Friday, January 12, 1990

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

The champion Philadelphia Wings open their fourth Major Indoor Lacrosse League season this weekend with two games.

Tonight at 8, they will be in New York to play the Saints, and tomorrow night at 8, they will host the Pittsburgh Bulls (formerly the Washington Wave) at the Spectrum.

Coach Dave Evans said the Wings, who were 6-2 in 1989, were physically stronger than last year's squad, but he wondered about their frame of mind.

"I'm not sure what it is," Evans said, "but I sense something is missing psychologically. There is something about having a defending champion. We didn't blow people away last year. A couple of goals in a few games, and we're not even in the playoffs.

"Championship clubs have a tendency to think they can turn it on once the season starts. I hope we're sharp because right now I feel something isn't right."

Despite these concerns, the Wings appear to have a stronger club. Evans signed goalie Dwight Maetche, the Canadian MVP two of the last three seasons with the Vancouver Burrards in box lacrosse.

"Maetche is the best goalie in Canada right now," Evans said. "He's been playing box lacrosse all his life. I'd rate him in the top three in the world among indoor goalies."

Maetche will start tonight against the Saints, who lost the MILL title, 11-10, at the Spectrum on April 7.

Maetche will alternate with last year's starting keeper, Kevin Bilger, who finished second in the league in saves with 267 (33.4 per game).

"Kevin has looked better in practice," Evans said. "I was always reluctant to pull him if he had an off-night last season. Now I have some flexibility with Maetche."

The most notable face missing from the Wings this season is attackman Paul French (19 points), who retired to San Diego.

There are, however, seven new faces, including forward Chris Flynn, a former all-American at Penn. He spent last season coaching outdoor lacrosse in Britain.

Flynn's specialty is face-offs, an area dominated by Bill Dirrigl, who was outstanding last season in key situations when the Wings needed the ball.

A familiar face returning this season is forward Pat Lamon. He played with Washington last season because of a company job transfer to Virginia that prevented him from attending games in Philadelphia.

Lamon was the Wings' leading goal-scorer (21) in 1988. Last season, the Wings possessed three of the league's top four point-scorers in Brad Kotz (44), John Tucker (35) and Andy Wilson (35). They all return.

One aspect of play the Wings must improve upon this season is defense. Although they led the league in scoring (122 goals), the Wings were a distant fourth among six teams in goals against (96).

The MILL again will have six teams and has delayed its Chicago entry until 1991. A proposal to increase the schedule from eight to 10 games was scrapped because of arena availability.

Saturday, January 13, 1990

The Philadelphia Wings started their 1990 season just like they ended the 1989 season, with a victory over the New York Saints.

Last night, the Wings opened defense of their 1989 Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship with a 9-4 victory over the Saints at Nassau Coliseum. Last April 7, the Wings won the MILL title by defeating New York, 11-10, at the Spectrum.

The Wings jumped to a 6-0 lead before New York finally got on the board in the third quarter and superb goaltending by last night's MVP Dwight Maetche (30 saves) held off any Saints' rally.

Andy Wilson scored three goals and Mark Hahn added two in the Wings' 6-0 start. John Tucker, Gary Martin, Greg Manley and former Penn football and lacrosse star Chris Flynn added solo goals for Philadelphia, which opens its home season at 8 tonight at the Spectrum against the Pittsburgh Bulls.

Bob Cook, Matt Crowley and Vin Sombrotto scored for the Saints.

Monday, January 22, 1990

By Ted Silary, Daily News Sports Writer

In the Inter-Ac League, the Player of the Decade is Chris Flynn, of Episcopal Academy.

Flynn made the '83 All-City team as a defensive back for coach Jim Auch, and his play there once compelled Dick Borkowski, Episcopal's athletic director, to comment, "I've seen 25 great hits in 25 years. Know what? Chris Flynn's made 15 of them."

Flynn also was a whiz on offense. He carried the ball sparingly as a freshman, shared it with Auch's son, Jamie, as a sophomore, then became the franchise. In his final two seasons (limited to 21 games by injuries), Flynn rushed 360 times for 2,685 yards and 26 touchdowns. That computes to 7.5 yards per carry and 128 per game.

Flynn opted to attend Penn where he became an All-Ivy League halfback and was renowned for his ability to catch and return the ball as well. He's now a member of the Philadelphia Wings indoor lacrosse team.

