Wednesday, October 24, 1990

By Clark DeLeon

I didn't have the space yesterday to deal with one aspect of City Councilman George Burrell's letter, the part where he asks, "Why did I think you had greater respect for athletes, athletics and the values they learn?" The fact is that anyone who has participated in serious organized athletics - serious in the sense of personal commitment; it doesn't matter on what level - can tell you how important that experience is in developing and testing personal values. Team sports offer some of life's greatest lessons, offer being the key word. Whether such lessons are learned, appreciated, acted upon and passed on to others all depends on the person.

To be tested, to be truly tested, that I think is what athletics is all about. It's a test of body and spirit, of flesh and will, of focus and imagination, of finding out how much you want it, whatever it is. Discipline, sacrifice, persistence - these are characteristics of success, but they are not guarantees.

That's because athletics offers other lessons as well: Life is not fair. The rich get richer. Good guys don't necessarily win.

You can learn that no matter how much you want it, no matter how hard you work to get it, you can lose it to someone who doesn't want it as much, someone who didn't work for it as hard, someone who was simply better. Faster, smarter, stronger, taller and even lazier, but better.

Such a bitter lesson, such a challenge to what was learned from the finer lesson, such a test of the test itself. And the passing grade in this test is wisdom and character. Because it is then that awful truth becomes clear, when the cliche takes on the mantle of the profound, when you understand the personal responsibility behind the statement:

It's not winning or losing that counts. It's how you play the game.

Play to win. Play fair. Believe in yourself. Respect your teammates and your opponents. Be generous in victory and gracious in defeat. Don't give up. Have a good time.

It's how you play the game that counts.

Imagine.

VALUES II: THE TOWEL BOY AND THE STAR

While writing the item above, I was trying to think of an example of someone I've seen demonstrate the spirit and values I was trying to describe. And who leapt to mind but John Tucker.

Tucker is the all-time leading scorer for the Philadelphia Wings of the National Indoor Lacrosse League. He was a three-time All-America at Johns Hopkins and he has mom-and-apple-pie dark good looks. His teammates think he's the greatest. Of course, it's easy to be the greatest when you are the greatest.

Last April, I traveled to Worcester, Mass., with the Wings for the league championship game against the New England Blazers, and there I saw the true Tucker.

In the playoffs, Tucker had suffered torn ligaments in one knee, and he was doubtful for the championship game. He wanted to play. Oh, how he wanted to play. It wasn't until the team meal the afternoon before the big game that the coach, Dave Evans, announced that Tucker wouldn't be dressing. The team would play for the championship without their top scorer.

And how did the Wings star react? Did he rage? Did he sulk? Did he howl at the moon? No, he picked up a pitcher of water and started busing tables where the teammates sat. "Oh, boy, over here!" they shouted, holding up empty glasses as he dashed bowed and limping across the carpet to fill them.

Later at the arena, Tucker worked as a towel boy in the locker room. His teammates wrapped him with their wet towels as they celebrated their championship win. "Towel Boy!" they called, and Tucker laughed. It was one of the most genuine, humble and heartfelt acts I've ever seen from anyone in sports.

"Tucker the towel boy," I thought to myself. "Now, there is a man."

Thursday, January 3, 1991

By Mike Kern, Daily News Sports Writer

Remember when no team could win consecutive championships? Well, these days, it seems as if everyone's attempting to "three-peat."

The San Francisco 49ers. The Detroit Pistons. The Philadelphia Wings.

Yep, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League is back for its fifth season, and the Wings, with pretty much the same cast of characters back, will be gunning for a third consecutive title.

"It's a huge challenge, no doubt," said coach Dave Evans, whose club opens the season Saturday night on the road against the Detroit Turbos. "Not that it wasn't last year. But this is even bigger. Now, everyone else really wants a piece of us. There's more pressure, more talking about it. But mostly, we're putting it on ourselves. I think it can be used as a positive, something that can help us out, subconsciously, in the back of our minds.

"It's like having a little extra incentive. And sometimes, you need those intangibles to push you over the top."

