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Wings Defeated By Rock 18-15

February 27, 2004 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Philadelphia Wings News Release


TORONTO, ON - The Philadelphia Wings suffered their second straight loss, falling to the Toronto Rock by a score of 18-15 at the Air Canada Centre. The Wings (4-5) face the Rock again tomorrow night at the Wachovia Center at 8 p.m. The first 5,000 fans will receive Tom Marechek collectible bobblehead dolls courtesy of Cooper University Hospital.

"We struggled with bad penalties all night ," said Wings' Head Coach Adam Mueller. "We can't afford the time we spent a man down, all the four on four situations, and the penalty shots."

The Rock started the scoring at 3:14 when Aaron Wilson scored on a power play goal followed by the Wings first goal of the night by Jeff Ratcliffe just :23 later. The Wings took the lead when Spencer Martin scored on a power play at 5:08 followed by a goal by Brian Tower just one minute later. Blaine Manning scored on a power play goal for the Rock at 9:10, but captain Jake Bergey netted one just :42 later to keep the Wings lead at two. The Rock got two straight goals from Matt Shearer and Wilson again to tie the game, but the Wings Keevin Galbraith scored his first National Lacrosse League goal at 13:24 to put the Wings up by one again. Wilson scored his third of the night on a five on three power play goal at 14:13 to tie the game 5-5 at the end of the first quarter.

Manning started the scoring in the second quarter with his second of the night at 1:20, but the Wings Tom Marechek scored his first of the night to even the score at six. The Wings took the lead again when Brian Tower scored at 2:44. Marechek scored two straight to extend the Wings' lead by three. The Rock made a switch in goal following Marechek's second goal at 4:32 replacing Anthony Cosmo with Bob Watson. The Rock pulled within with goals from Colin Doyle a power play goal by Shearer. At the end of the first half the Wings held a 9-8 lead. Goaltender Nick Schroeder recorded 13 saves for the Wings while the Rock goaltenders combined for 20 saves.

The Rock's Doyle tied the game at the start of the third quarter with a short-handed goal at 1:28. Steve Toll put the Rock in the lead when he scored his first of the night at 2:35 but the Wings' Ratcliffe tied it at ten apiece on four vs. four goal at 4:35. Toronto took the lead again when Darryl Gibson scored on a four vs. four at 5:14 but the Wings' Martin tied it at 6:59. The Rock extended their lead when Shearer scored his third and fourth of the night. Shearer scored one final goal on a penalty shot awarded for too many men on the field for the Wings. At the end of the third quarter, the Rock held a 14-11 lead.

The Rock scored two more goals in the fourth quarter before the Wings got back on the board with four straight goals by Tower, Ratcliffe, Keith Cromwell, and Martin. The Rock fought to keep their lead at two when Manning scored at 11:09. Toronto's Chris Driscoll finished off the night with a goal on a penalty shot at 14:56 boosting the Rock to an 18-15 win over the Wings.

Tom Marechek led the Wings offense with his eight point performance (3G, 5A) followed by Spencer Martin with six points (3G, 3A), Jake Bergey with six points (1G, 5A), Keith Cromwell with six points (1G, 5A), Jeff Ratcliffe with four points (3G, 1A), Brian Tower with three goals, and Keevin Galbraith with one goal. Goaltender Nick Schroeder finished the night with 39 saves.

Leading the Rock in scoring was Matt Shearer with three points (2G, 1A).

NOTES: Eleven-year veteran defenseman Paul Cantabene announced his retirement due to work commitments... The Wings activated defenseman Keevin Galbraith from their practice squad to their active roster ... Tickets are now on-sale at the Wachovia Center Box Office, at all TicketMaster outlets, online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 215.336.2000 ... Great pro-rated season tickets are still available starting as low as $120 by calling 215.389.WING (9464).



National Lacrosse League Stories from February 27, 2004


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