Tuesday, February 6, 1990

By Ed Finkel, Special to The Inquirer

They are sales managers, financial consultants, doctors, lawyers and graduate students. They only moonlight as professional athletes.

Players on the Philadelphia Wings indoor lacrosse team, it's safe to say, have much more in common with ordinary people than with high-salaried baseball, football and basketball stars.

Like actors, comedians or rock-and-rollers that have yet to hit the big time, they hold day jobs to get by and generally aren't recognized on the street.

But as they step onto the field at 2 p.m. Sunday for their third contest of the 1990 season - after winning their first two games last month in defense of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League title - the Wings, like struggling musicians, actors or comics, are hopeful of better days to come.

"They're beyond the point of worrying about the existence of the league," said coach Dave Evans, 39, a Vancouver native who resides in Roxborough. ''They're more looking to expand the league, (although) it's certainly not booming, by any stretch."

Players on the Wings come primarily from Philadelphia and Baltimore, seen as a hotbed within the regional hotbed; three live and work on the Main Line. They know all too well what it will take for the league to be a huge success - for them to be able to forsake their day jobs.

The lack of media exposure lacrosse gets "is very frustrating," said Brett Davy, a Broomall native who works for a financial planning company. "In high schools, it's probably the fastest-growing sport. Only with a TV contract could the league be self-supporting. But until then . . ."

Long Island native Gary Martin, who now lives in King of Prussia and works as a sales manager, says he is optimistic about lacrosse's potential appeal.

"You can tell from the crowds that it's taking off quickly," he said. "A lot more high schools in this area are getting into it.

"It's like basketball. You've got five players playing offense, five players playing defense. You try to set up plays; it's all pick and roll. The only difference is instead of trying to shoot it into a net, you're trying to shoot it past the goalie."

Mark Moschella of Ardmore is the other Main Liner on the team.

Worries about the league's survival were all too real at its outset, back in 1987. An earlier indoor lacrosse league, which began full of hope in 1974, went down just two years later.

"They had fairly good success the first year," Evans said. "Because of that, they bumped the salaries up and they upped the schedule (from 40 to 48 games). They bit off more than they could chew. But part of the problem was fluky kinds of things."

While the decline was partially because of league organizers expanding too quickly, the final blow was the inability of two of the league's six franchises to find a place to play in 1976, he said.

The Montreal franchise got bumped from its arena because of the scheduling of Olympic events, and the Boston team was told it no longer could use the Boston Garden because new owners of the Bruins wanted to renovate the arena over the summer, during the lacrosse league's season.

Organizers of this second go-round have attempted a more modest, eight-game schedule, played between January and March. They attract fairly sizable crowds to each game - upward of 7,000 - although they play only four home contests a season.

Six teams play, all from the Northeast except for the Wings' Sunday opponent, Detroit. In addition to lengthening the schedule, organizers hope to expand geographically, with California, Texas and Florida in mind.

It was the Northeast, however, that the Canadian Lacrosse Association targeted for a series of indoor lacrosse matchups in the mid-1980s.

"They drew fairly well, which got the attention of the people who own the league," said Evans, who spends summers in Vancouver. "They went ahead and put it back together again. This is certainly the hotbed."

Saturday, February 10, 1990

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Dwight Maetche's first love may be lacrosse, but it's his second love that has enabled the Philadelphia Wings' goalie to be named "All-World" three times during his nine-year career in Canadian box lacrosse.

"Hockey has done a lot for me," said Maetche. "I grew up in Edmonton. When the lacrosse season was over (in July), there wasn't much else to do but hockey. The puck moves faster, but it is actually less accurate than a lacrosse ball."

Maetche, 29, will start in the nets during tomorrow's 2 p.m. Spectrum matinee, when the Wings (2-0) host the Detroit Turbos (1-1).

While the Major Indoor Lacrosse League team average for goals yielded is about 10.7, Maetche has given up just four goals in one appearance, a 9-4 victory over the New York Saints. His goals-against average for the Vancouver Burrards last season was a remarkable 8.0.

A lacrosse net is four feet by four feet, while a hockey net is four feet by six feet.

Maetche said one reason he was able to record such a low lacrosse goals- against average in Canada was the many hours he spent stopping pucks during recreational hockey games.

"The balance you have to master in hockey has really helped me in lacrosse," said Maetche. "I move around a lot in the net in lacrosse. Like hockey, angles are very important. Lacrosse is a game dependent upon angles.

