Swarm Hosts Chicago Shamrox Saturday in Home Opener

Published on January 8, 2007 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Minnesota Swarm News Release


SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The National Lacrosse League's (NLL) Minnesota Swarm will host the Chicago Shamrox in its home opener on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 7:00 PM at Xcel Energy Center as the club begins its third season in the NLL. The Swarm posted an 8-8 record last season and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history finishing in a tie for fourth place in the East Division.

Duane "Dewey" Jacobs is in his first season as Swarm Head Coach after being named to the position on August 1, 2006. He spent the previous two seasons as an Assistant Coach with the Buffalo Bandits. All 23 players on this season's roster saw action with the Swarm in 2006 including leading scorer Ryan Ward, who tallied 66 points (19-47=66) in 16 games and goaltender Nick Patterson, who was named to the 2006 NLL Second All-Pro Team after posting a 6-2 record and ranked third in the NLL with a .790 save percentage and fourth with a 10.40 goals against average (GAA) in 2006.

Chad Culp ranked second on the team in scoring last season with 55 points (20-35=55) and Kasey Beirnes was third with 52 points (24-28=52). Brock Boyle finished seventh in scoring amongst NLL defensemen last season with 24 points (13-11=24) and fifth in goals with 13. Ryan Cousins will serve as team captain, while Mike Kilby and Ward will serve as alternate captains. Minnesota went 5-3 on the road last season and posted a 3-5 mark at Xcel Energy Center. The Swarm's roster also includes all 20 players that participated in the team's first-ever playoff game last season, an 11-10 loss at Buffalo on April 23, 2006 in the East Division Semifinal.

The Shamrox joined the East Division this season along with the expansion New York Titans. The East Division now consists of seven teams: Buffalo Bandits, Chicago, Minnesota, New York Titans, Philadelphia Wings, Rochester Knighthawks and Toronto Rock. The Swarm will play each team in the East Division two times (once at home and once on the road) this season for a total of 12 games. The top four teams in the division will advance to the playoffs.

Chicago (1-0) defeated New York 15-12 at Sears Centre Saturday in the first-ever game for both teams. Jason Clark led the Shamrox with six points (2G, 4A), rookies Bill McGlone and Josh Wasson scored three goals each and Brandon Miller made 46 saves. Chicago's roster includes former Swarm players Darryl Gibson and Jon Harasym.

KARE 11 sportscaster Eric Perkins will make his NLL debut with the Swarm on Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound forward was signed to a contract on December 5. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a KARE 11 Perk at Play T-shirt. NASCAR driver Reed Sorenson will participate in a ceremonial face-off presented by Fuji Film and halftime entertainment will feature the Flippenout Trampoline Show.

Minnesota Swarm season tickets and single game tickets are on sale now at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at (651) 989-5151. Swarm home regular season single game tickets are available in all price categories and range from $12.00 to $32.00 per game. For more information on becoming a season ticket holder please call (888) MN-SWARM.

Fans can watch all Minnesota Swarm games online via B2 networks for $6.00. To watch the game online go to www.mnswarm.com ten minutes before the start of a game and click on the WATCH THE GAME LIVE ON B2 link to purchase and watch the game. A high-speed connection is required.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 8, 2007


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