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**truebluefan** · 02-15-2008, 09:35 PM

BUFFALO, N.Y. (February 15, 2008) - The Buffalo Bandits announced today they will be honoring John Tavares for his career accomplishments Saturday, February 16 before they face-off against the Minnesota Swarm at 7:30 p.m.

There will be a pre-game ceremony on the field in which Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations, Dave Zygaj, will present Tavares with a trophy to commemorate his many accomplishments in the National Lacrosse League.

Now in his 17th season, Tavares became the NLL's all-time goal-scoring leader with a four-goal performance on January 19 in the Bandits 17-13 win over the New York Titans. Tavares scored his 597th career goal in the third period at HSBC Arena to break Gary Gait's record of 596 career goals. He is currently 2nd in league scoring with 36 (11+25) points in six games this season.

Tavares scored his 600th career goal mark February 8 at 2:25 of the fourth quarter in Buffalo's 17-9 victory over Calgary.

Tavares has led the Bandits in goals 12 out of 16 seasons and led the team in points 14 out of 16. Tavares also holds several other Bandits single season records including: most goals in a season with 51 (2001), most assists 64 (2001) and most points in a single season with 115 (2001). He also holds the Bandits all time record with 12 hat tricks in a single season (2004). Tavares scored the first goal of his NLL career in his first game on January 4, 1992 against the New York Saints.

Following four straight road games, Buffalo returns home to HSBC Arena on Saturday, February 16 to face the Minnesota Swarm. Individual game tickets are priced $19, $21, $29. Tickets are available in person at the HSBC Arena Box Office, at all tickets.com outlets in Tops Markets, online at WELCOME TO BANDITS.COM, the Official Website of the Buffalo Bandits or by calling 1-888-223-6000.

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:30 PM

John Grant's four goals and six assists helped the Rochester Knighthawks hold on to a two-goal third period advantage as they beat the Calgary Roughnecks 15-12 at the Blue Cross Arena on Saturday night.

Grant's dominate performance started early as he scored the games first goal connecting on a laser just two-minutes into the game and then capitalized on a penalty-shot to give Rochester (3-3) a 2-1 lead. Grant later bounced a shot past Calgary's goaltender Ryan Avery to help Rochester take a three goal lead.

The Knighthawks carried a six point advantage after 35 minutes of play until Calgary (2-4) made it a game beating Pat O'Toole four unanswered times to finish off the third quarter.

However it was the 2007 NLL MVP who took over again in the fourth by netting a goal and setting up Shawn Evans for a pair of scores giving the Knighthawks a 12-9 lead with just over 10 minutes to go.

Scott Evans put the dagger in Calgary with his fourth goal (eighth point) to make it 14-10 with four-minutes to go.

Shawn Evans finished with a hat-trick of his own while two of Rochester's 15 came from rookie Mat MacLeod who tallied his first career goal. Also, debuting on the stat sheet was David Brown who scored a goal in his first appearance this season.

Lewis Ratcliff had two goals and added three assists for the Roughnecks.

The Knighthawks now own the series between the two teams with a 1-0 lead in the only meeting between the two teams this season. Rochester's last win against Calgary came in 2002 in a 14-10 victory.

The Knighthawks will take on the New York Titians on February 23rd at 7:35 p.m. at the Blue Cross Arena. The first 9,000 fans will receive light-up thundersticks from Time Warner. The game will be broadcast live on Hot Talk 1280 WHTK, whtk.com and B2 networks. The game will also be televised live on Time Warner SportsNet (Channel 26). The band Big Eyed Phish will play from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the upper atrium. Rochester's new Dave Matthews Tribute Band, Big Eyed Phish, featuring Brandon DePaul from Rochester's Tripping Billies, will be playing at High Fidelity (170 East Ave) on February 29th, with doors opening at 10:00 p.m. For more information visit www.bigeyedphish.com, myspace.com/bigeyedphishband, or call High Fidelity at (585) 325-6490.