"A lot of hockey goalies rely on their agility to cut down angles. I think my reflexes are responsible for my success in lacrosse. It has a lot to do with the angle work in hockey."

The Wings have not played since their back-to-back games in January. Unlike the Western Lacrosse League, which has a 24-game regular-season spring-summer schedule, the MILL plays eight games.

"This pace here is very aggravating," said Maetche. "You go from four practices and a couple of games a week in Canada to this, where you practice once a week and play once a month. It's tough on you. I need work to keep prepared and this only makes it harder."

NOTES. Mindful of the long layoff, Wings coach Dave Evans gave the players all of last week off so he could practice twice this week. "The league allows you only one practice a week," said Evans. "If we miss one practice, we can add it onto another week's. I gave them off last week to double up this week." The Wings lead the MILL in fewest goals allowed (12), but are last (sixth) in shots on goal. Also, for the first time in two years, the Wings do not have any players among the league's scoring leaders.

Monday, February 12, 1990

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Somewhere in America, there are two 4-foot-by-4-foot lacrosse nets that don't belong there.

"We're not sure where they are," said Russ Cline, the president of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, from his home in Kansas City yesterday.

Where they were supposed to have been was at the Spectrum for yesterday's Philadelphia Wings-Detroit Turbos game.

Rather than cancel the game - which is what the Turbos originally wanted - the clubs agreed to use the Spectrum's hockey nets, which are two feet wider. No announcement concerning the larger nets was made to the crowd of 15,204.

"I did not want to call attention to the nets," Cline said.

The net result was a 21-19 victory that gave the Wings a 3-0 record. The game will count in the MILL standings, but should the Turbos (1-2) fail by one game to make the playoffs, the league will expand the playoffs from three teams to four.

That is, if the game isn't replayed. Cline called a replay "a possibility," but an unlikely one, given that arena dates are difficult to secure.

Either way, the Turbos were upset.

"We had more to lose than Philadelphia," said Wayne Martinello, the Turbos' general manager. "We play a defensive game, and with those hockey nets, they expanded the offense on us. We didn't want to play, but Russ assured us we wouldn't be penalized."

Martinello said part of the problem was that some equipment stays with each team but that other equipment is pooled by the six teams. Cline theorized that the lacrosse nets used at the Spectrum, which are supposed to stay with the Wings, were inadvertently loaded onto a truck after the Wings' Jan. 13 game with the Pittsburgh Bulls.

"There's a lot of things I don't understand about this league," Martinello said. "This is still a young league. There are problems. I tell my guys to go out and have fun. Every game is an adventure."

Mike French, the Wings' general manager, said the club did not borrow nets locally because indoor nets are smaller than the outdoor ones used for college games.

The missing nets did little to improve the MILL's credibility.

"We've got to put an asterisk next to this game and deal with it," Cline said. "We're embarrassed. This is the first time this has happened in our four years. It will be the last time it will happen, I assure you."

Did the larger nets make a difference? Consider this: In the first 8 minutes, 40 seconds, 10 goals were scored against the top two goalies in the league - the Wings' Dwight Maetche and Detroit's Terry Sawicki.

"Terrible," said Maetche, who plays hockey in the MILL's off-season. ''The game shouldn't count. A puck can only come from off the ice, whereas a lacrosse ball can come at you from anywhere.

"I feel bad for Detroit. They should replay this game."

Wings coach Dave Evans called the game "bizzare" but defended counting it in the standings.

"The disadvantage was for both teams," Evans said. "What I don't understand is that we haven't played a game here in three weeks, and at 10 a.m., they discover they don't have the nets. Why?"

The larger nets helped eight players score at least three goals in the game. John Tucker, Mark Hahn and Brad Kotz scored three for the Wings, and Chris Flynn, a former all-American at Penn, scored four.

"Can you believe that?" Flynn said, when asked about the nets. "There's no excuse for not having the right goals here. We bust our butts for this league."

The Wings fell behind by 15-14 with 3:21 left in the third quarter, then pulled the game out with a seven-goal fourth quarter.

Should the Wings and Turbos finish in a first-place tie, all statistics from the game will be ignored, and the first-place team will be determined by the results of a seven-game season rather than an eight-game season.

Tuesday, February 13, 1990

BY BILL FLEISCHMAN

Discovered: Flyers general manager Bob Clarke is a Wings fan. Not the Detroit Red Wings; the Philadelphia Wings lacrosse team.

