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**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:19 PM

DENVER - A standing-room-only crowd of fans dressed in black contributed to a great atmosphere in the stands at Pepsi Center on Saturday night, but the Colorado Mammoth couldn't match the performance of the San Jose Stealth on the field.

The Stealth used an energetic, physical brand of lacrosse to pull into a first-place tie with the Mammoth in the National Lacrosse League's West Division with a 12-8 victory. Both teams are 5-3 at the midpoint of the 2008 season and the Mammoth has lost three consecutive games.

"We were not as sharp as we needed to be tonight," Mammoth coach Bob McMahon said. "They took us out of our rhythm a bit and we didn't match their run in the third quarter.

The Stealth scored the last three goals of the second quarter, taking a 6-4 lead into halftime, and then took control in the third with the help of three power-play goals. After trailing 10-5 the Mammoth cut the deficit to three with nine minutes remaining in the game, but Colin Doyle and Jeff Zywicki both scored to ice the game for San Jose.

The Mammoth wore black uniforms for the first time in the team's six-year history as part of the night's "Blackout" theme. The white dasher boards surrounding the field were reversed to black for the game and many of the 18,201 fans in attendance got into the spirit by wearing black shirts and hats.

Doyle led all scorers with eight points on two goals and six assists. Luke Wiles and Frank Resetarits each scored three goals for the Stealth and Jeff Zywicki and Cam Sedgwick each had five assists.

Anthony Cosmo earned the victory on goal for San Jose with 40 saves on 48 shots. Gee Nash took the loss for the Mammoth after allowing 10 goals on 29 shots. Chris Levis allowed two goals in relief of Nash on 10 shots.

Gavin Prout and Brian Langtry led the Mammoth with three points apiece, both scoring one goal and adding two assists

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:19 PM

CALGARY, Alberta - Behind hat tricks from forwards Kaleb Toth and Lewis Ratcliff, the Calgary Roughnecks defeated the Portland LumberJax 15-12 on Saturday night in front of 18,737 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. The Jax (3-7) were led by All-Star forwards Dan Dawson (3 goals, 2 assists) and Ryan Powell (2 goals, 4 assists). The Roughnecks (4-6) trailed 7-5 before going on a 7-2 run that enabled the victory.

Calgary's scoring run began right away, as the Roughnecks scored the first two goals of the first quarter before Portland could counter with 7:51 left. Powell hit a surging Derek Malawsky (2 goals, 2 assists), who went behind the net and found a wide open Matt Holman for the goal. 40-seconds later, the Jax evened the game. Powell worked the ball deep into Roughneck territory, only to send a pass that hit a Calgary defenseman and bounced past goalie Pat Campbell.

The Roughnecks took their second lead of the game at 3-2 as forward Lewis Ratcliff scored with 4:49 to go in the quarter.

Once again, the Jax tied the game as Malawsky scored with 12:57 left in the second quarter. Forward Spencer Martin (1 goal, 3 assists) found a wide open Powell, who worked the ball near the crease before finding Malawsky open on the weak side for the score.

Portland took its first lead of the game at 4-3 as All-Star defenseman Brodie Merrill (1 goal, 1 assist) sent a pin point pass to Powell, who easily beat Campbell on a man down situation with 11:10 left in the second quarter. The run continued as Dawson scored with 10:15 in the half to give the Jax a 5-3 advantage on another man down goal. Near the boards, Dawson turned and fired a shot past a surprised Campbell. Both Martin and forward Peter Morgan (0 goals, 2 assists) were credited with assists on the goal.

Calgary scored with 7:22 left in the half to cut the lead to one, but Portland responded with another Dawson goal to push the lead to 6-4 with 6:07 left. Dawson took a pass from Malawsky and beat Campbell one-on-one with an up and under move.

After a Calgary goal, Martin scored on a power play with 2:09 left to make it 7-5. Utilizing a screen, Martin beat Campbell stick side for his first goal since the last time the two teams met on Feb. 22.

The half ended as the Roughnecks scored the final two goals to make it 7-7.

