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**truebluefan** · 01-05-2008, 07:35 PM

Colorado Mammoth forward Jason Wulder was named both the Overall Player and Offensive Player of the Week for his MVP performance in the Mammoth's 10-9 win over Calgary in Saturday's NLL opener at Pepsi Center. The former Roughneck, who was acquired from Edmonton this offseason in a deal for Ben Prepchuk, scored three goals, including the game-winner, a power-play goal with 7:23 remaining in regulation, and added one assist in his Mammoth debut.

Colorado's Josh Sims was named Transition Player of the Week. Sims scored one goal and one assist, and scooped six loose balls.

Mammoth goaltender Gee Nash was named Defensive Player of the Week. Nash recorded 37 saves and held the Roughnecks to only nine goals.

Calgary's Dane Dobbie was named Rookie of the Week. The 21-year-old forward scored one goal and one assist, and scooped five loose balls in his pro debut.

Week 1 Results

Saturday, December 29

Calgary Roughnecks 9 at Colorado Mammoth 10

The Weekly Player Awards are determined by a vote of the General Managers and Head Coaches of the league's 12 teams.

**truebluefan** · 01-08-2008, 12:32 PM

DENVER - Four days after the Colorado Mammoth started the National Lacrosse League season with a 10-9 victory over the Calgary Roughnecks, three of its players were given individual recognition for their outstanding play.

Forward Jason Wulder was named the overall and offensive player of the week for his performance in the Mammoth victory on Saturday at Pepsi Center. The former Roughneck, who was acquired from the Edmonton Rush this offseason, scored three goals, including the game-winner with 7:23 remaining. He added one assist in his Mammoth debut.

Josh Sims was named transition player of the week, an honor he earned twice last season. He scored one goal, had an assist, and scooped six loose balls.

Goaltender Gee Nash was named defensive player of the week after making 37 saves and holding the Roughnecks to nine goals. Nash was especially solid late in the game, allowing just one fourth-quarter goal as the Mammoth came from behind to win.

Calgary's Dane Dobbie was named rookie of the week.

**truebluefan** · 01-08-2008, 12:34 PM

Toronto - The Rock will open their regular season in the Windy City this weekend when they take on the Chicago Shamrox at the Sears Centre at 8:00 p.m. EST on Saturday January 5th. Saturday evening's game will be the debut of a revamped Rock team geared up to begin their run to a Champion's Cup in 2008.

The Rock, who will be looking to fire up their tenth year in the NLL with a road win, split their two games with the Shamrox during the 2007 season. The Rock won the first game at home 11-10 while losing the second on the road in Chicago by a score of 15 -13. Both games saw Toronto's Ryan Benesch, Aaron Wilson, Blaine Manning and Josh Sanderson have great offensive outings, each averaging four points. For the Shamrox, Mat Giles was the difference maker versus Toronto recording seven goals and four assists in the two games.

The 2008 edition of the Rock have a very experienced and exciting core group of returning players from the 2007 campaign. The Rock will be led by Toronto mainstays Manning, Wilson and Sanderson as well as goalie Bob Watson and long time captain Jim Veltman, who is playing in his final NLL season this year before his retirement. Starting forward Ryan Benesch also returns with his first season under his belt alongside the NLL Rookie of the Year honours from 2007.

Joining this year's returnees are a few experienced newcomers: 2007 NLL All Star Peter Lough, formerly of the Arizona Sting, former Shamrox captain Cam Woods and Kasey Beirnes, who was acquired in a draft day trade with the Minnesota Swarm. Lough and Woods bring a seasoned presence to Toronto to compliment the already tough defensive rotation. Beirnes, a league-wide known skilled shooter will add to the equally potent Rock offensive line having scored 23 goals accompanying 20 assists last season for the Swarm.

Aside from the new veteran presence, the Rock added three fresh rookie faces to the roster this season. Rock's first pick in the 2007 NLL Entry Draft Mark Scherman (2nd round, 21st overall); Orangeville native Nate Sanderson and free agent defenseman Jay Winder.

The Rock were in good shape during the preseason, beating the Minnesota Swarm in their first game before the holidays by a score of 17-12 in Oshawa, while dropping a fourth quarter comeback heart breaker to the Rochester Knighthawks, 14-13 last weekend in Barrie, Ont.

The Rock vs. Shamrox game will be available online live via the B2 Network with coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. EST. The live webcast can be purchased online for $7 USD. A high-speed internet connection and a current version of Microsoft Windows Media Player will be required to watch the game. Fans can access the webcast by clicking the B2 icon on the home page of the newly designed and re-launched Toronto Rock website, Toronto Rock ::.