Clarke, who watched the Wings' 21-19 victory over Detroit Sunday, also believes all those people who fill the Spectrum for lacrosse games are not your basic pro wrestling/roller derby fans.

"They know the game - they get excited at the right times," Clarke said.

Clarke wishes the NHL would take a tip from the Major Indoor Lacrosse League and keep physical contact in hockey.

Later, representing the Flyers' portion of the "golden decade" dinner theme, Clarke turned toward the dais and said, "When I see the Schmidts, the Jaworskis, Barkleys, Vermeils and Billy Cunningham, I've got to thank them. These are people who showed us what professional sports is. They had a commitment and a passion to their teams and their games.

"The Flyers' philosophy has always been effort. Somehow, we've gotten away from that. We're going to get it back."

Sunday, February 18, 1990

Chris Flynn, a 1988 Penn graduate, scored with 1 minute, 47 seconds left in the second overtime last night to give the Philadelphia Wings a 13-12 victory over the Baltimore Thunder before 10,904 fans at the Baltimore Arena.

Flynn's goal was assisted by Brad Kotz, the Quakers' assistant lacrosse coach. Kotz scored four goals and had two assists for the Wings (4-0), who took sole possession of first place in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. The Thunder fell to 3-1.

Flynn was a lacrosse all-American at Penn and an all-Ivy League running back on the football team.

The Wings trailed, 11-7, going into the fourth period, but had three goals from Kotz and one each from Scott Gabrielson and John Tucker in the quarter. Tucker's goal gave the Wings a 12-11 lead at the 12:09 mark, but Jim Huelskamp scored at 13:52 to tie the score and set up the overtime.

The Wings took 44 shots on goal; Baltimore took 58.

Thursday, March 1, 1990

I am writing to express my concern on the lack of coverage given in your paper on the Philadelphia Wings lacrosse team.

I would have thought that after winning the MILL (that's short for the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, for you uneducated) and drawing over 15,000 per game, the Daily News would do more than a one-fifth of a page article on the 4-0 Wings.

But, alas, it seems that Laura Baugh and her daughter frolicking on the golf course rate over a local pro team that is undefeated and had just come off a nerve-shattering, double-overtime win over the then undefeated Baltimore Thunder.

Even if the sport seems barbaric to some journalists, the idea that these athletes can go out there after working all week and play a body-jeopardizing sport in front of over 15,000 zealots and make 1/100th of what a major league baseball player averages is truly remarkable . . . if not more newsworthy.

P.S. And don't even try to make a comparison to pro wrestling.

John M. Reutter,

Philadelphia

Saturday, March 24, 1990

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Pardon Bill Dirrigl if he sometimes feels like a pinata.

How else can the Philadelphia Wings forward feel when opponents are constantly whacking their sticks at him after face-offs they've lost?

"Getting hit on those face-offs is part of the game," said Dirrigl. ''It's close quarters down there, with everyone whacking at the ball. Things won't change until the refs start calling it."

Dirrigl wouldn't mind if the three referees - no linesmen - started calling some slashing penalties at the Spectrum tonight at 8, when the Wings (6-1) host the New York Saints (3-4) in their season finale.

If the Wings win, they will clinch first place and host the Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship game on April 7 or 8 against New York, New England (6-2), Baltimore (3-4) or Pittsburgh (3-5).

A semifinal playoff game between the second- and third-place finishers is scheduled for April 2.

All that changes, however, if the Wings lose. Then New England (6-2) would finish first, based on a 14-11 tie-breaker victory over the Wings on March 16.

The Wings would play a semifinal playoff game on April 7 or 8 against New York, and the championship game would move to April 13 in New England.

Dirrigl, who leads the MILL in face-offs, has won 68 percent this season. ''He's the best box-lacrosse face-off man I've ever seen," said Wings coach Dave Evans. "Bill is so good at pulling the ball back after the face- off, but then someone chops down on his shoulder to pry the ball loose."

Evans, who refereed box lacrosse in Canada for nearly 20 years, says officials are too liberal in deciding whether the slash is intended to strip the ball or to intimidate the player.

"You've got field referees in this league who have never done box lacrosse before," said Evans. "The impression they are given by the players, even the owners, is that in box lacrosse, anything goes. So they don't call anything."

Dirrigl was slashed a half-dozen times during a 10-9 win over Baltimore on March 11. Afterward, his shoulder required butterfly stitches to close an open wound.