The second half began like the first half ended for Calgary as Ratcliff scored with 11:06 left and then Mike Carnegie scored with 8:14 left in the third quarter to make it 9-7 in favor of the home team.

Portland finally stopped the 4-0 Calgary run as Malawsky scored off a rebound shot of forward Cory Conway with 7:35 left in the third quarter.

Calgary, which struggled in the first half on the power play, solved its woes as the Roughnecks scored two straight power play goals to make it 11-8. Even after returning to full strength, the Jax were unable to counter the Roughneck run as Calgary scored another goal to make it 12-8 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.

25-seconds later, transition player Tyler Codron (0 goals, 2 assists) intercepted a Calgary pass and started a fast break that culminated with a Merrill goal to make it 12-9 in favor of Calgary heading into the fourth quarter.

The Calgary lead continued to evaporate as Dawson netted the hat trick with 10:26 left in the fourth quarter. However, the Roughnecks put the game out of reach by scoring the next three goals to make it 15-10.

Before things were all said and done, defenseman Richard Morgan added a goal with 5:07 to play and his brother P. Morgan added another with 53-seconds left to make the final score 15-12 in favor of Calgary.

The Jax return to action after the National Lacrosse League All-Star Break on Thursday, March 20 when they host the Colorado Mammoth at 7:30 p.m. at the Rose Garden Arena

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:20 PM

CALGARY - Tracey Kelusky made a triumphant return to the Calgary Roughnecks' lineup on Saturday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

Kelusky scored twice and set up four others to lead the Roughnecks (4-6) to a 15-12 win over the Portland LumberJax (3-7) in front of 18,737 fans at the 'Dome.

"It feels really good to be back here in this building in front of this crowd," said the Calgary captain, who missed eight games with a concussion before being cleared to play for Saturday's game.

Thousands of fans took advantage of a free ticket promotion put on by the Calgary ownership group to show the type of hard-hitting, high-intensity and fast-moving action that the Roughnecks provide on a game-to-game basis. The crowd gave Kelusky a rousing ovation when he was introduced before the contest.

"There's a couple times when I was on the verge of tears coming here to the Dome," said Kelusky, noting that the other time was when the Roughnecks won the Champion's Cup at home in 2004. "Tonight was one of those cases. You come out, you just hear the fans but more importantly to see the group of guys, the group of men that I'm going to go out and battle with. To me, the fans and the team, you can't top that. That's why we play sports."

With the win, the Roughnecks avenged a 13-9 loss they suffered in Portland Feb. 22 to win the season series 2-1 over their West Division rivals. The Roughnecks also beat the LumberJax 13-6 at home on Jan. 26.

"Now we've got the tie breaker," said Calgary forward Curt Malawsky, who had two goals and two assists in the contest. "It's like they have to get an extra win. The most important thing is that we've got Tracey back and we've got our team back."

Lewis Ratcliff had another great offensive showing with three goals and three assists, while Kaleb Toth had a hat trick. Toth, who has played in all but one game during Calgary's seven-year history in the NLL, now has 201 goals as a Roughneck.

With a two-goal, four-assist performance Scott Ranger also reached a pair of milestones. Ranger broke the 100-point barrier for his NLL career, while he has also set a career high for points (now at 18 goals and 31 assists in 10 games this season) surpassing the 24 goals and 19 assists he recorded last season in 16 games.

Kelly Hall scored once and set up three others, while rookie Mike Carnegie recorded his first-ever National Lacrosse League goal. Nolan Heavenor also scored, while Jeff Shattler chipped in with four assists.

Making his fourth consecutive start, goalie Pat 'Paddy' Campbell stopped 36 of 48 shots to improve his record to 2-3.

Dan Dawson paced the LumberJax attack with a hat trick and two helpers, while Ryan Powell had two goals and four assists. Derek Malawsky matched his older brother Curt's output with two goals and two assists, while Spencer Martin (1g, 3a), Peter Morgan (1g, 2a), Brodie Merrill (1g, 1a), Richard Morgan (1g) and Matt Holman (1g) also hit the scoresheet.

