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Wings Remain Undefeated With 16-12 Win Over New York

February 29, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Philadelphia Wings News Release


PHILADELPHIA - Athan Iannucci proved why he was named to the NLL All-Star team as he led the Wings past New York, 16-12, Friday at the Wachovia Center in front of 11,419 fans. Iannucci netted six goals and two assists, while eight other Philadelphia players also contributed to the victory. It was a tight game through three quarters, but the Wings pulled away in the final quarter with four straight goals and never looked back. Goalie Rob Blasdell made 41 saves on 53 New York shots.

"I thought our guys had a tough first half, but we kept on doing the things we're capable of doing ," said Wings' Head Coach Dave Huntley. "Iannucci has been terrific all year and everybody contributes every day, even if it doesn't show up on the scoreboard. Everyone's chipping in and doing what they need to do."

Iannucci scored the only goal in the first quarter, while Blasdell stopped all 10 New York shots. Philadelphia took a two-goal lead in the second quarter, but allowed the Saints to climb back after penalty trouble. New York scored both a power-play and penalty-shot goal. The two teams battled back and forth throughout the quarter, with the Wings taking a 6-4 edge into halftime on an Iannucci short-handed goal.

The game remained close in the third quarter with each team scoring four goals. The Wings started to pull away in the fourth quarter with four unanswered tallies. It became a physical matchup midway through quarter with two fights and a lot of pushing and shoving, resulting in 26 minutes in penalties. Philadelphia continued to dominate after the interruptions and never let the Saints back in the game.

Athan Iannucci (6G,2A) led the Wings in scoring with eight points. Eight other players scored goals for Philadelphia, including Rob Van Beek (1G,1A), Jake Bergey (2G,5A), John Christmas (1G,0A), Taylor Wray (1G,1A), Jamie Rooney (1G,0A), Jason Crosbie (1G,2A), Merrick Thomson (2G,2A), and Thomas Hajek,(1G,0A) . Goaltender Rob Blasdell made 41 saves.

Pat Maddalena led the Titans in scoring with seven points (3G,4A). Five other players scored for New York, including Casey Powell (2G,1A), Mike McLellan (3G,1A), Brendan Mundorf, (2G,4A), Jordan Hall (1G,5A), and Jeff Ratcliffe (1G,0A). Goaltender Matt Vince had 42 saves on 60 shots.

NOTES: Wings forward Athan Iannucci was chosen as part of the starting lineup for the 2008 NLL East Division All-Star Team. Iannucci, a second year forward, currently leads NLL in goal scoring and number of points per game. The 2008 NLL All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, March 16 at Rexall Place at 4 pm EST in Edmonton, Alberta...The Wings have their first back-to-back games this weekend hosting New York team at home on Friday night and heading to Buffalo to face the Bandits at HSBC Arena on Saturday...The Philadelphia Wings' Rob Van Beek was named the NLL's Transition Player of the Week for his performance in his team's 17- 8 victory over the Minnesota Swarm last Friday at the Wachovia Center. Van Beek scored three goals, had one assist, and scooped 11 loose balls to help the Wings improve to 5-0 on the season, their best since 1993 when the team went 7-0.

For a complete scoring of tonight's game, log on to www.pointstreak.com .

The Wings face the Buffalo Bandits on March 1 before returning home to host the Toronto Rock on Saturday, March 8 at Wachovia Center at 1 p.m. with dollar dogs and photos with the players following the game. Great seats are still available and can be purchased by visiting www.wingslax.com or at the Complex Box Office. Pro-rated season tickets are available by calling the Wings ticket office at (215) 389-WING(9464).

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