Dirrigl, who reinjured the shoulder last week against New England, won 167 of 250 face-offs last season (67 percent) to lead the MILL.

"When you take my two seasons here and my college years at Syracuse, I guess I've taken close to 3,000 face-offs," said Dirrigl, who does not practice his craft.

"When you've taken that many, it becomes natural. There's no secret to winning them except to make a career of it."

Sunday, March 25, 1990

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Two defensive lapses, including one at the start of the final quarter, cost the Philadelphia Wings first place and a home playoff advantage last night as the New York Saints defeated them, 8-5, in their Major Indoor Lacrosse League regular-season finale before a sellout crowd of 17,177 at the Spectrum.

The Wings (6-2) will play New York (4-4) again in a semifinal playoff game at the Spectrum on April 7. If the Wings win, they will visit the New England Blazers (6-2) to defend their MILL title in the championship game April 13.

"We have to play New York again, and I'm hoping like hell we'll get to go to New England, which I wasn't really looking forward to, until now," said Wings coach Dave Evans.

New York scored two goals in the first 31 seconds of the final quarter to ice the game.

Jeff Nicklas got the first goal off Wings goalie Kevin Bilger at 18 seconds, and 13 seconds later, Matt Crowley beat Bilger with a 40-footer to make the score 7-5.

"We gave up a couple of bad goals, far out, but Kevin did keep us in the game," said Evans. "We have some things to work on. If it were just shooting, it wouldn't be difficult. One of them is that every time Bilger made a save tonight, our guys turned around and looked at the ball and just stood there."

New York scored an open goal in the final minute.

Although the Wings and New England finished with identical records, the Blazers have been awarded first place, based on last week's 14-11 win at the Centrum in Worcester, Mass.

Earlier in last night's game, the Saints scored three quick goals when the Wings fell asleep midway through the second quarter.

New York pulled starting goalie Vinne Pfeifer for the start of the second half, and his replacement, Sal Locasio, was rocked for three goals as the Wings, trailing by 4-2, tied the game at 5-5 going into the fourth quarter.

The key goal in the third quarter came on Andy Wilson's backhander with Bob Cummings and Scott Huff all over him in the slot.

That score tied the game at 4-4 and set the tone as the Wings controlled offensive play the rest of the third quarter.

That's where their momentum ended.

New York dominated the first half in both scoring opportunities and checking as the Wings seemed to be looking over their shoulders every time they had the ball.

Not that either team did much with the ball, anyway. Three goals in 3 minutes, 30 seconds enabled the Saints to break a 1-1 tie and pull ahead by 4-1 in the second quarter.

Two of those goals came five seconds apart as David McCulloch buried a crossing pass past Bilger at 9:02 for a 3-1 New York lead.

Five seconds later, John Driscoll scored on a breakaway. The 4-1 deficit was the largest the Wings have faced at home this season.

Chris Flynn's end-to-end break and subsequent bounce shot past Pfeifer made the score 4-2 at 10:33.

Tony Resch scored the other Wings' goal in the first quarter off an illegal running pick by John Tucker.

Saturday, April 7, 1990

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Their top scorer, John Tucker, is sidelined with torn knee ligaments. All- world goalie Dwight Maetche is questionable after recuperating from a dislocated shoulder. And face-off specialist Bill Dirrigl has a prior coaching commitment and won't be in uniform.

That's how the Philadelphia Wings, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League's defending champion, will open the playoffs tonight at 8 at the Spectrum against the New York Saints.

Whoever wins travels to Worcester, Mass., on April 13 (8 p.m.) to face the regular-season champion New England Blazers for the North American Cup title.

"This is an ugly way to go into the playoffs," said Wings coach Dave Evans. "And we may have to face the two teams that beat us back-to-back. It's the worst possible situation."

Tucker's absence concerns Evans the most. He led the club in scoring, with 13 goals and 23 points, before injuring his knee in a season-ending 8-5 loss to New York on March 24.

Even with Tucker, the Wings struggled to a 6-2 record this season. Their offense began to nose-dive at Baltimore on Feb. 17, when they squeaked through two overtimes to beat the lowly Thunder, 13-12. The following weekend, in Pittsburgh, the Wings had to go into overtime to defeat the equally inept Bulls, 10-9.

Last season, the Wings led the MILL in all offensive categories. This season, the club was down in every category, although defensively, the Wings improved in goals against average (10.4 versus 12.0):

* In 1989, five Wings scored in double figures, led by Brad Katz's 28 goals and 44 overall points. This season, only three Wings scored in double figures.