King stopped 21 of the 32 shots he faced before being relieved by Dallas Eliuk who wound up taking the loss after stopping 12 of 16 shots.

After Toth opened the scoring 49 seconds into the game, Kelusky put the Riggers up 2-0 when he buried his first shot of the game behind Portland goalie Matt King.

"To get that one right off the bat felt awesome and it helps with your confidence," Kelusky said.

The Roughnecks led 3-2 after the first quarter before the LumberJax rallied to take a 6-4 lead in the second quarter.

Hall, who played eight games for Portland last season, then cut into the middle and fired a shot between King's legs. Just 15 seconds after Martin put Portland up 7-5 with a power-play goal at 12:51 of the middle frame, Ranger picked the top corner over King's right shoulder to pull the 'Necks within a goal.

Toth then counted his 200th goal as a Roughneck late in the second quarter to tie the affair at 7-7 heading into the half-time break. After faking a shot to cause King to fall backwards, Toth deposited the ball into the net behind the prone Portland netminder.

The 'Necks then outscored the Jax 5-2 in the third quarter to take a 12-9 lead into the final frame. Both teams scored three times in the fourth quarter as the Roughnecks were able to withstand a final push by the LumberJax for the big victory.

Next up, the Riggers host the Colorado Mammoth on Friday night starting at 7:30 p.m. Following a 12-8 loss to the San Jose Stealth on Saturday night both Colorado and San Jose are tied with 5-3 records atop the West Division ahead of Calgary.

"We can't get complacent now," Curt Malawsky said. "Win one, lose two has been our record all year. We've got to turn that around and we look forward to going after the division leaders."

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:20 PM

TORONTO -The Toronto Rock Lacrosse Club have traded Ian Rubel, a defender for the Rock since 2002 to the Minnesota Swarm in exchange for their second round selection in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft. Due to club policy terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"The emergence of our young defenders created a difficult situation for Ian getting into the line up", says Mike Kloepfer, Director of Lacrosse Operations for the Toronto Rock. "He has been a true professional during his career as a Rock player and will be missed."

The Rock (5-3) host the New York Titans this weekend on Friday March 14th at 7:30 p.m. EST before Jim Veltman, Bob Watson and Peter Lough head to Edmonton to represent the Rock in the 2008 NLL All-Star Game on Sunday March 16th 2008 at 4:00 p.m. EST.

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:21 PM

Buffalo's Ken Montour was named both the Overall Player and Defensive Player of the Week after recording 49 saves in the Bandits' 11-7 victory over the Minnesota Swarm on Saturday at HSBC Arena. Since getting his first start in place of starter Mike Thompson, the 28-year-old goaltender has gone 3-1. Montour and the Bandits defense held the Swarm, a team averaging 14 goals-per-game, to only seven goals on Saturday. He leads the league in both goals against average (9.63) and save percentage (81.9%).

Teammate Mark Steenhuis was named Transition Player of the Week for the second-consecutive week. The 27-year-old right-hander scored two goals, including the game-winner, and three assists on Saturday. Steenhuis also scooped nine loose balls for the Bandits.

San Jose's Luke Wiles was named Offensive Player of the Week. The 25-year-old right-hander scored three goals and four assists in the Stealth's 12-8 road-win over the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday at Pepsi Center. Wiles also scooped seven loose balls for San Jose.

Teammate Frank Resetarits was named Rookie of the Week. The 22-year-old right-hander, who was selected fifth-overall out of UAlbany by the Stealth, scored three goals. Resetarits has scored eight goals and three assists in his last three games.

Week 11 Results

Saturday, March 8

Minnesota 7 at Buffalo 11

San Jose 12 at Colorado 8

Portland 12 at Calgary 15

Toronto at Philadelphia - ppd/weather (rescheduled for 4/6)

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

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:21 PM

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Minnesota Swarm General Manager Marty O'Neill today announced the National Lacrosse League (NLL) team has acquired defenseman Ian Rubel from the Toronto Rock in exchange for the Swarm's second round pick in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft. The club also re-signed defenseman Chris Courtney and placed defenseman Darren Halls and forward Dan Marohl on Injured Reserve today. Halls and Marohl were injured in the Swarm's 11-7 loss at Buffalo March 8.