**truebluefan** · 01-08-2008, 12:34 PM

John Nevins, Chicago - On Saturday night the Toronto Rock opened their tenth NLL season and began their 2008 quest for the Champions Cup on the road against the Chicago Shamrox. The Rock got their season off to a solid start with an 11-9 victory, paced by a dominant power play, solid goaltending and a smothering defense.

The Rock rolled into Chicago with a renewed sense of confidence and an unrelenting defensive swagger. Following Captain Jim Veltman, the Rock rode the offensive prowess of Blaine Manning and the fierce defensive play of newcomer Cam Woods, making a strong statement about what Rock fans should expect in the coming season.

The scoring started less than a minute into the game on the first goal of the Rock season by Manning, but then settled into a solid defensive affair. The teams traded goals by players that were part of an off-season blockbuster trade; Chicago's Kevin Fines and Toronto's Cam Woods. Rock goaltender Bob Watson and Shamrox goaltender Brandon Miller were both solid making several strong saves to take away great scoring opportunities. Before the end of the quarter, the Shamrox used a power play and a quick transition to score back to back goals and entered the break with a 3-2 lead.

To start the second quarter Chicago replaced goaltender Brandon Miller with Derek Collins, but Collins continued the solid goaltending with many key saves. The Rock managed to tie the game up on a power play with a Josh Sanderson goal, before a quick breakaway goal by Chicago's Mike Hobbins restored the Shamrox lead. Another Chicago penalty resulted in the second goal of the season for Toronto's Josh Sanderson and then the quarter took a nasty turn when Chicago defender Tom Montour delivered an elbow to the head of Rock newcomer Jon Harasym. The incident drew a major penalty and although Harasym also received a minor penalty, the Rock had a three minute power play to close out the period. Blaine Manning scored his second goal of the game to make the score 5-4 and give the Rock their first lead since his game opening goal.

The third quarter started off very much like the first began, with Manning connecting on another early goal, his third of the night and the Rock's fourth power play goal of the contest. While defense ruled the first half, the third quarter presented an opportunity for each team's scorers to shine. There were nine goals scored in the quarter, and the Rock power play continued to click with that early goal from Manning and the first two of Kasey Beirnes' Toronto Rock career. However, Chicago ended up with five different goal scorers in the quarter and as a result, the Rock found themselves down 9-8 heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter saw the Rock clamping down with their already stingy defense, lead by Bob Watson who shut out the Shamrox in the final frame. The Rock were able to tie the game on an even strength goal by Aaron Wilson and then took control with two quick goals by Blaine Manning, his fourth, and Kasey Beirnes, his third. That outburst gave the Rock an 11-9 lead, which they would not relinquish.

The Rock were led offensively by Blaine Manning (4 goals) and Kasey Beirnes (3 goals), who were featured members of a power play unit that ended up scoring seven goals. Defensively the team was led by the ferocious physical play of Cam Woods and the stellar goaltending of Bob Watson.

The Rock (1-0) will next hit the floor in an important divisional home and home series with the Minnesota Swarm next weekend, starting with the Rock home opener at the Air Canada Centre on Friday January 11, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.

**truebluefan** · 01-08-2008, 12:35 PM

The mascot, executives and players of the New York Titans will visit the NYSE on Tuesday, January 8 to ring the Opening BellSM. The New York Titans are set to host their season's home opener at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 7:30pm.

To mark this special occasion, New York Titans Captain Casey Powell and Titans Rookie Mitch Belisle will ring The Opening BellSM. Joining them on the platform will be "Titus" the Titans Mascot.

Titans captain Casey Powell is a former Syracuse All-American and a perennial NLL All-Star. Powell led the Orangemen to the 1995 NCAA National Championship and was named the Division I Most Outstanding Player two years in a row in 1997 and '98. Powell works full-time for Brine Lacrosse and owns his own lacrosse company called Powell Brothers Lacrosse.

Mitch Belisle is a 2007 graduate of Cornell University and is a defensive rookie on the Titans. Belisle won the Schmeisser Cup in 2007, which honors the collegiate national defenseman of the year and is a former Academic All-American and first team All-American. Belisle currently works full-time as a Senior Associate for Moody's Investor Services in New York City.

**truebluefan** · 01-10-2008, 02:02 PM

Toronto's Blaine Manning was named both the Overall Player and Offensive Player of the Week for his MVP performance in the Rock's 11-9 road win over Chicago on Saturday at Sears Centre. The 28-year-old forward, who scored a career-low 21 goals in 2007, got off to a hot start with four goals, including the game-winner with 6:47 remaining in regulation. Manning added four assists, and won three of five faceoffs in support of primary drawman Peter Lough.

