below the 500 mark. The Barrage definitely feel very safe with Cattrano as the last defense!
Come see the Barrage in action as they take on the Long Island Lizards on July 15th at Villanova Stadium. Game time is at 7:00 PM. This game has the added highlight of the MLL Skills Competition. The best players in the MLL will be showing off their skills for everyone to see! Tickets are still available by calling (888) 450-7802 or logging on to www.TheBarrage.com.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from June 30, 2004
- Philadelphia Barrage mid season report - Philadelphia Barrage
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