Rubel, 30 (2/28/78), appeared in two games with the Rock this season and did not register a point. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound native of St. Catharines, Ontario is in his eighth NLL season and has recorded nine points (2-7=9), 124 penalty minutes (PIM) and 139 loose balls in 85 career regular season matches. Rubel was a member of Toronto's 2002, 2003 and 2005 Champion's Cup teams and was selected to Canada's Heritage Cup roster in 2004. He will wear jersey #40 with the Swarm.

Courtney, 20 (11/12/87), has recorded two points (1-1=2) and nine loose balls in two games with Minnesota this season. He collected a goal and eight loose balls in his NLL debut at Toronto Jan. 11 and recorded an assist vs. Portland Feb. 10. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound native of Hagersville, Ontario was selected by the Swarm in the second round (27th overall) of the 2007 NLL Entry Draft. Courtney will wear jersey #3 with Minnesota.

The Swarm (6-3) looks to snap a three-game losing steak against the Chicago Shamrox Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center. Eric Perkins #66 jersey will be retired in a special halftime ceremony and Eric Perkins bobbleheads will be distributed to the first 5,000 fans in attendance at the game.

Great lower level seats can be purchased for each upcoming Swarm home game. Tickets range from $12 - $52 and can be purchased in advance or at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office. Family packs and student discounts are also available. Contact Ticketmaster at 651-989-5151 or Tickets for Concerts, Sports, Arts, Theater, Family, Events, more. Official Ticketmaster site to get the best seats available. For more information on Swarm season tickets call 888-MNSWARM or info@mnswarm.com.

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:22 PM

PORTLAND, March 12, 2008 - Due to an ankle injury sustained last weekend against the Calgary Roughnecks, Portland LumberJax forward Ryan Powell will be unable to play in Sunday's National Lacrosse League All-Star Game. Powell will be replaced by Edmonton Rush forward Dan Stroup.

The time off will allow Powell to rest and prepare for when the Jax return to action on March 20 against the Colorado Mammoth at 7:30 p.m. at the Rose Garden Arena.

In his third season in Portland, Powell has continued to pace the offensive line. He leads the team with 27 assists, is second with 42 points and third with 15 goals scored. He's also the franchise leader in points (134) and assists (84) and second all-time with 50 goals.

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:23 PM

PORTLAND, March 13, 2008 - With all the traveling that Portland LumberJax Head Coach/General Manager Derek Keenan does, he often misses out on the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 Highlights. Traveling between Oshawa, Ontario and Portland, Oregon is over a seven-hour flight round trip, but that's ok. Keenan has his own highlight reel in Jax defenseman Brodie Merrill.

"You don't know how many times I've caught myself questioning whether Brodie really did that," Keenan said. "Game in and game out he is the best defensive player on the floor and the best transition player on the turf."

Merrill, who will start in the National Lacrosse League's eight All-Star Game in Edmonton on Sunday, March 16 at 1 p.m. for the West Division, has done pretty much everything a player can do at this point in the season. He's stabilized the defensive line, moved the ball aggressively in transition and added an additional scoring punch on the offensive end for the Jax (3-7)

Through the first 10 games, Merrill has led the NLL and the team with 121 loose balls collected. Last season's loose ball champ, Merrill is easily on pace to do so again.

On offense, Merrill has scored 12 goals and added 11 assists.

"We expected a lot from Brodie, but he always seems to exceed our expectations," added Keenan.

For Merrill, this will be his second All-Star Game and his third overall selection. He was named an All-Star last season, but was unable to play due to injury and added an assist in 2005.

Also joining him from Portland on the West Division squad are forwards Dan Dawson and Ryan Powell. The team leader in goals scored (20), points scored (46), shots (124) and shots on goal (94), Dawson's largest contribution may come off the turf.

