Titans Game Notes

Published on March 24, 2010 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Orlando Titans News Release


TITANS / TORONTO SQUARE OFF IN BATTLE FOR FIRST PLACE

While it still maybe a little bit early in the season to be calling any National Lacrosse League game a must-win, the Orlando Titans (6-4) and the Toronto Rock (6-5) may both may thinking it as the two Eastern Division powers square off at Amway Arena at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night. At stake will be first place in the East Division, but a Titans win would also give Orlando a sweep of the 2010 series and would gain Orlando the first tie-breaker in the event the two teams finish tied at the end of the regular season. The game is important for other reasons. Both teams are reeling a bit, Orlando after being pounded 13-6 at home last week by defending league champ Calgary and Toronto, who is riding a four-game losing streak after getting off to a league-best 6-1 start this season. "It's obviously a big game for both franchises," Titans President Steve Donner says. "With one and a-half games separating first from fifth place, a lot things can happen over the next month. Still, this game means a lot to both Orlando and Toronto. The intensity level on both sides should be incredible."

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS UNFOLD, TICKET INVOICES SENT

The NLL Playoff Format and information is as follows: 1.) The top four teams in each division qualify for the post-season. 2.) First round playoff games feature East 1 hosting East 4, West 1 hosting West 4, East 2 hosting East 3 and West 2 hosting West 3 in the first round. 3.) The highest remaining seeds after the first round host Division Championships in Week 2 of the post-season; with the winning teams meeting in the Champion's Cup Game at the site of the team with the best regular season record. 4.) The first tie-breaker for any scenario is head-to-head when two teams are involved. This is of particular importance to the Titans, who have already won the season series with Philadelphia and Rochester. The Titans have already defeated Toronto once this season (16-12 on Feb. 27) and a win Saturday would give them another series win against a division rival. 5.) An Eastern Division title would insure home field advantage throughout the division finals.

Currently sitting in first place, the Titans e-mailed out playoff invoices this past Monday to season ticket holders. The invoices included several payment options, including an opportunity to secure first round tickets for free if the season ticket holder renews in full for the 2011 season in the new Amway Arena. Any questions on playoff invoices and options should be directed to the Orlando Titans Ticket Office at 407-601-6516.

CALGARY REVIEW: IT WASN'T PRETTY

Last Saturday, the Titans hosted defending champion Calgary at Amway Arena and came away with a disappointing 13-6 loss. The game started off fairly well, with the teams playing to a 0-0 tie through seven minutes. But a series of penalties left the Titans either one or two men down for much of the first half and Calgary took advantage of it - racing out to leads of 4-0 and 7-2 before cruising to the win. "After the penalties we could never get into the flow of the game," Titans Head Coach Ed Comeau said. "Our special teams had some breakdowns and it just really got away from us. It certainly wasn't a good game for the players or the fans."

TITANS HEAD COACH ED COMEAU

Whether he has been a head coach, general manager, or an assistant coach the name Ed Comeau has been synonymous with success for more than a decade in the National Lacrosse League. Comeau is in his second season as head coach and general manager of the Titans organization and his 13th season of affiliation with the NLL. Comeau assumed the dual role of head coach and general manager of the Titans on June 30, 2008. In his first season with the team, Comeau captured an Eastern Division championship with a 10-6 record and then led the Titans to playoff victories over Rochester and Buffalo. The season concluded with a hard-fought 12-10 road loss in the Champion's Cup Final to highly-favored Calgary. For his efforts, Comeau received votes for Coach of the Year, but it was his shrewd personnel moves before and during the season that made the Titans a championship contender and resulted in Ed being named NLL General Manager of the Year.

Comeau's NLL Coaching Career

Year Team Position Record Pct.

1998 Ontario Asst. Coach 6-6 .500

1999 Toronto Asst. Coach 11-3* .786

2000 Toronto Asst. Coach 11-3* .786

2001 Toronto Asst. Coach 12-4 .750

2002 Toronto Asst. Coach 13-5* .722

2003 Toronto Asst. Coach 13-5* .722

2004 Toronto Int. Head Coach 2-4 .333

2005 Rochester Asst. Coach 11-7 .611

2006 Rochester Head Coach 10-8 .556

2007 Rochester Head Coach 17-2* .895

2008 Rochester Head Coach 8-8 .500

2009 New York Head Coach 12-7 .632

2010 Orlando Head Coach 6-4 .600

NLL Career Totals Head Coach 55-33 .625

Asst. Coach 77-33 .700

GUERIN BRIGHT SPOT

One of the few bright spots in Saturday's loss to Calgary was the play of rookie forward Jessie Guerin. Playing in just his second NLL game, the 22-year-old Guerin scored two goals and scooped up two loose balls. For the season, he has three goals and three assists in two games.

