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1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q OT F
Minnesota Swarm Minnesota Swarm
(6-2 H 3-0 A 3-2)
3 2 2 1 8
Philadelphia Wings Philadelphia Wings
(5-0 H 4-0 A 1-0)
0 3 3 11 17

Swarm Fall to Second Place After Miserable Fourth Quarter

Friday, February 22, 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 10,342

For three quarters, the Minnesota Swarm were playing with fire as they held a 7-6 lead. The fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Wings left the Swarm with third-degree burns as the Wings oustcored the Swarm 11-1 to cruise to a 17-8 victory in Philadelphia on Friday night. The eleven goals in the fourth were the most the Swarm have given up in any quarter in their history. The fourteen goals given up in the second half is also a Swarm record of ill repute. With the loss, the Swarm now have a two game losing streak after winning their first six of the season. They are now in second place behind the Wings, who remain the only team in the National Lacrosse League with an undefeated record.

The beginning of the game gave no clue as to what would happened at the end of the game. After Rob Van Beek (4g 2a) got sent to the box after retailiating for a hit on a teammate by Chad Culp (13g 15a) at the start of the game, Craig Point (17g 22a) scored on the ensuing power play to put the Swarm up 1-0. The good start continued with a goal midway through the quarter by Sean Pollock (12g 20a) and after Dean Hill's (9g 10a) seventh power play goal of the year, the Swarm had a 3-0 lead after the first. The first quarter shutout by Nick Patterson (6-2 12.52 GAA .768 Save %) was the second time this month that he held the opponent scoreless in the first.

The start of the second quarter saw the Wings finally get one, I mean, two straight past Patterson to cut the lead to one. The first Wings goal was scored shorthanded by Jamie Rooney (10g 10a) which is a league leading eighth goal the Swarm have given up this season. After Athan Iannucci (25g 11a) cut the lead to one, Point put one of his trademark lasers past Wing goaltender Rob Blasdell (5-0 11.99 GAA .772 Save %) to put the Swarm up 4-2. Both Iannucci and Point traded goals again in the quarter to send the game to the half with the Swarm up 5-3. By halftime, the Wings were gradually, but in a very quick way, gaining control of the game. Patterson had already faced 35 shots and was for all intents and purposes keeping the Swarm in the lead. Meanwhile, apart from Point, the Swarm offense was rarely threatening Blasdell as they had only sixteen shots on net.

The Wings started the third quarter with three straight goals, the last by Jason Crosbie (3g 18a) right after an officials time out, to grab their first lead of the game at 6-5. It was not until the fourteen minute of the quarter, that Mike Hominuck (5g 16a) finally broke back through the Blasdell wall to tie the game. Culp then put the Swarm up by one with 7 seconds left in the quarter with a Wings defender all over him.

Even with the one goal lead after three, the Swarm were extremely fortunate. The Wings were nearly outshooting the Swarm 2 to 1 and if a ball was loose on the floor, inevitably the Wings were the team picking them up. As usual, the Wings were winning the face off battle with Geoff Snider (3g 11a) and Peter Jacobs (0g 1a) and the Wings still looked relatively fresh compared to the Swarm. Patterson had already made 47 saves and that was without the Wings not always getting shots on goal. That set up what turned out to be the most embarrassing quarter in Minnesota Swarm history.

The Wings momentum rolled quickly right off the opening face off of the quarter, as Van Beek scored the third quickest goal against the Swarm to begin a quarter. Within the next 37 seconds, the Wings were up 9-7 and down a man after a penalty. Ryan Ward (19g 22a) scored his second shorthanded goal in his Swarm career to temporarily stop the bleeding and keep the Swarm within one. When I said temporarily, I meant it. Patterson made an initial save on a David Mitchell (1g 0a) shot but the managed to dribble over the goal line for Mitchell's first ever NLL goal. Van Beek got his hat trick less than thirty seconds later to put the Wings up 11-8. Iannucci, who leads the NLL in goals scored, took over as he scored three of the next four goals to record his second career sock trick. The last goal finally ended Patterson's night as he was pulled for Kevin Croswell (0-0 21.82 GAA .722 Save %). The only other player to score during that run was Jim Borell (1g 6a) who ended up being the second Wing player in the quarter to score his first ever NLL goal. After Patterson left, the Wings were up 15-8 and had effectively embarrassed the Swarm. The Swarm were finally outpaced in the fourth quarter and even with the goaltender change that maybe should have occurred a two or three goals earlier, were still not able to stem the roll as the Wings continued their undefeated season with the 17-8 victory. Notwithstanding the fourth quarter, Patterson was absolutely brilliant and deserved a better outcome than what he got. He faced a Swarm goaltender record of 69 shots and saved a record 54 of them. He was pretty much the only line of defense as the Swarm defense looked stuck in the mud all night against the new and improved Wings. The Swarm definitely missed Andy Secore (16g 25a) who came into the weekend second in scoring in the league. Secore was in the second to last pre-game warm up of the night but the team decided that he was not able to go for the game. Missing Secore left a huge gap on the left side of the offense that was not effectively replaced. After a strong first half, the Swarm's only offensive star of the night, Point, was held scoreless the rest of the game which left the Wings sitting pretty.