* In 1989, the Wings led the MILL in goals per game average (15.3) but were third this season (11.1).

* In 1989, the Wings had three of the league's top five scorers; this season, no one on the club finished among the top six.

None of these things will be much comfort tonight against the Saints, who possess the best fastbreak attack in the league. The Saints beat the Wings for three fastbreak goals in their last meeting. Evans says the Wings will have to be defense-conscious against New York.

For the Wings to advance, they'll have to take better shots on Saints' goalie Vinnie Pfeifer. In New York's two-goalie system, Pfeifer plays the first half before yielding to Sal Loscasio. Pfeifer often drops to his knees, and as other clubs have found out, is vulnerable to shots above the hips. Loscasio is a standup goalie.

Dirrigl, who led the MILL in face-offs won (91) and winning face-off percentage (66.0), was unable to free himself of his assistant coaching duties at Loyola of Baltimore.

Friday, April 13, 1990

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Never before had coach Dave Evans assigned game-day homework to his Philadelphia Wings.

But that is what he is doing this morning, before the Wings go for their second straight Major Indoor Lacrosse League title tonight, against the New England Blazers in Worcester, Mass.

"I've prepared an entire game plan for them to study on the hour bus ride from Boston to Worcester," Evans said. "We've put a lot into it. They'll have plenty of time to study."

The one-game championship final won't be televised - either live or on tape - despite efforts by league president Russ Cline to secure a cable outlet.

Maybe next time. The Wings and Comcast began informal discussions last week about the possibility of the cable operator's carrying next season's games as part of its community-service program.

"It's a shame our fans won't see this game, because they've been so supportive in the past and especially this year," Evans said. "We're hoping something may happen with Comcast."

As they were in last week's playoff game against the New York Saints, the Wings are bothered by injuries. Forward Greg Manley has a bruised tailbone and may not make the trip. Leading scorer John Tucker is already out with torn knee ligaments.

The good news is that goalie Dwight Maetche will start again in the net. Maetche had missed a month of workouts and two games because of a broken collarbone.

Maetche returned last week against New York, and recorded 39 saves in the Wings' 9-8 victory.

Also back tonight will be face-off specialist Bill Dirrigl, who missed the Saints game because of a coaching commitment at Loyola-Baltimore.

Dirrigl led the MILL this season in face-offs won (91) and face-off percentage (66.0). In the Wings' 14-11 loss to New England on March 16, Dirrigl won 21 of 29 face-offs.

"Having Dirrigl back in the lineup is going to be a big help to us," Evans said. "Especially since we're missing Tucker."

One reason the Wings made it this far is forward Todd Curry, who had two goals and two assists against New York. His third-quarter goal gave the Wings a 6-2 cushion.

"That score was even more important, because if New York had come out that quarter and scored first, it could have made a big difference in the game," Evans said.

Curry, who had six goals and four assists in the regular season, plays on the club's third line with Chris Flynn, Matt McGeady, Mark DeCicco and Lou Delligatti. That line accounted for nine points against New York - more than the Wings' two other, more formidable lines.

"I've been real happy with the way things have been going on our line," said Curry, who played last season with Washington. "I still think I have to be a little more consistent on my shooting, though."

Curry's shooting was uncannily accurate against New York. Of his six shots, three were on net and two were goals.

"The key to Todd is that when his stick is on, you want to give him the ball," Evans said.

Saturday, April 14, 1990

By Clark DeLeon, Inquirer Staff Writer

A hat trick, a hat trick plus one, and stingy defense were the difference in the championship game of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, which now has a two-time defending champion - the Philadelphia Wings.

Forwards Brad Kotz and Todd Curry scored seven goals between them last night as the Wings dismantled the New England Blazers, 17-9, at the Centrum.

Kotz, the game's MVP, scored four goals and added four assists in an all- star performance. Curry pumped in three goals, and crowd-pleaser Lou Deligotti added two.

The Wings had felt confident going into the game because of the return of injured goalie Dwight Maetche, who did not play in the team's regular-season loss to the Blazers three weeks ago.

New England was the MILL's Cinderella team, making it to the final after a dismal 1989 season.

Maetche's play allowed the Wings to build an 8-5 halftime lead. The defending champions were ahead by 15-8 when Blazers fans began to file out of the building with nine minutes to play.

The game opened with both teams exhibiting confidence and sending the message that they had come to run, if not to rumble.