SERIES RECORD VS. TORONTO

Counting the win in February, the Titans now lead the all-time series with Toronto, 4-2. The 16 goals scored against the Rock in that February game were the most by the Titans this season. The Series Scores:

All-Time Series Orlando Leads (4-2)

Feb. 27, 2010 (A) W, 16-12

Jan. 3, 2009 (H) L, 14-15

Jan. 26, 2008 (A) L, 10-14

Mar. 14, 2008 (A) W, 14-10

Mar. 3, 2007 (H) W, 13-10

Apr. 14, 2007 (A) W, 12-11

TITANS CAREER LEADERS

(Current Through 3.26.2010)

Goals Scored

Casey Powell 125 2007-10

Pat Maddalena 113 2007-10

Mike McLellan 102 2007-10

Ryan Boyle 75 2007-10

Brendan Mundorf 74 2007-09

Jordan Hall 63 2007-10

Power Play Goals

Mike McLellan 48 2007-10

Casey Powell 42 2007-10

Pat Maddalena 31 2007-10

Brendan Mundorf 20 2007-09

Assists

Pat Maddalena 167 2007-10

Casey Powell 166 2007-10

Ryan Boyle 158 2007-10

Jordan Hall 138 2007-10

Brendan Mundorf 75 2007-09

Mike McLellan 70 2007-10

Points

Casey Powell 295 2007-10

Pat Maddalena 286 2007-10

Ryan Boyle 236 2007-10

Jordan Hall 206 2007-10

Mike McLellan 172 2007-10

Brendan Mundorf 149 2007-09

Loose Balls

Jarett Park 492 2007-10

Pat Merrill 339 2006-10

Pat Maddalena 279 2007-10

Casey Powell 259 2007-10

John Orsen 259 2007-10

Greg Peyser 250 2007-10

Jordan Hall 244 2007-10

Ryan Boyle 237 2007-10

Penalty Minutes

Rory Smith 172 2008-10

Patrick Merrill 114 2008-10

John Orsen 109 2007-10

Greg Peyser 107 2007-10

Jarett Park 92 2007-10

Stephen Peyser 40 2009

Face-Offs Won

Stephen Peyser 285 2009

Jamie Hanford 264 2008

Joe Ghedina 123 2007

Greg Peyser 121 2007-10

Anthony Kelly 72 2007-08

Matt Zash 40 2007-10

Saves

Matt Vinc 2005 2007-10

Caurtis Palidwor 120 2007

BOYLE MOVES INTO 4th, POWELL SCORES 200th

Several Titans reached personal milestones in last week's loss. With one goal, forward Ryan Boyle moved past Brendan Mundorf and into 4th place on the Titans all-time goals scored list with 75. With a pair of goals, team captain Casey Powell reached the 200 mark for his illustrious career. The breakdown of Powell's totals included 125 goals with the Titans, 54 with Anaheim and 21 with the Rochester Knighthawks.

VINC HITS 2000 CAREER SAVES REMAINS ON TRACK FOR RECORD

Although he had his roughest outing of the season, goaltender Matt Vinc is still on a record setting pace in 2010. Averaging a league-leading 41.5 saves per game, Vinc is on pace to break Rob Bladsell's all-time single season mark of 644 set with Albany in 2002. Vinc's 35 saves against Calgary last week also moved him over the 2,000 mark for career saves. Vinc currently ranks first in the NLL in total saves (415), saves-per-game (41.5), and save percentage (.817); while ranking second to Boston's Anthony Cosmo in goals against average (9.19) and total minutes played (607).

Player Team Year Saves

Rob Blasdell Albany 2002 644

Curtis Palidwor Montreal 2002 639

Matt Vinc TITANS 2009 609

Dallas Eliuk Philadelphia 2003 608

Matt King Calgary 2002 603

Brandon Miller Chicago 2007 602

Gord Nash Colorado 2005 601

Matt Vinc TITANS 2010 664*

*Projected through 16 games

ORLANDO LEAGUE LEADER IN FEWEST GOALS ALLOWED

Heading into this week's slate of games, the Orlando Titans remain the hardest team to score against in the National Lacrosse League. In their first 10 games this season, the Titans have allowed just 96 goals. The team's 9.60 goals against average is the lowest in the league. Offensively, the Titans are averaging 11.0 goals per game, which ranks 5th in the 11-team NLL.

COMEAU EYES 50

After last week's loss, Orlando Titans head coach Ed Comeau was forced to wait at least one week longer before he becomes just the 8th coach in National Lacrosse League history to record 50 regular season wins. Comeau is 49-31 in four-plus seasons as a head coach (.612 winning percentage) and also has a 6-2 mark in post-season games. He captured a title with Rochester in 2007. Buffalo's Darris Kilgour is the all-time leader with 95 regular season wins.

TEAM NOW ACCEPTING 2011 DEPOSITS

The Orlando Titans are now accepting season ticket deposits for the 2011 season when the Titans move into the luxurious new Amway Events Center. A $50 per seat deposit will establish seating priority for both the new building and will also establish priority privileges for the 2010 playoffs. Call the Titans Ticket Office at 407-601-6516 for more information.

A LOOK AHEAD

Orlando will attempt to salvage the final game of a three-game regular season series with the Boston Blazers. A team that started the season 0-3, the Blazers have won six of their last eight, including a 13-9 win over the Titans on Jan. 23 and a heart-wrenching 12-11 double overtime win over Orlando on Feb. 20 in what was the longest game in National Lacrosse League history. The game is schedule for the TD Garden on Saturday, April 3 and can be heard on the Orlando Titans Radio Network and will be also be available live on the NLL.com.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 24, 2010


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