Chicago's Bobby McBride was named both Transition Player and Rookie of the Week. McBride scored two goals and one assist, and scooped three loose balls in his NLL debut. The 25-year-old transition player, who was originally drafted in 2002 by Toronto, signed a free agent contract with the Shamrox this summer.

Toronto's Rob Marshall was named Defensive Player of the Week. Marshall played in all areas, including the draw team, shortman, and his regular defensive shift. The 23-year-old was consistently part of stopping and forcing turnovers from Chicago's forwards.

Week 2 Results

Saturday, January 5

Toronto Rock 11 at Chicago Shamrox 9

The Weekly Player Awards are determined by a vote of the General Managers and Head Coaches of the league's 12 teams.

**truebluefan** · 01-10-2008, 02:02 PM

The National Lacrosse League, North America's professional indoor lacrosse league, has announced the members of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame Class of 2008. Sal LoCascio, Johnny Mouradian and Tony Resch will be inducted into the NLL Hall of Fame. Neil Stevens will be recognized by the Hall for his contributions to the game as a member of the media.

The Class of 2008 will be the third group to be welcomed into the Hall of Fame. In 2006, five charter members were inducted: Les Bartley, Russ Cline, Chris Fritz, Gary Gait and Paul Gait. The Class of 2007 included three inductees: Mike French, Darris Kilgour and Tom Marechek. The Hall also recognized Tom Borrelli for his contributions to the game as a member of the media in 2007.

The ceremony for the Class of 2008 will take place on Thursday, February 28th at the Union League of Philadelphia at 7:00 PM. A limited number of tickets for the event are available to the public at $125 per person. To purchase tickets, please e-mail Danielle Ippolito at dippolito@nll.com.

The Class of 2008 will also be honored at halftime of the Third Annual NLL Hall of Fame Game, which takes place on Friday, February 29th at Wachovia Center when the Philadelphia Wings host the New York Titans at 8:00 PM ET.

Hall of Fame, Class of 2008

Sal LoCascio

Sal LoCascio enjoyed an eleven-season career in the pro indoor game from 1990-2000. Sal played his entire indoor career with the New York Saints, and was a five-time league all-pro (1991-1994 & 1997). He also led the Saints to four playoff appearances.

LoCascio logged 3,903 minutes of action in his pro career, made 2,284 saves, a save percentage of 73.36% and had a Goals Against Average of 12.79. Those numbers all are tops among the league's retired goaltenders.

He also coached the Saints for two seasons (2001-2002), compiling an 11-19 record. He remains involved in the league, having servied as a color analyst on game telecasts for the New York Titans last season.

Johnny Mouradian

Upon joining the expansion Buffalo Bandits in 1992, Mouradian built a team that became an overnight success, winning the league championship in its inaugural season. Under Mouradian's watch, Buffalo set league records for winning that remain intact today, including the longest winning streak (22 games) and the only team to go undefeated through an entire season in league history (10-0 in 1993). Buffalo reached the playoffs in all six seasons during Mouradian's tenure as General Manager (1992-1997).

Mouradian repeated his quick path to success as general manager of the Toronto Rock. On his watch, the club won league championships in 1999 and 2000, the second and third seasons of the existence of the franchise. Mouradian's five championships are the most won by any general manager in league history. In 2003, Mouradian became the GM and Head Coach of the San Jose Stealth. He was named the league's General Manager of the Year for the 2004 season, in which the Stealth went 11-5. The club has made the playoffs in two of its four seasons in San Jose, most recently reaching the Western Division Final in 2007. Overall, Mouradian's teams have made the playoffs in 11 of his 15 seasons as a GM with a combined won-loss record of 121-84, which includes a record of 17-6 in playoff games. He continues to serve as the President and General Manager of the Stealth.

Tony Resch

Tony Resch has been directly involved in all six of the Philadelphia Wings world championships. He played six seasons for the Wings, from 1988-1993. As a player, Resch was a defensive specialist, playing in 47 games and scored 22 points on 12 goals and ten assists. A team leader, Resch served as team captain for three seasons, helping the Wings win championships in 1989 and 1990. He was a member of the 1991 American Division All-Star Team. Resch took over as Head Coach in 1994, leading the Wings to a 6-2 record in the regular season and then beat the Buffalo Bandits 26-15 in the 1994 Championship Game. The eleven point margin of victory stands as the largest in the history of the league in a championship game. The following season in 1995, the Wings went 7-1 in the regular season and then went on to secure their second consecutive championship, giving the coach championships in each of his first two seasons as head coach. Resch secured two more championships in his final four seasons as Head Coach (1998, 2001) before retiring at the end of the 2001 season.

