[Corporal]

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Swarm seek playoff success
Team begins fifth season tonight
By Kelsie Smith
ksmith@pioneerpress.com
Posted: 01/03/2009 12:01:00 AM CST

The Minnesota Swarm's season starts tonight in Portland, Ore., but coach Duane Jacobs said the team is still thinking about how last season — and the two seasons before that — ended.

The Swarm have made the playoffs each of the past three seasons but never have won a postseason game, and Jacobs said ending the playoff quagmire is a primary goal for 2009.

"Certainly I think it's in the back of everybody's mind," Jacobs said. "Obviously our main goal is to get back to the playoffs. ... Hopefully at that time we're playing well, and you just have to be there with your best game when you get there."

The Swarm, in their fifth season in the National Lacrosse League, return NLL defensive player of the year Ryan Cousins and NLL rookie of the year Craig Point.

This year's team also features six players who weren't with the Swarm in 2008. After missing last season because of an injury, defenseman Riley Kemp is back on the field, joining three 2008 draft picks: forward Kevin Buchanan, defenseman Joe Cinosky and forward Andre Watt. Minnesota picked up defenseman Kevin Fines in the Chicago dispersal draft and signed free-agent defenseman Kevin Ross.

"Riley Kemp, he's going to add some depth and experience to our defense," Jacobs said. "Some of the newer guys, they're going to bring some of that youthful exuberance to the club. They can give us some energy when we need it, and aside from that they're all skilled players."

Jacobs said the biggest test of the season would be in February, when the Swarm play back-to-back games three times.

"That's the real tough part of the schedule," Jacobs said, "and it's going to speak volumes for what we're made of."

Briefly: According to the Swarm Web site, Cousins is questionable for tonight's game because of a minor "below the neck body injury."

SWARM SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT TIME
Today at Portland 9:30 p.m.
Jan. 10 SAN JOSE 7 p.m.
Jan. 24 BUFFALO 7 p.m.
Feb. 6 at Calgary 8:30 p.m.
Feb. 7 COLORADO 7 p.m.
Feb. 20 BOSTON 7 p.m.
Feb. 21 at Philadelphia 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 27 at Toronto 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 28 at Buffalo 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 7 All-Star Game 8 p.m. at Denver
Mar. 14 at Philadelphia 6:30 p.m.
Mar. 21 at San Jose 9:30 p.m.
Mar. 22 at Colorado 7 p.m.
Mar. 28 CALGARY 7 p.m.
April 4 EDMONTON 7 p.m.
April 11 PORTLAND 7 p.m.
April 18 NEW YORK 7 p.m.