Sports stats



Swarm Can Earn Playoff Berth With Victory Saturday vs. Rochester Knighthawks

April 16, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Minnesota Swarm News Release


SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Now that the National Lacrosse League (NLL) playoffs are just weeks away, the East Division-leading Minnesota Swarm can clinch a post-season spot with a win over the Rochester Knighthawks at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday (April 19) at 7:00 p.m. Minnesota can also clinch the East Division Saturday with a win and a Philadelphia loss to New York and a Buffalo loss to Chicago.

With a 6-0 home record, the Swarm (9-4 overall) has reached the midway point of a four-game homestand that began on April 5 with a 12-9 win vs. the New York Titans and continued last Saturday with a thrilling 15-14 overtime victory against the Philadelphia Wings. The homestand ends April 25 against the Chicago Shamrox. During the six-game string of victories in Saint Paul, Minnesota is outscoring its opponents 81 to 58. The Swarm has one road game left on its regular-season schedule (April 26 at Chicago). First-round divisional playoff action is set to take place the weekend of May 2-4. Minnesota, which made its NLL debut in 2005, has qualified for the playoffs the last two seasons.

F Andy Secore tops the Swarm in total points with 65 (24-41=65) in 11 games. F Ryan Ward, the Swarm's leading goal scorer with 28, is right behind Secore with 62 points in 13 outings. Meanwhile, G Nick Patterson has the most wins in the league (9).

Rochester (7-7), the defending NLL champions, is 3-3 on the road this season and 3-6 all-time vs. Minnesota (2-2 at Xcel Energy Center). F John Grant leads the Knighthawks with 86 points (43-43=86) in 14 games.

When the two teams last faced off on Jan. 26 at Blue Cross Arena in New York, Swarm F Sean Pollock notched a career-high tying nine points (3-6=9), including the sudden death OTGW, to help edge Rochester 18-17. Pollock even tied the match at 17-17 with 5:20 left in regulation. Rookie F Craig Point and D Ryan Cousins also had three goals on the night for the Swarm. Minnesota chased Knighthawks G Pat O'Toole from the game after scoring 12 goals against him in 25:49 while Grant, the NLL's No. 2 scorer, had eight points (3-5=8) in defeat.

Great lower level seats can be purchased for each upcoming Swarm home game. Tickets range from $12 - $52 and can be purchased in advance or at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office. Family packs and student discounts are also available. Contact Ticketmaster at 651-989-5151 or www.ticketmaster.com to get the best seats available. For more information on Swarm season tickets call 888-MNSWARM or info@mnswarm.com.

• Discuss this story on the National Lacrosse League message board...

National Lacrosse League Stories from April 16, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central