John Tucker, one of the league's best all-around players, is back. And so is Brad Kotz, one of the MILL's top scoring threats.

But gone is Bill Dirrigl, now the head lacrosse coach at Franklin & Marshall College. He probably was the best faceoff man in the league, so he will be missed. Also not returning, because of family and job commitments, is Dwight Maetche, who probably was the MILL's best goalie. Fellow Vancouver import Dallas Eliuk will take his starting spot.

"As far as stopping the ball, I'd say it's about a draw between Dallas and Dwight," Evans said. "Where Dwight had an advantage was in moving the ball around once he got it - although Dallas is better than I thought - and in being more of a take-charge guy in terms of leadership."

In another change, Kevin Bilger, who would have been the backup goalie, now is playing for the Pittsburgh Bulls. So the No. 2 guy is untested Mark Moschella, the former third-stringer.

There are changes around the league as well. Each of the six teams play 10 games this season, an increase of two, which means there now is a full round- robin schedule in place and nobody can benefit any longer from not having to play a certain team twice.

Also, there now are two divisions. The Wings are in the National, along with the New York Saints and the Baltimore Thunder. Detroit, Pittsburgh and the New England Blazers make up the American. The division winners will meet in a one-game championship. Unlike past seasons, there is no semifinal.

The split supposedly came about because the league is looking to expand to eight teams in 1992 (Chicago and Buffalo appear to be the top candidates at the moment), and this move might make it easier to assimilate the new clubs. Plus, as far as securing arena dates and promoting the title game are concerned, this is an economically feasible decision, too, although it could mean fewer teams will entertain playoff hopes come March.

Detroit, by the way, just might be the best team in the league, because of the additions of twins Paul and Gary Gait, the former Syracuse All-Americas. In the Turbos' come-from-behind, 20-16 win at Baltimore Saturday, the two combined for 11 goals.

"They are a little unbelievable," Evans said. "But maybe this will work out for us. If we lose at their place, well, we're expected to, I guess. But if we go up and beat them, then it's quite a start."

The Wings have sold almost 6,000 season tickets, up nearly 1,000 from last season. Their home opener is Jan. 11 against New England at the Spectrum. Faceoff is at 8 p.m.

Friday, January 4, 1991

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

For the third consecutive year, the Philadelphia Wings - two-time defending Major Indoor Lacrosse League champions - open the season with a new goalie in the nets.

Not that there was anything wrong with last year's playoff hero, Dwight Maetche, or his backup, Kevin Bilger.

Maetche got a better job in Vancouver, British Columbia, got married and bought an expensive house. He simply couldn't afford to leave all that for the league's new highest salary of $300 a game.

"It didn't seem realistic for Dwight to come back," said Wings coach Dave Evans, whose club opens the season tomorrow in Detroit at 8 p.m. "His sales job is pretty good."

As for Bilger, he requested - and got - a trade to Pittsburgh, where he'll probably be a starter this season.

"Kevin was sort of jolted, because he filled in last season when Dwight got hurt and then Dwight comes back to play in the playoffs," Evans said. ''As a former goalie, I can understand that. But I didn't trade Kevin by choice."

The Wings open their home schedule next Friday at the Spectrum against the New England Blazers, the team they beat for the MILL title last season.

The new face in the nets, collecting a rookie salary of $125 a game, will be Dallas Eliuk, who was the MVP in last year's Western Lacrosse Association playoffs for Burnaby. The winning goalie in those Canadian box-lacrosse playoffs was none other than Vancouver's Maetche.

"Dallas got the MVP, and Dwight got the victory," Evans said. "Dallas is our No. 1 goalie, but I am concerned about depth there."

With good reason. Backup Mark Moschella has been with the Wings since 1987 as a third-string goalie but has yet to step onto the Spectrum carpet in a game.

Besides Maetche, another face absent from the roster this season is face- off specialist Bill Dirrigl, who retired to accept the head coaching job at Franklin and Marshall College.

Dirrigl holds the league record for face-offs won in a season (91), set last year.

Chris Flynn will handle most of the face-offs this season, with Scott Gabrielsen filling in on occasion.

