Philadelphia Wings at Edmonton Rush
Published on February 26, 2009 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB--The Edmonton Rush will look for a second straight win and a continued push towards a playoff spot when they take on the Philadelphia Wings.
The Rush are coming off a critical 10-9 victory over the Colorado Mammoth last Sunday - a win that pushed them to just ½ game behind San Jose for the fourth and final playoff spot in the National Lacrosse League's West Division. The West has tightened up considerably in the last two weeks as only three games separate division-leading Calgary from sixth-place Minnesota. Edmonton sits fifth, 2½ games behind Calgary, 1½ back of Portland, and 1 game behind Colorado.
Philadelphia currently holds down fourth in the East Division, 4 games back of division frontrunners Buffalo, but only ½ game up on both Toronto and Rochester.
Edmonton's win over Colorado kicked off a three-game homestand for the Rush who had opened the season with five of their first seven games away from Rexall Place. Callum Crawford led the way for the Rush with a six-point night coming off four goals, including one on the power play, plus two assists. Andy Secore also had a breakout night for the Rush as he collected one goal and chipped in four assists. Rookie Jamie Floris and Ryan Benesch each scored twice for the Rush while Chris Seller added a single. Chris Levis, playing against his former club, racked up 30 saves for the win between the pipes.
This will be only the second meeting between the Wings and Rush - both coming in Edmonton. In fact, the only other clash resulted in the Rush earning their first-ever home-floor victory. The Rush had gone their entire inaugural season of 2006 without winning at Rexall Place, but they launched the 2007 campaign with a 13-12 defeat of the Wings behind a pair of stellar individual performances. Chris Gill set a Rush record with eight points in the game - four goals and four assists - and was named the NLL's Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Jimmy Quinlan also had a huge night for the Rush as he collected five goals and one assist. Ryan O'Connor and goaltender Pat Campbell each picked up four assists in the game while Dan Stroup registered two goals and three helpers. Campbell also made 39 saves in the game.
The Rush come into the game anchored by All-Star Dan Teat who leads the team in goals with 17 and points with 34 and is tied with Andy Secore at 17 assists. Ryan Benesch is second with 11 goals while Secore and Callum Crawford have eight goals apiece. Chris McKay leads the Rush and stands third overall in the entire NLL with 91 loose balls, 20 up on All-Star Ian Hawksbee.
Former Rush forward Mat Giles is the team-leader in points for the Wings with 34 points including 20 assists. A.J. Shannon, another former Rush forward, has nine points in just four games, while Edmonton native Taylor Wray anchors the Philly defence. The Wings also boast one of the NLL's most dynamic players in transition Geoff Snider.
STAR BRIGHT: This will be the last game before the All-Star break when Dan Teat and Ian Hawksbee represent the Rush at the mid-season clash between the East and West. The NLL All-Star Game is slated for March 7 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Teat is tied for eighth in the league with 17 goals and is tied for 10th in the league with six power-play markers. He is also in 16th spot for points with 34. This is Teat's second All-Star Game selection - his first with the Rush since coming to the team in a trade with Buffalo. Hawksbee is ninth in the league with 71 loose balls and has chipped in five points.
Statistically Speaking: Chris Levis is ninth among NLL goaltenders with a 10.81 goals-against average and he has crept up to a tie for eighth in the league with a .769 save-percentage ... The Rush and Wings are both operating with similar special-team units as their respective power plays are putting up decent numbers while their penalty-killing units are struggling badly. The Rush's power play is seventh in the league at 47.5% (19 goals in 40 opportunities) while the Wings power play is fourth at 52.8% (19 goals in 36 opportunities). Edmonton's penalty-killing though is last in the league at a mere 44.1% (19 goals surrendered in 34 opportunities) and Philadelphia's isn't faring much better, standing second-worst in the league at 44.9% (27 goals surrendered in 49 opportunities).
By The Numbers: This will be the Rush's fourth home game of the season and the club currently sits seventh in attendance with an average of 7,188 ... The Wings lead in the NLL in loose ball collection with 689 while the Rush are fifth in the league at 598.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
9:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Rush Practice
Soccer Centre - West
Friday, February 27, 2009
10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Rush Shoot Around
5:50 p.m. - 6:10 p.m. Pre-Game Warm Up #1
6:50 p.m. - 7:10 p.m. Pre-Game Warm Up #2
7:30 p.m. Game Time
National Lacrosse League Stories from February 26, 2009
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- Philadelphia Wings at Edmonton Rush - Edmonton Rush
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