In eight total seasons as a Head Coach, Resch won four championships and led the Wings to five Championship Games. With a 59-27 career regular season record as a Coach, Resch currently ranks fourth all-time on the coaching wins list, and his 68.6% win percentage in the regular season, is the third best all-time. Resch tallied a 10-4 post season record in his career, ranking second all-time on the post season wins list behind the late Les Bartley, who is a Charter Member of the NLL Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame to recognize Neil Stevens for contributions to the game as member of the media

Neil Stevens

Neil Stevens has been covering the Toronto Rock and the National Lacrosse League for the Canadian Press (CP) since 1998 when the franchise began play in Hamilton (Ontario Raiders). Stevens was hired by CP in 1974 and is among the senior writers in the sports department of Canada's premier national news agency. Highly respected by journalists throughout North America, Stevens is routinely assigned to cover Canada's top sporting events, including Toronto Maple Leafs hockey, the Olympics and Olympic-related events. Despite a busy schedule of covering national events, Stevens always makes time to cover lacrosse, a sport that he played at organized levels from the ages of 5 to 23 and is truly passionate about. He is a fixture in the press box at Rock home games. He also takes the time to cover games in other cities when his schedule allows. "Neil's love for lacrosse shows daily", said Neil Davidson, Sports Editor of The Canadian Press. "I believe he has long led the country in lacrosse coverage and has helped expose the sport to thousands of readers."

Stevens will become the second member of the media to be recognized by the Hall of Fame. Tom Borrelli, who covers the Buffalo Bandits and the NLL for The Buffalo News and Lacrosse Magazine, became the first member of the league's media to be recognized by the Hall of Fame last year.

About the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame:

On June 16, 2005, the National Lacrosse League officially announced the establishment of the NLL Hall of Fame. It opened with five charter members who have made immeasurable contributions to the league and the sport of lacrosse. The five charter members of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame are league founders Russ Cline and Chris Fritz; legendary players Gary Gait and Paul Gait, and the late Les Bartley, the winningest coach in league history. The charter members of the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame were officially inducted on February 23, 2006.

NLL Hall of Fame inductees and those recognized by the Hall are voted on by the league's Board of Governors. Voting is based upon the individual's record, ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character and contributions to the league or the team(s) that individual was affiliated with. The field of candidates consists of players, coaches, referees and team or league executives. The league will also recognize the contributions of journalists, broadcasters and others who have made a contribution to the game of professional indoor lacrosse.

Following the induction of the five charter members in 2006, the league inducted its next class of Hall of Fame members in 2007. The Class of 2007 consisted of three inductees: Mike French, a former player, coach, executive and now part-owner of the Philadelphia Wings; Tom Marechek, a former Wings player who is among the league's all-time leading scorers; and Darris Kilgour, a former player and current General Manager and Head Coach of the Buffalo Bandits, who has been a key part of the team's three championships and overall success in the history of the franchise. The Hall of Fame also recognized Tom Borrelli in 2007 for his contributions as a member of the media. Borrelli has covered the Bandits and the league for The Buffalo News since the team's inception in 1992. He is also the lead NLL writer for Lacrosse Magazine, a publication of US Lacrosse.

**truebluefan** · 01-10-2008, 02:05 PM

(Rochester, NY)... The Rochester Knighthawks announced today that only 2,500 tickets remain for the team's home opener on Saturday, January 12th. The Knighthawks will raise their championship banners prior to hosting the Buffalo Bandits at 7:35 p.m. at The Blue Cross Arena. The contest is available via the B2 Networks. The first 10,000 fans will receive a magnet schedule courtesy of Atlas Builders.

"Ticket sales have been very brisk the last two days," said Knighthawks President and CEO Steve Donner. "The organization is excited to finally give our fans the ability to celebrate the Champion's Cup on our home turf and raise our championship banners on Saturday."

The Knighthawks begin defense of their 2007 National Lacrosse League title on Friday, January 11th at HSBC Arena against the Buffalo Bandits. The Knighthawks begin their 14th season with a home-and-home series against the rival Bandits. The season opener will be broadcast live on Hot Talk 1280 WHTK and whtk.com.

The game is a rematch of last year's East Division Finals, which was won by Rochester 14-13 in overtime. John Grant scored 26 seconds into the extra frame to send Rochester to the league championship game. Rochester forced OT after outscoring the Bandits 5-2 in the fourth quarter. Rochester captured the Champion's Cup on May 12th, defeating the Arizona Sting 13-11 at Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The win was the team's 15th straight and capped a 17-2 season.