Point led the Swarm in scoring with three goals and one assist. Iannucci led the Wings with his sock trick and an assist. Crosbie had a goal and five assists. Jake Bergey continued his big games against the Swarm with two goals and three assists and Van Beek gave Iannucci a run for his money as the best player on the floor with three goals, one assist and eleven loose balls. Blasdell continued his undefeated season with 32 saves on 40 shots and is the only goaltender in the league who has played every minute of every game for his team.

After the game, the Swarm players I talked to in general were embarassed with their performance. The way the game went was totally out of character for this year's team and nearly unexplainable except for the fact that the Wings outperformed them in nearly all aspects of the game. The Swarm have the upcoming weekend off and will use that time to rest up and prepare for a rematch against the Buffalo Bandits (5-4) on Saturday, March 8, 2008 in Buffalo. After speaking briefly with Swarm Head Coach Duane Jacobs, his confidence in his team has not wavered one bit and he expects to see a much better performance from his team in Buffalo.

It is tough to be positive about the game against the Wings, but remember the Swarm are still 6-2. They still have the most victories of any team in the league. They have four wins in the division and have not incurred any significant injuries after the start of the year. They play five of their last eight at home with four of those home games in April as the regular season winds down. They also get a chance to redeem themselves against the Wings on April 12th at the Xcel Energy Center. The loss hurts, that there is no doubt, but the season is far from over and the Swarm are still in a strong position to win the East. The second half of the season starts in Buffalo in two weeks and I expect to see a Swarm team rejuvenated for the stretch run.

Game Statistics

Pointstreak Swarm Notes Wings Notes

Team Stats Sv/S PIM PP SH S SOG LB FO
Minnesota 60/77 21 4/11 1 55 40 84 7/29
Philadelphia 32/40 35 2/10 1 99 77 114 22/29

# Minnesota G A Pts PIM PPG SHG S SOG LB FO
9 Craig Point 3 1 4 0 2 0 9 8 5 0-1
12 Eric Pacey 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0-0
16 Noah Talbot 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 6 0-0
17 Sean Pollock 1 1 2 0 0 0 9 6 2 0-0
19 Chad Culp 1 1 2 4 0 0 7 5 11 0-0
20 Kyle Ross 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0-0
23 Jon Sullivan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0-0
24 Justin Norbraten 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2-9
26 Ryan Sharp 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 8 0-0
28 Darren Halls 0 0 0 5 0 0 2 0 4 3-5
31 Kevin Croswell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0-0
34 Nick Inch 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0-0
39 Mark Miyashita 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2-14
44 Ryan Ward 1 2 3 0 0 1 9 6 3 0-0
50 Ryan Cousins 0 2 2 4 0 0 2 2 9 0-0
73 Dean Hill 1 2 3 0 1 0 7 5 1 0-0
90 Mike Hominuck 1 0 1 0 1 0 7 6 5 0-0
93 Nick Patterson 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0-0
3 Chris Courtney Did Not Dress
8 Rory McDade Did Not Dress
21 Andy Secore Did Not Dress
27 Colin Achenbach Did Not Dress
47 Travis Hill Did Not Dress
 
# Minnesota MIN GA Saves Shots Dec  
31 Kevin Croswell 5:50 2 6 8    
93 Nick Patterson 54:10 15 54 69 L 6-2 Started
 
# Philadelphia G A Pts PIM PPG SHG S SOG LB FO
2 Jim Borell 1 1 2 4 0 0 1 1 1 0-0
4 Geoff Snider 0 3 3 0 0 0 9 6 9 20-26
7 Kyle Sweeney 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 1 9 0-0
14 Jamie Rooney 2 2 4 2 1 1 9 8 8 0-0
15 Brett Moyer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0-0
21 Keith Cromwell 0 1 1 0 0 0 6 5 2 0-0
22 David Mitchell 1 0 1 0 0 0 9 8 9 0-0
23 Athan Iannucci 6 1 7 2 1 0 32 27 11 0-0
24 Peter Jacobs 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 2-3
25 Pat Heim 1 1 2 0 0 0 2 1 6 0-0
28 Thomas Hajek 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 9 0-0
31 Rob Blasdell 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0-0
34 Shawn Nadelen 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 6 0-0
44 Taylor Wray 0 1 1 4 0 0 2 0 7 0-0
54 Jason Crosbie 1 5 6 0 0 0 7 4 9 0-0
66 Jake Bergey 2 3 5 2 0 0 15 10 9 0-0
77 Rob Van Beek 3 1 4 7 0 0 4 4 11 0-0
30 Jay Preece Back Up Goaltender - Did Not Play
1 John Christmas Did Not Dress
9 Merrick Thomson Did Not Dress
10 Brendan Thenhaus Did Not Dress
27 Dan Marohl Did Not Dress
37 Matt Roik Did Not Dress
 
