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Playoff Bound Jax Head to Buffalo

April 24, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Portland Lumberjax News Release


PORTLAND, April 24, 2008 - The Portland LumberJax began the 2008 National Lacrosse League season by hosting the East Division's New York Titans on January 12. Three-and-a-half months later, the Jax (6-9) end the regular season by traveling to Buffalo to meet the Bandits (9-6) in the regular season finale for both clubs at 4:30 p.m. PST on Saturday, April 26 at the HSBC Arena. Both Portland and Buffalo have already secured playoff berths. The Jax clinched last Friday as they beat the San Jose Stealth and saw the Edmonton Rush lose in Colorado to the Mammoth. The Bandits also clinched last weekend.

With their bids already secured, both teams need this final game for playoff positioning. Portland could move into third place in the West by defeating Buffalo. The Jax would then need the Calgary Roughnecks to lose in Edmonton on Saturday night to secure the third spot. In either event, Portland will open up the postseason on the road in the first round.

The Bandits, who have been locked in a tight playoff race all season in the National Lacrosse League's East Division, need a win over the Jax and some other help in the division to clinch a home playoff game. Buffalo can also lose and clinch a home playoff game, but it will again take help from around the East.

Clinching a playoff spot was Portland's first order of business coming into the 2008 season. After a 1-5 start, playoff aspirations hung low until the Jax won five of their next nine to lock down a spot.

In their playoff-clinching win last week in San Jose over the Stealth, forward Dan Dawson took over, matching a franchise-high with nine points (4 goals, 5 assists). The game marked the second time this season Dawson had scored nine points in a game and was also the seventh time he scored five points or more.

Defenseman Brodie Merrill also tied a career-high with his 17th goal of the season. The goal could not have come at a better time as the Jax trailed 11-10 with 2:39 to play in the fourth quarter.

After trading possessions for the final two-minutes and change, the division rivals went into the extra set where Portland was only 1-3 all-time and already 0-2 this season.

In overtime, forward Peter Morgan scored his second game winning goal of the season, burying the game winner three-minutes 52-seconds into overtime. By that time, the Mammoth had already disposed of the Rush, thus assuring Portland of its second ever postseason berth and making the trip back from San Jose that much sweeter.

In the crease, goalie Matt Disher stopped 37 of the 48 shots he faced. In only his fourth game with Portland, Disher improved to 2-2 and lowered his goals-against-average to 10.83.

With one regular season game left, this weekend serves as one final tune-up before the NLL's second season begins: the Champion's Cup Playoffs.

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