Evans has juggled his lines and elevated Brad Kotz's line to No. 1, with Gary Martin, Tony Resch, Andy Wilson and Mark Hahn.

Kotz was second on the team in goals last season (11) and third in points (20). Wilson was second in points (22) and tied for the club lead in goals (13) with John Tucker, who led in points (23).

Tucker's line has two new faces in Paul Deniken and John Holthaus. The rest of it remains intact, with Gabrielsen and Greg Manley.

Evans expected - even would have welcomed - more retirements by his veteran players.

"I'm surprised so many came back," he said. "I was sort of hoping a half-dozen might retire and get some younger guys in there. After two championships, there is a contentment that sets in.

"On the other hand, you can't substitute for experience in this league. Veterans have such a tremendous edge on rookies. So I couldn't clean house.

"They're going for three in a row, and no one has done that, so I guess there is a motivation factor."

Sunday, January 6, 1991

The Philadelphia Wings, two-time defending champions of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, fell to the Detroit Turbos, 18-8, last night in their season opener at Joe Louis Arena.

The Wings' new goalie, Dallas Eliuk, had a tough time in the nets, allowing 18 goals on 43 shots.

Detroit's Paul Gait accounted for six of those goals, and his twin brother, Gary, also scored one.

Paul Deniken led the Wings with two goals.

Friday, January 11, 1991

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Achieving parity often takes a decade or longer in some sports.

But in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, all it took to turn last season's last-place Detroit Turbos into the odds-on favorites to win this season's championship was one draft and two players - Paul and Gary Gait.

The Gait brothers, who rewrote the NCAA outdoor record book at Syracuse, combined for seven goals and 11 assists during the host Turbos' 20-8 season- opening victory over the Philadelphia Wings on Saturday in Detroit.

"What a difference two players can make," said Wings goalie Dallas Eliuk, who faced 61 shots in that game. "They're a whole different club. Guess we're lucky they're not in our division."

True, the Wings (0-1), two-time MILL champions, are nestled safely in first place in the American Division even though they haven't won a game. Neither has anyone else in the division.

Tonight at 8 at the Spectrum, the Wings will open their home schedule against the New England Blazers, the team they beat in the championship final last season.

"I think the Turbo game jolted us," said Wings coach Dave Evans. "I hope they take it the right way. Our shooting and shot selection was very poor. What was worse was our transition game from offense to defense. It was terrible."

Saturday, January 26, 1991

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

The Philadelphia Wings, looking for their third straight Major Indoor Lacrosse League title, have gotten off to a rocky start this season.

For the first time in nearly three seasons, the Wings are under .500 (1-2), last in the six-team MILL in shots on goal and last in on-goal scoring efficiency (20.5 percent). They don't have anyone among the league's top five scorers.

Meanwhile, the New York Saints, who visit the Spectrum tonight in a rare 8:45 p.m. start because of the Villanova game earlier in the day, are in first place in the American Division with a 1-1 record.

So is anything seriously wrong with the Wings?

"We had a sit-down on Tuesday to address just that," said forward Scott Gabrielsen, who has just three goals this season. "We came up with a few answers. Do we want to win this thing a third time? Morale is low. So is our focus. You can't just walk into the building off the street, put on your gear and expect to win. We need to find that old spark."

Coach Dave Evans said: "We're not getting those high-percentage shots, the good shots on goal that we need. Something is missing this season; I don't know what. We don't seem to have the sense of urgency that sparked us the past two seasons. There's less team togetherness. I feel some of the guys haven't been having as much fun as they should. Everything is different."

Evans also noted that the club, basically unchanged over the last four years, is aging. The Wings' average age is 28.5, while some of the other clubs - Detroit and New York, for instance - average about 26 years of age.

"Twenty-eight or 29 may not seem old in some other sports, but it is considered old in box lacrosse," said Evans. "We needed some injection of new blood this year and we didn't get it. Look what New York did. They got rid of some dead weight and they're hungry again."

John Conley's hat trick and Ricky Fried's first two goals of the season sparked the Philadelphia Wings to a 13-8 victory over the New York Saints before 16,282 at the Spectrum.