Rochester is chasing the league's all-time record for consecutive wins, which, coincidently is held by the Buffalo Bandits. Buffalo won 22 straight games from 1992-1994.

The Knighthawks are 19-11 all-time in the regular season against the Bandits. The games this weekend are two of three games against Buffalo this season. Rochester also hosts the Bandits on Saturday, April 12th at The Blue Cross Arena.

**truebluefan** · 01-10-2008, 02:06 PM

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The National Lacrosse Leaguer's (NLL) Minnesota Swarm announced today that KSTC.TV, Channel 45, will rebroadcast the Swarm's 2008 season opening NLL contest at the Toronto Rock on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 4:00 p.m. Rogers Sportsnet in Toronto will produce the game.

Minnesota will open its fourth NLL campaign at Air Canada Centre on Friday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. and hosts the Rock on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center to complete a home-and-home series with its Eastern Division rival. The Swarm advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive season in 2007 with a 9-7 record and has increased its win total in each of its first three NLL campaigns.

KSTC.TV TO REBROADCAST MINNESOTA SWARM SEASON OPENER

GAME OPPONENT KSTC.TV REBROADCAST

Friday, Jan. 11 at Toronto Rock Saturday, Jan. 12 at 4:00 p.m.

**truebluefan** · 01-10-2008, 02:07 PM

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The National Lacrosse League's (NLL) Minnesota Swarm will open the 2008 NLL season with a pair of games against the Toronto Rock this weekend. Minnesota will open its fourth NLL campaign at Toronto on Friday, Jan. 11 at 6:30 p.m. and hosts the Rock on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center the following night to complete a home-and-home series with its Eastern Division rival.

The first 10,000 fans in attendance Saturday will receive a Swarm poster schedule featuring the 2007 Swarm award winners: Ryan Cousins (Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All Pro), Nick Patterson (Second Team All Pro) and Marty O'Neill (GM of the Year). Cousins, O'Neill and Patterson will sign autographs for fans following Saturday's contest, a postgame concert will be held at the Iron Range Grill featuring Pop Rocks and a postgame party featuring Swarm players and Bud Light Swarm Performance Team members will be held at Tom Reid's Hockey City Pub. A Swarm magnetic schedule will also be distributed to fans as they leave the arena.

The club's 2008 roster features eight new players, including Colin Achenbach (free agent) a Burnsville, Minn. native and 2002 graduate of Apple Valley High School. Returning players include the team's top three scorers from 2007. Ryan Ward tallied a team-high 75 points (23-52=75), Sean Pollock ranked second with 67 points (26-41=67) and Dean Hill recorded a franchise record 32 goals and finish third on team in scoring with 53 points (32-21=53). The defense will be led by 2007 Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All Pro Ryan Cousins, who returns for his fourth season with Minnesota and Second Team All Pro netminder Nick Patterson, who appeared in 14 games last season.

Toronto defeated Minnesota 17-12 in a preseason tilt Dec. 16. Craig Point (4-2=6) and Andy Secore (4-2=6) led the Swarm in scoring with six points each. Sean Pollock (2-2=4) and Ryan Ward (0-4=4) notched four points each and Nick Patterson stopped 47 of 63 shots faced. The Rock's roster includes four players that spent time with the Swarm. Kasey Beirnes spent the last two seasons with Minnesota and collected 95 points (47-48=95) in 30 games before being acquired by Toronto in a draft day trade this summer. Jon Harasym appeared in two games with the Swarm in 2005, Scott Campbell appeared in seven games with Minnesota in 2005 and Jamie Taylor recorded 68 points (17-51=68) in 31 games with the Swarm. The Rock opened the 2008 season with an 11-9 victory at Chicago Saturday converting all seven of its power play chances. Blaine Manning led the way with eight points (4-4=8) and Bob Watson stopped 31 of 40 shots faced. Toronto went 6-10 last season and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Minnesota advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive season in 2007 with a 9-7 record and has increased its win total in each of its first three NLL campaigns. Swarm single game tickets are on sale now and range from $12 to $32 per game. Season ticket packages start at $80 and lower level 4-game plans start at $44. Call 888-MNSWARM or info@mnswarm.com for more information.

KSTC.TV, Channel 45, will rebroadcast the Swarm's 2008 season opening NLL contest at the Toronto Rock on Saturday, Jan. 12 at 4:00 p.m. All NLL games are available as live broadband broadcasts from B2 Networks. To watch a Swarm game online go to Splash Page - Minnesota Swarm ten minutes before the start of a game and click on the WATCH THE GAME LIVE ON B2 link to purchase and watch the game.

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