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:30 PM

PORTLAND, February 17, 2008 - Portland LumberJax forward Dan Dawson took center stage in front of the city of Portland on Sunday afternoon. In front of 6,793 energized fans, Dawson scored three goals, added six assists and became the 30th player in National Lacrosse League history to score 200 career goals en route to a 14-8 Jax (2-5) thrashing of the Edmonton Rush (0-5). The 14 goals were a season-high for Portland and the eight goals allowed were a season best.

The only thing Dawson didn't do was completely shut down the Rush on the defensive end. Instead, he left that to his goalie Matt King, who completely stonewalled Edmonton as he stopped 32 of the 40 shots he faced. Even defenseman Pat Jones dominated, winning 20 of 26 face-offs.

It was the first home win of the season for Portland, which began a three game homestand in good fashion.

Forward Ryan Powell (3 goals, 1 assist) kicked things off as he took a pass from Dawson and Spencer Martin (1 goal, 5 assists) and beat Rush goalie Matt Disher with 9:43 left in the first quarter. After an Edmonton goal, Portland scored the final two goals of the period. Martin hit a running shot with 1:46 left and then Dawson scored with 28.7 seconds left to give the Jax a 3-1 advantage after one quarter of play.

The Jax kept the momentum into the second as rookie forward Peter Jacobs took a pass from Powell and beat the shot clock on the power play to extend the lead to 4-1 with 12:25 left in the second quarter. Defenseman Brodie Merrill (3 goals, 1 assist) got into the act with 11:23 left in the half when he buried a shot past Disher to extend the lead to 5-1 in favor of the home team.

The Jax scoring run continued as Merrill scored on a one-on-one breakaway with 5:32 left in the half to extend the lead to 6-1. Palidwor was then summoned to try and stop the Portland scoring onslaught, but it was to no avail as Powell responded with his second goal of the game with 5:32 to play. Defenseman Mike Kilby and Martin assisted on the goal.

Edmonton finally put an end to the 6-0 run as A.J. Shannon scored with 3:07 in the half to make it 7-2.

The Rush continued their scoring run, scoring the first two goals of the third quarter before Portland returned with Dawson's second goal of the game with 5:47 left in the third quarter to make it 8-4. Powell completed the hat trick with 47 seconds left in the third to make it 9-4. 31 second later, forward Derek Malawsky (1 goal, 1 assist) beat an outstretched Palidwor to make it 10-4 heading into the fourth quarter.

After Edmonton scored the first two goals of the quarter, forward Scott Stewart (1 goal, 2 assists) beat Palidwor one-on-one with 8:24 to play to make it 11-6.

Next, Dawson scored his third and 200th career goal, beating Palidwor off passes from Stewart and defenseman Ray Guze (1 goal, 1 assist) with 4:28 to play to make it 12-6.

Before it was all said and done, Edmonton would score another two goals and the Jax would add goals from Merrill and Guze with 3:30 and 14 seconds to play, respectfully, to make it 14-8.

Notes: Portland is now 6-1 all-time vs. Edmonton...The Jax hold a +21 goal scoring margin over the Rush, the largest total of any opponent Portland has ever faced...Powell has scored in all 34 career regular season games with Portland...Powell has also tallied an assist in 33 straight regular season games...P. Morgan has scored in all 37 career regular season games he's appeared in with Portland...King is 3-0 vs. the Rush with the Jax...Dawson's nine points tied P. Morgan for a franchise-high.

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:38 PM

In their pursuit to remain undefeated and atop the National Lacrosse League standings, the Philadelphia Wings are looking for a "Red Sea" to fill the Wachovia Center, encouraging all fans to wear red when the team take on second-place Minnesota Swarm on Friday, February 22 at 8 p.m.

"There has been incredible excitement from our fans surrounding this teams' amazing start," said Wings President Russ Cline. "With the debut of our red jerseys on Friday, we had an opportunity for our fans to show their support by wearing red as well."

"We have the best fans in the NLL and they always give us and advantage when we're playing at home," said Wings' forward and leading scorer Athan Iannucci. "Having our crowd decked out in red will be a huge boost when we get out on the floor on Friday night."