"Everyone knows what kind of player and talent he is, but what impresses me the most is what kind of person he is," said Keenan. "He's the ultimate team player-sometimes to a fault. Dan is constantly looking for ways to improve and I doubt there is a harder working offensive player in the NLL.

Dawson's hard work was epitomized on Feb. 22 when he scored his 200th career goal in only his seventh season, becoming the 30th player in league history to do so.

For Dawson, this will be his third All-Star Game. He scored three goals in the 2005 game and added an assist in last year's game.

Powell, who made his All-Star debut last season with four goals, will not play as he's nursing an injured ankle.

Powell has continued to excel in his third season with Portland. Already the franchise leader in assists (84) and points scored (134); Powell has led the team this season in assists with 27 and has provided 15 goals. He's scored five points or more in six of the 10 games, validating his status as one of the premier offensive threats in the league.

"Ryan brings a lot of intensity and enthusiasm on and off the floor," said Keenan. "We get a lot of repossessions in the offensive end because of Ryan's ability to battle for loose balls.

"Brodie, Dan and Ryan are all very deserving All-Star selections," added Keenan. "We'll need more of their contributions as we move toward the playoffs."

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:23 PM

Edmonton,AB---This is the first ever meeting between the Rochester Knighthawks and Edmonton Rush. Rochester is just the fourth East Division team to play in Edmonton since the Rush joined the National Lacrosse League in 2006.

The Rush have a 2-3 record in home games against rivals from the East with wins coming against Philadelphia and Toronto. They have lost twice to Toronto at home and once to Minnesota.

The Rush are coming off a bye week which came on the heels of the club earning its first victory of the season with a 9-7 road win in Portland on March 1. The win was also the first for new Rush GM/Head Coach Bob Hamley who took over the team following the dismissal of Paul Day after the Rush's fifth game of the season.

Rush goaltender Curtis Palidwor was named the NLL's Defensive Player of the Week for his 47-save effort against the LumberJax while Steve Hutchins picked up the Rookie of the Week award as he notched one goal and five assists in the game.

Following the game, the Rush were involved in what was the biggest trade of the 2008 NLL season so far. Four teams made significant roster changes in the combined transactions which ultimately saw the Rush give up conditional draft picks and forward A.J. Shannon who was the club's leading goal-scorer at the time of the deal. In return, the Rush acquired forward Lindsay Plunkett from the Chicago Shamrox along with a first-round pick in the 2008 NLL Entry Draft and forward Mike Hominuck from the Minnesota Swarm.

Plunkett had 22 points in six games with the Shamrox this season and helped the Arizona Sting reach the NLL Champion's Cup final last season. Hominuck had 21 points in seven games with the Swarm.

The Rush have made three other recent roster moves: forward Brenden Thenhaus was acquired from the Philadelphia Wings in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2008 NLL Entry Draft; forward Ben Prepchuk, who had registered three goals and 11 assists in five games, was placed on Injured Reserve; and forward Kevin Olson, who managed one goal in two games, was released.

With the Knighthawks in town, it is the first opportunity for the Rush's Mike Accursi to face his old teammates. Accursi led the Knighthawks and the entire NLL in playoff scoring last spring as Rochester went on to win the Champion's Cup. Accursi was then traded in the off-season to Edmonton and has since become the Rush's leading scorer with 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in seven games.

Just behind Accursi in the Rush scoring derby is forward Jimmy Quinlan who has picked up nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points so far this season. Dan Stroup has also reached the 20-point plateau as he continues to be one the club's hottest shooters. Stroup has seven goals in his last three games giving him nine on the season and he is coming off a four-assist effort against Portland which gives the veteran forward 21 points on the year.

Chris Gill leads the Rush with four power-play goals while Accursi, Quinlan and Plunkett all have six assists on the man-advantage. Captain Chris McElroy leads the Rush with 51 loose balls, only two ahead of Ian Hawksbee. McElroy is also tied for 12th in the league in shooting percentage at 40.0% (four goals on 10 shots).