# Philadelphia MIN GA Saves Shots Dec
30 Jay Preece 0:00 0 0 0    
31 Rob Blasdell 60:00 8 32 40 W 5-0  

Scoring
Time MN PHI Team Goal 1st Assist 2nd Assist Notes
1st Quarter
2:00 1 0 Minnesota Craig Point Ryan Ward   PP
7:09 2 0 Minnesota Sean Pollock Eric Pacey Ryan Ward  
13:03 3 0 Minnesota Dean Hill Craig Point Sean Pollock PP
2nd Quarter
2:39 3 1 Philadelphia Jamie Rooney Keith Cromwell   SH
3:09 3 2 Philadelphia Athan Iannucci Rob Van Beek Pat Heim  
4:14 4 2 Minnesota Craig Point Nick Patterson   PP
8:21 4 3 Philadelphia Athan Iannucci Jason Crosbie   PP
14:09 5 3 Minnesota Craig Point Ryan Cousins    
3rd Quarter
1:36 5 4 Philadelphia Jake Bergey Taylor Wray    
6:16 5 5 Philadelphia Rob Van Beek      
11:49 5 6 Philadelphia Jason Crosbie Jake Bergey Jamie Rooney  
13:59 6 6 Minnesota Mike Hominuck Dean Hill   PP
14:53 7 6 Minnesota Chad Culp Ryan Cousins Ryan Sharp  
4th Quarter
0:10 7 7 Philadelphia Rob Van Beek Jason Crosbie Geoff Snider  
0:30 7 8 Philadelphia Jake Bergey Kyle Sweeney Rob Blasdell  
0:47 7 9 Philadelphia Athan Iannucci Jason Crosbie Geoff Snider GWG
2:41 8 9 Minnesota Ryan Ward Chad Culp Dean Hill SH
3:37 8 10 Philadelphia David Mitchell Jim Borell    
4:03 8 11 Philadelphia Rob Van Beek Jason Crosbie    
6:22 8 12 Philadelphia Athan Iannucci Jamie Rooney    
7:26 8 13 Philadelphia Jim Borell Shawn Nadelen    
7:38 8 14 Philadelphia Athan Iannucci Jake Bergey Geoff Snider  
9:10 8 15 Philadelphia Athan Iannucci Kyle Sweeney Peter Jacobs  
9:55 8 16 Philadelphia Jamie Rooney Jason Crosbie Athan Iannucci PP
11:45 8 17 Philadelphia Pat Heim Jake Bergey    

Penalties
Time Team Player Penalty Bench Duration
1st Quarter
0:15 Philadelphia Rob Van Beek Fighting Misconduct   10:00
0:15 Philadelphia Rob Van Beek Roughing   2:00
0:15 Philadelphia Rob Van Beek Fighting   5:00
0:15 Minnesota Chad Culp Roughing   2:00
8:48 Philadelphia Jim Borell Illegal Cross Checking   2:00
12:38 Philadelphia Thomas Hajek Slashing   2:00
13:31 Minnesota Ryan Cousins Roughing   2:00
14:42 Philadelphia Athan Iannucci Holding   2:00
2nd Quarter
1:05 Philadelphia Taylor Wray Illegal Cross Checking   2:00
3:46 Philadelphia Taylor Wray Checking from Behind   2:00
4:47 Minnesota Nick Inch Interference   2:00
5:37 Minnesota Ryan Cousins Checking from Behind   2:00
7:44 Minnesota Darren Halls Illegal Cross Checking   5:00
10:40 Philadelphia Jim Borell Holding   2:00
3rd Quarter
0:30 Minnesota Chad Culp Roughing   2:00
0:56 Philadelphia Jamie Rooney Illegal Body Check   2:00
1:59 Minnesota Justin Norbraten Illegal Substitution X 2:00
9:30 Philadelphia Shawn Nadelen Holding   2:00
13:24 Philadelphia Jake Bergey Illegal Cross Checking   2:00
4th Quarter
1:14 Minnesota Noah Talbot Checking from Behind   2:00
9:43 Minnesota Ryan Sharp Holding   2:00

Referees
Crew Chief Assistant Referee Technical Referee
16-Tom Sutton 18-David Seidman 62-Kevin Forrester