The 4-0 Wings will add to the "Red Sea" as they take on the 6-1 Swarm wearing the red jerseys for the first time. The Wings' new alternate jersey features the traditional Wings crest on the front with the distinctive Wings "W" on the back, extending out on each arm to give the appearance of actual wings.

The new red jerseys will be available for purchase at Fan Gear locations in the Wachovia Center for fans looking get involved in the "Red Sea" that night.

Great seats are still available to see the first-place wings take on the Minnesota Swarm at the Wachovia Center on Friday, February 22 at 8 p.m. and can be purchased by visiting Official site of the Philadelphia Wings - Wings or at the Wachovia Complex Box Office. Party Packs, which include four tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas, are just $68 and are great way to enjoy Wings lacrosse with family and friends. Party Packs are available at wingslax.com or by calling (215) 389-WING (9464).

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:38 PM

Edmonton, AB--The Edmonton Rush announced today that the club has relieved Paul Day from his duties as General Manager and Head Coach.

Assistant coaches A.J. Jomha and Jim Milligan have also been relieved of their duties.

Day's replacement is expected to be announced soon.

"This is an unfortunate situation considering the amount of time and effort that Paul, A.J. and Jim put into the Rush since the team's inception prior to the start of the 2006 National Lacrosse League season," said Rush President Duane Vienneau.

"But the expectations for the team were not being realized this season and a significant change was necessary. There is a lot of talent on this team; however, the record does not reflect where we should be in the standings. We needed to make a move while there is still time to make a concerted effort to reach the NLL playoffs for the first time in our history."

Day, the NLL's Coach of the Year in 2004, joined the Rush prior to the start of the 2006 season and was the driving force behind the creation of the Rush's line up as well as orchestrating numerous trades particularly this past off-season to revamp the roster with more scoring punch. But the Rush have struggled to an 0-5 start in the 2008 season - most recently coming off a 14-8 loss in Portland this past Sunday.

Day amassed a 7-30 overall record with the Rush. The Rush won just one game in their inaugural season, finishing the year with a league-worst 1-15 mark. The club rebounded somewhat in 2007 to finish 6-10 after a second-half charge to a playoff spot was quelled over the final games.

Jomha has long been one of lacrosse's leading figures in Edmonton especially through his work with the Miners Junior A program. Milligan, who was part of Day's coaching staff in Rochester, also serves as a coach with Peterborough in Ontario's summer Major Series.

"The entire Rush organization would like to thank Paul, A.J., and Jim for their work. This was not an easy decision to make considering their devotion to the Rush but ultimately the coaching staff is largely responsible for a team's success or failure," added Vienneau. "We are hopeful that under new direction we can turn things around and live up to the expectations and hopes of our great fans."

"We are determined to win games and to make the playoffs."

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:39 PM

PORTLAND, February 20, 2007 - Portland LumberJax defenseman Brodie Merrill has been named the National Lacrosse League's Transition Player of the Week for week eight, the league announced today. Merrill, the NLL's loose ball leader with 89, scored three goals, added one assist and collected 10 loose balls in a 14-8 obliteration of the Edmonton Rush on Sunday.

The two-time All-Star tied a career-high with the three goals he sent past Edmonton in the team's first home win of the season. This year, Merrill has scored 13 points (7 goals, 6 assists).

"Brodie played last week like he plays every game," said Head Coach/General Manager Derek Keenan. "He's consistently the best defensive player on the floor, an absolute beast when the ball hits the carpet and the most dangerous transition player in the game today."

Overall, Merrill is Portland's all-time loose balls leader (499). He's also fourth all-time in goals scored (28), third in assists (57) and third in points scored (85).

In 2007, Merrill led the Jax and the NLL in loose balls collected with 196. Merrill is one of only three players to lead the NLL in loose balls collected (Jim Veltman and John Tavares) since the statistic became official in 1992.

This is the first player of the week award for Portland since last season, when Merrill was named Transition Player of the Week for week three.