They exchanged goals within the first two minutes.

The Blazers struck first, when Walt Cataldo rolled a bouncer past Maetche with 22 seconds gone. Scott Gabrielson evened the score 1 minute, 13 seconds later.

The game seesawed into the second period, with the Blazers holding a 3-2 advantage that was wiped out in a three-goal barrage less than three minutes into the period. Rickey Fried, Andy Wilson and Mark Kahn provided the goals, giving the Wings their first edge of the game.

With 3:39 remaining in the first half, the Blazers' Glenn Stevens closed the gap to 5-4, but Curry pumped in two goals in a minute to build a 7-4 lead that lasted until the Blazers scored a power-play goal, capitalizing on the Wings' second penalty of the night.

Chris Flynn, a former Penn running back and a Wings rookie, answered back 13 second later. Flynn forced goalie John Yeager to drop back into the net, pulling Flynn's breakaway shot from five feet out with him. That gave the Wings their three-goal halftime lead.

Saturday, April 14, 1990

By Bill Fleischman, Daily News Sports Writer

With the Philadelphia Wings in town to play the New England Blazers for the Major Indoor Lacrosse League title last night, the near-sellout crowd of 11,479 in the Centrum was eager, to put it mildly. There hadn't been this much excitement in this central Massachusetts city since Gordie Lockbaum played football at Holy Cross.

Rock music blared over the public address system and the New England fans taunted the small but noisy delegation of Wings fans.

It isn't every night that a championship game is played in Worcester. The Blazers had won six consecutive games in the Centrum. They were primed and their fans were, too.

By midway in the first half, however, the crowd was as quiet as a philosophy class at Holy Cross. And by midway in the fourth quarter, half the fans were on their way home.

Led by Brad Kotz (four goals, four assists) and Todd Curry (three goals, one assist) the Wings became the first MILL team to win back-to-back championships as they stuck it to the Blazers, 17-9.

"I told our players," Wings coach Dave Evans said later, "that when I played, there was no better sound in the world than to go into a visiting arena and have a silent building. Realistically, we had the fans out of it by the middle of the second quarter."

The Wings overcame three early New England one-goal leads to go on top, 5-3, on consecutive goals by Ricky Fried, Andy Wilson and Mark Hahn. After two goals by Curry helped increase the Wings lead to 7-4 late in the second period, a power play goal by John Fay, the Blazers' all-league forward, with 21 seconds remaining before halftime made the Wings squirm.

But just eight seconds later, Chris Flynn, the former University of Pennsylvania football and lacrosse player, scored off a faceoff to give Philadelphia an 8-5 advantage.

"Flynner's goal was probably the biggest goal of the game," said Evans. ''There's a big difference in confidence between 7-5 and 8-5 at halftime."

The Blazers scored first in the third period, but then Kotz tallied twice around an unassisted goal by John Conley to put the Wings in command, 11-6.

Kotz and Curry are the Wings' Syracuse connection. They were teammates for the Orangemen's national lacrosse power after also playing together in high school.

Although Kotz was inconsistent during the MILL's eight-game regular season, he was a key factor in Philadelphia's semifinal victory over New York a week ago. The Wings expect the all-league performer to contribute in big games.

"We did some things offensively," Evans said, "that we thought would get the ball in Brad's stick more often. We double-shifted him for the better part of the second half. We also tried to run our offense a bit deeper, so we could get Brad cutting off the ball and get the good high-percentage shot."

With strained knee ligaments again preventing John Tucker, the Wings other all-MILL selection, from playing last night, other players had to step up. Curry was one who ran to the rescue, which didn't surprise Kotz.

"He's the best cutter we've got," Kotz said. "And he's got great legs."

Both Kotz and Evans said a major motivation last night was the realization that the championship game was the last time many of the players will wear the Wings' silver, black and red. The team that has been intact for the last three seasons is aging and younger players will be sought.

"We had an up-and-down season," Kotz said. "For us to pull together and beat New York, then come up here and maybe play the best game we've played in a couple of years is pretty exciting. You always remember the first one (championship), but this is pretty nice, too."

While both New England goalies, starter John Yeager and second-half shot- stopper Dan O'Neill, struggled, Dwight Maetche played his second solid game in a row for the Wings. Maetche was at his best during a second-quarter Blazers power play when, with the Wings leading by 5-3, he made four saves.