Goaltender Curtis Palidwor is now sixth in the NLL with a .768 save-percentage.

The Rush have scored the fewest power-play goals in the NLL and are ninth on the power play at 15-for-38 (39.5%). The Rush's penalty-killing is last in the NLL having surrendered 15 goals in 26 shorthanded situations (42.3%). Edmonton has not scored or given up a shorthanded goal this season.

Rochester, which has won three of its last four games, comes into Edmonton sporting some of the league's most-prolific offensive talents. John Grant, one of the NLL's all-time greats, leads the Knighthawks and is tied for fourth in the league with 25 goals and his 53 points also put him fourth in the NLL. Scott Evans is sixth in the NLL with 23 goals while Shawn Evans is tied for 15th with 17 goals. Shawn Williams has moved into a tie for 11th in points with 45 and Steve Toll sits second in the NLL with 95 loose balls.

The Knighthawks' power play is tied for sixth in the league, having gone 24-for-58 (41.2%), but Rochester's penalty-killing is tops in the NLL having surrendered 24 goals in 66 shorthanded opportunities (63.6%). The Knighthawks have a league-leading 12 shorthanded goals and they have given up six shorthanded goals.

The clash between the Knighthawks and Rush will be followed on Sunday by the NLL All-Star Game at Rexall Place. Both clubs will be well-represented in the matchup between the East and West Divisions.

Suiting up for the West from the Rush and making his second straight All-Star Game appearance will be Jimmy Quinlan. He'll be joined by Mike Accursi, who is making his first appearance in a West uniform, and Chris McElroy, who is making his first appearance. The West will also be coached by Rush GM/Head Coach Bob Hamley thanks to his role behind the bench with Arizona last season guiding the Sting to the West Division title.

Rochester's John Grant will be in the East's starting lineup and he'll be joined by Steve Toll and Scott Evans. The East will be coached by the Knighthawks' Ed Comeau.

**truebluefan** · 03-15-2008, 06:24 PM

The Rochester Knighthawks will air the Knighthawks All-Star Pregame Show on Sunday, March 16th, courtesy of the 2008 Fann Cup and the Knighthawks Krew. The one-hour program will run from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. (EST) on WYSL 1040-AM and wysl1040.com.

Rochester Knighthawks broadcaster Craig Rybczynski will host the show and will conduct live interviews with Knighthawks' and East Division All-Star Coach Ed Comeau, Knighthawks Krew President Tim Knab, and National Lacrosse League front office representatives. Taped interviews with players from the East and West All-Star teams will also run during the program. Fans can call the show at (585) 346-3000 or *1040 for Verizon Wireless subscribers.

The NLL All-Star Game is set for a 4:00 p.m. (EST) faceoff at Rexall Place in Edmonton. Knighthawks John Grant, Steve Toll and Scott Evans will represent the East Division. The game will be televised nationally on Altitude (U.S.) and Rogers Sportsnet West (Canada). The game will air on a two-hour tape delay at 6:00 p.m. (EST). The All-Star Game will be carried live on SIRIUS satellite radio (Channel 107) and B2 Networks.

The game completes a weekend of lacrosse in Edmonton. The festivities begin with the Rochester Knighthawks battling the Edmonton Rush at 6:00 p.m. at Rexall Place on Saturday, March 15th. Following the game, the league will hold the NLL Skills Competition at 9:00 p.m. Fans that purchase the Rochester-Edmonton broadcast on B2 Networks can watch the competition as an added bonus. Rybczynski will stay in the booth and cover the event for the league with players and coaches providing the color commentary. The evening includes the agility, accuracy, trick shot, goalie longshot and fastest shot competitions, and a three versus three tournament.

The title sponsor of the program is the 2008 Fann Cup, which is brought to you by the Knighthawks Krew. Join the fans of the NLL as they come together in the offseason for fun, friendship, charity and lacrosse on Saturday, July 26th in Rochester at the Rochester Sports Garden. For more information on the Fann Cup visit fanncup.com.

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