The weekly player awards are determined by a vote of the General Managers and Head Coaches of the league's 12 member clubs.

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:40 PM

TORONTO - Rock goaltender Bob Watson was honoured as the National Lacrosse League's Defensive Player of the Week for the week of February 11th for the second time so far this season.

The Rock defeated the Buffalo Bandits 11-8 on February 15th at the Air Canada Centre. Watson is recognized for his role in the win by stopping 45 of 53 shots and holding the Bandits to only 8 goals.

Watson received the same honour from the week of January 14th when he held the Edmonton Rush to only nine goals and recorded 37 saves in the Rock's 14-9 win on the road in Edmonton on January 19th.

The Toronto Rock (4-3) resume their schedule next weekend on Saturday March 1st 2008 at the Air Canada Centre when they host the Calgary Roughnecks at 7:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast live and available on Rogers Sportsnet Ontario with coverage beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST.

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:40 PM

New York, NY - The New York Titans' first pick in the draft Jordan Hall was named NLL Rookie of the Week. The 23-year-old left-hander scored a hat trick in the first half of the Titans 14-9 win against the Chicago Shamrox on Saturday, February 16th at the Sears Center.

Hall scored three goals, dished three assists and scooped up three loose balls in the victory.

This is the second time this season Hall has earned Rookie of the Week honors. On January 30, Hall was selected as the NLL Rookie of the Week for his performance in the Titans January 26 loss against Toronto. Hall scored three goals, had three assists and picked up seven loose balls.

Hall has also been nominated to the 2008 NLL All-Star East Team. Hall currently ranks 26 in the league in points with 27 off of 12 goals and 15 assists. He is second in points among rookies behind Craig Point of Minnesota. Hall is seventh overall among NLL players in loose balls, with 53 on the season.

The Titans continue their road trip on Saturday, February 23 at 7:35pm in Rochester against the Knighthawks. They play their next home game on Saturday, March 22nd at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ against the Philadelphia Wings at 7:30pm.

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 New York Titans Pro Indoor Lacrosse for information on the Titans 2008 season schedule.

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:41 PM

PORTLAND, February 20, 2007 - The Portland LumberJax are all for being accommodating and friendly. Last Sunday, however, the Jax (2-5) were anything but civil to the visiting Edmonton Rush. Portland dominated every facet of the game, dropping a deluge of shots on two overworked Rush goalies en route to the team's most impressive win of the season, 14-8.

On Friday, February 22, Portland will look to make it back-to-back wins as the Calgary Roughnecks (2-4) cross the border onto Jax soil at 7:30 p.m. at the Rose Garden Arena.

Against Edmonton, three Jax players recorded hat tricks. Defenseman Brodie Merrill, known to fill the stat sheet with loose balls collected, scored three goals and added an assist. He was named the National Lacrosse League's transition Player of the Week for his efforts.

Forward Ryan Powell scored three goals and added an assist. The three goals give him 47 for his Jax career, tying him once again with forward Peter Morgan for the franchise lead.

Forward "Dangerous" Dan Dawson unleashed himself, scoring three goals and adding six assists. His nine points tied him with P. Morgan for a franchise-high, but more importantly, Dawson made history with his final goal of the game.

That goal was Dawson's 200th of his career, putting him with elite company. Dawson became only the 30th player in NLL history to accomplish the feat, partnering him with the likes of John Grant and Gary Gait.

On the defensive side, Portland's staunch defense left Edmonton little opportunity to maneuver, let alone control the ball. Defenseman Pat Jones won 20 of 26 face-offs, setting the stage for the blowout win.

In goal, Matt King eased in with an early and comfortable lead, stopping 32 of the 40 shots he faced. The veteran netminder was never pressed, as a 3-1 Portland lead grew to 7-3. 7-3 then rose to 11-6 before the Jax capped the game off with a 14-8 beat down of the winless and last place Rush.