"That wasn't Dwight's best game," said Evans, "but he made the big saves when we needed them."

For his effort, Maetche and the rest of the Wings collected a $200 bonus. That's it: $200 extra for winning a championship. That's road-trip tip money for many $1 million-a-year major league baseball players.

They would never understand these guys who play lacrosse because they love it.

ROAD TRIPS: THE SACKING OF WORCESTER

Monday, April 16, 1990

By Clark DeLeon

"Were you at the game?" asked the bearded man sitting in first class sipping a Bloody Mary on the plane back to Philadelphia from Worcester, Mass., where the homeboys had whupped the New England Blazers 17-9 the night before in the championship game of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. "Of course, you were there, why else would you be here?" he said, answering his own question.

"I had some business up here Friday," he continued, sounding like a button-down businessman, even though he was wearing blue jeans and a Philadelphia Wings T-shirt. "My business was to see the BLAZERS get their BUTTS kicked!!"

Meanwhile, back in coach, sat the coach. Victory is sweet, but Wings coach Dave Evans was already worrying about the future. "I hope I have enough money to get my car out of the airport parking lot," Evans said, pulling a lonely $20 bill from his wallet. And that was only the beginning. "I hope my car starts."

Evans drives a truly hideous maroon and gray junker of indiscriminate age and modelhood that he bartered from a guy he knows in exchange for six tickets to each Wings home game. It is for such perks that he has left his home and job in Vancouver for six months each of the last three years to coach the Wings, the top team in a league that pays its best players $250 per game and deducts the cost of the bus ride from the airport to the hotel from players' paychecks.

Why would a man make such sacrifices to coach, let alone play, professional indoor lacrosse?

As with a lot of things in life, if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand.

The Wings' fans understand. Philadelphia fans are the most vocal and most supportive of any in the league, and it was really something to see a couple hundred Wings fans outcheer 11,000 Blazers fans at the Centrum in Worcester during the championship game.

When Big Bill Gabrielsen, father of Wings forward Scott Gabrielsen and human semaphore, stood in the aisle behind the Wings bench to form the letters W-I-N-G-S, the Philadelphia fans chanted each letter like it was a game at the Spectrum. In fact, when a New England fan stood up after Gabe's performance and tried the same thing, the response was so weak you'd think the home crowd didn't know how to spell Blazers.

The fans know why. And the players appreciate it. After the Wings won their second league championship, and were presented with the goofy-looking multi-layered erstatz Stanley Cup trophy, the players ran over to a section of the crowd where Philadelphia fans were concentrated and dedicated their victory to them.

And despite the fact that they're capable of selling out the Spectrum, the Wings remain Not Ready for Prime Time Media Coverage. Until I volunteered to cover the championship game, The Inquirer was prepared to have a stringer from New England report the game. Wings general manager Mike French was so appreciative of having a media entourage (does one man count as an entourage?) accompany the team that he presented me with an autographed team pennant designating my 3-week-old Molly as "the official kid of the 1990-1991 Wings."

There's a lot of "kid" in these Wings. I guess that's why I like them so much. Their joy in being part of the game is so genuine. They are athletes in their prime and they are the best at what they do. So what if the pay stinks? They'd play this game for free, and they do.

In fact, when the plane arrived in Philadelphia there was only one Wings player on board, Chris Flynn, which made for a rather disappointing ''triumpant champions return" shot for the lone TV cameraman from Channel 6 who turned out to record the homecoming. The rest of the players had flown on to Baltimore because they were scheduled to play field lacrosse later that day for their amateur lacrosse clubs.

Flynn, the standout running back for Penn who is a Wings rookie, had the common sense to come home. That's because his field lacrosse club had a 2 o'clock game at Shipley.

These guys remind me of rugby players. And they accept that as the compliment it is intended to be. They party like rugby players as well. Some of the descriptions of the after-game celebration would make fascinating reading if this weren't a family newspaper. "How are you going to work the pterodactyl into the column?" Evans asked about a late-night encounter. ''I'll find a way," I said. "I'm just wondering how I can describe Delligatti's bloomers."

Evans offered to give me a lift home to West Philadelphia on the way to his apartment in Manayunk. It cost him $24 to get his car out of the airport garage ("There goes half my championship bonus") and the broken hood on his junker bounced comically as he drove on the expressway. "It's been a slice," he said when he dropped me off. What the coach needed was some shuteye, but he was headed somewhere else first.

There was a 2 o'clock game at Shipley.