Titans Victorious In 2008 Season Opener Saturday
January 13, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Orlando Titans News Release
Portland, Ore. -- New York Titans Captain Casey Powell was the star of the Titans? 2008 season opener against the Portland LumberJax Saturday night, scoring four goals and leading the Titans to a 14-11 victory.
?It?s a whole new season for the Titans,? Powell said after the thrilling season opening match. ?We?ve got a really talented squad this year with some new players who will add a lot of depth, and the guys who played for the Titans had a whole season to gel. Titans fans are in for some great lacrosse this season.?
Powell set the tone for the night early, scoring the first goal of the game 2:05 minutes into the match. Two minutes later, Titans forward Pat Maddalena assisted the second goal of the night, a light shot in the upper left hand quarter by Brian Tower. Powell found the net again three minutes later.
Mike McLellan and Maddelana added two more unanswered goals, bringing the Titans to 5-0 against the Jax with 2:40 left in the quarter.
Jax forward Derek Malawsky scored the home team?s first goal of the night with 1:53 left in the quarter.
With :13 to go in the first quarter, Powell netted a goal of a rebound.
Just as the teams were preparing to head back to the bench, Titans transition player Jarett Park hit a buzzer beater from the half-field line to finish the Titans? first quarter of their first game of the 2008 season 7-1 against the Jax.
The LumberJax staged a rally in the second quarter, scoring three unanswered goals, two of which took place during a Jax power play, cutting the Titans lead to 7-4.
Titans forward Mike ?The Maestro? McLellan ended the Titans scoring drought, netting the Titans only goal of the second quarter with 3:45 left before the half. The Titans headed into the tunnel with a comfortable 8-4 lead at the half.
Casey Powell started the half off strong, showcasing his trademark acrobatics on the field by diving into the net to score the first goal of the second half off a fast break, bringing the Titans lead to 9-4.
Both teams exchanged goals throughout the third quarter and the Titans entered the fourth quarter with an 11-7 lead.
The contest heated up in the fourth quarter, with the Jax scoring four unanswered power play goals, tying the game at 11-11 with less than 9:00 left in the match.
Pat Maddalena put the Titans back in the lead with a quick shot in the upper right hand corner with 7:00 left in regulation.
With 1:30 to go, McLellan quick-sticked the game winning goal into the net off an assist by Titans first pick in the NLL draft Jordan Hall.
With :02 left in the game, Titans goalie Matt Vinc scored an empty net goal, capping off the Titans win at 14-11. Vinc had 36 saves on 47 shots for the night.
Casey Powell was the Titans leader in points, with eight on the night.
Dan Dawson was the leader in points for the LumberJax and for the game with four goals and five assists.
The Titans play three games on the road before opening at home when they play the San Jose Stealth on January 31st at 7:30pm at Madison Square Garden.
Titans 2008 Season and Group Tickets are now available by calling 888-8TITANS or contact the Titans at tickets@nytitans.com. Season tickets start as low as $75 for all five games at the World?s Most Famous Arena. Log onto www.nytitans.com for information on the Titans 2008 season schedule.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 13, 2008
- New York Powers Past Portland 14-11 - Portland Lumberjax
- Roughnecks lose OT heart-breaker to Stealth - Calgary Roughnecks
- Titans Victorious In 2008 Season Opener Saturday - Orlando Titans
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