In the impressive win, Portland set many season-high's. The 14 goals scored were a season-high. Only allowing eight goals was a season-best. The 81 shots and 56 shots on goal Portland put together not only overwhelmed the outmatched Rush, but they were also season-high's.

Overall, the visiting Roughnecks hold a 3-1 series lead over the Jax. Portland's lone win came last season on 3/30/07 as the Jax edged the Roughnecks 13-12 in the City of Roses.

Portland is looking to avenge a 13-6 loss to Calgary on Jan. 26. The game was the Jax's first road game of the season and also the first of four straight away from the Garden. In the loss, forward Derek Malawsky led all Portland scorers with four points (2 goals, 2 assists). Dawson scored two goals added an assist. Nine of Calgary's 13 goals came from three players.

This is the second of four consecutive games against sub .500 competition as Portland looks to continue its ascent up the standings in the West Division.

**truebluefan** · 02-22-2008, 12:42 PM

New York, NY - The New York Titans of the National Lacrosse League are looking to extend their winning streak to three this Saturday when they take on the Rochester Knighthawks on the road at Blue Cross Arena at 7:35pm. The Titans are currently 3-4 in the standings, directly behind the 3-3 Knighthawks in the East.

The Titans enter the game against Rochester coming off two impressive wins, one at home and one on the road. After dropping four games in a row and earning a 1-4 record to start the season, the Titans turned their season around on February 10 at Madison Square Garden against the Buffalo Bandits in a thrilling 10-9 over-time victory. In their next game on February 16, the Titans dominated Chicago and at one point had a 10-1 lead before ultimately downing the Shamrox 14-9 at the Sears Center. Three Titans had hat tricks and seven Titans scored at least one goal in the game against Chicago.

"We are very excited to be coming off our first two game win streak in our short history," said Titans Head Coach Adam Mueller. "Standing in the way of our third win in a row is the defending champs and they are beginning to play like the team that dominated last season."

The Titans are poised to play Rochester on Saturday and will look to avenge their two losses at the hands of the Knighthawks last season. When these two teams play each other, anything can happen.

In their first meeting last season on January 27, Powell could have compiled his own highlight reel, dishing 10 assists and landing an "Air Gait" goal from behind the net, while Rochester's John Grant scored 15 points off of nine goals and six assists, setting the NLL single game point record. At the end of the night, it wasn't the scoring totals that were impressive, but how they got there - off behind back passes, behind the back goals and other acrobatic plays. The game's live broadcast on SportsNet NY registered a higher Nielsen television rating than its head to head competition, New York Islanders hockey on Fox Sport New York (FSNY) and the New Jersey Devils hockey on MSG. Rochester won that game 22-18.

On March 24, 2007, the Titans' second match against the Knighthawks last season, Rochester had another high scoring game, defeating the Titans 21-15. But the story of the night was the physical play of both teams, which left players on each side bloodied after two fights in the second half of play in which two Rochester players and one Titan were ejected from the game.

"[Rochester has] a very talented offense and a physical defense and should be a good gauge on where we stand this season," Mueller said. "Last season we had two entertaining, high scoring games. We need to control their transition and limit their power play chances to have a shot at keeping the score lower than last year."

The Titans continue their road trip next Friday, February 29 at 8:00pm in Philadelphia against the Wings. They play their next home game on Saturday, March 22nd at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ against the Philadelphia Wings at 7:30pm.

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 New York Titans Pro Indoor Lacrosse for information on the Titans 2008 season schedule.

About the New York Titans The New York Titans are an indoor professional lacrosse team that plays at Madison Square Garden. The Titans' 2007 season was their inaugural season in the National Lacrosse League. The Titans played their first home game in franchise history at the Garden on January 20, 2007 before a crowd of 13,127. The Titans roster features world famous forwards Syracuse All-American Casey Powell and Princeton All-American Ryan Boyle. The Titans' 2008 home opener is on Thursday, January 31st at 7:30 pm versus the San Jose Stealth.

For more information about the Titans, log on to New York Titans Pro Indoor Lacrosse. 2008 Season and Group Tickets are now available by calling 888-8TITANS.

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