The victory pushed the Wings (2-2) into first place in the American Division of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League, ahead of New York (1-2).

The Wings scored four unanswered goals in the third quarter to snap a 7-7 tie. Two of those goals, by Conley and Brad Kotz, came only eight seconds apart. Fried and Paul Deniken scored the others.

Wings goalie Dallas Eliuk (35 saves) was superb in the nets, stopping Rob Codignotto three times on breakaways.

Monday, January 28, 1991

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Maybe Dave Evans has underestimated his ability as an orator.

A two-hour chat with his Philadelphia Wings last week produced startling results in Saturday's 13-8 win over the New York Saints.

Things like checking opponents through the boards and under the Spectrum carpet, accumulating 18 assists after compiling just 21 in the first three games, and scoring goals in bunches, just like old times.

"Maybe I should have had the meeting earlier," said Evans, the coach. ''They really responded well."

If there was any doubt about whether the Wings (2-2) have found themselves, it was quashed in the third quarter, when they scored four straight goals, including two that were eight seconds apart, to snap a 7-7 tie.

Add some fine defense and a sterling performance in the nets by goalie Dallas Eliuk, and the temptation is to say the old Wings are back.

"Our big thing is to get the ball down, set up and play that rough and tough style," said John Conley, who scored three goals against the Saints. ''We finally did that."

Conley alternated on John Tucker's and Lou Delligatti's lines. He was particularly effective on Tucker's penalty unit, which Evans employs in four- on-four situations.

"I really enjoy four-on-four," said Conley. "That's where I get the most room to operate. In those situations, when you beat a guy, no one is there to stop you."

Conley missed one game this season with torn cartilage in his ribs, but showed no signs of problems in his cradling moves and overhand shots.

Forward Ricky Fried scored his first two goals of the season on Saturday.

"I don't know if I've been pressing too much in games, but maybe I've been thinking too much instead of just shooting the ball," said Fried, whose second goal ended the third-period barrage and gave the Wings an 11-7 lead.

"One of the things we talked about over and over this week was transition play from offense to defense. We didn't have it until tonight. When this team plays five-on-five, no one is going to beat us."

Watching the Wings operate against the Saints was like watching a video from the past two seasons. All the little things that helped the Wings win two Major Indoor Lacrosse League championships were evident.

Take Paul Deniken's third-quarter goal, which put the Wings ahead to stay, 8-7.

Greg Manley faked a shot, then dropped the ball over a New York defender and right onto Deniken's stick in the crease. Before goalie Vinnie Pfeifer could react, the ball was in the net.

"Deniken's goal was so nice," said Evans, who earned the 20th coaching victory of his career. "You saw a lot of good teamwork tonight. That's the funny thing. The more we talked about what was wrong, the more we talked about little things like teamwork and getting back to basics."

Eliuk, in his first season of American box lacrosse, finally appears to have settled in as the Wings' starting goalie.

Three times he thwarted New York's Rob Codignotto on clean breakaways. He also stopped Tim McIntee.

"Dallas had a helluva game," said Evans. "This is the first time he's really played up to his capability."

Eliuk said it felt good to have a crowd of 16,282 roaring its approval.

"That crowd gives a goalie such a lift," he said. "I felt more comfortable this game. They played better defense in front of me."

For the breakaways, something that had victimized the Wings in three earlier games, Eliuk said he had made an adjustment.

"I'm watching for the ball now, and not the man," he said. "Hey, I couldn't tell Codignotto from Jon Reese. They all look alike in that bird-cage mask."

Monday, February 11, 1991

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

The Gait brothers, Gary and Paul, demonstrated their dominance of indoor lacrosse yesterday at the Spectrum by combining for five goals and six assists - and breaking two Major Indoor Lacrosse League records - in the Detroit Turbos' 14-12 win over the Philadelphia Wings.

"You almost marvel at their skills," said Wings coach Dave Evans. "The way they handle the ball - especially Gary with the stick. If you overcommit, it's too late."

With less than four minutes remaining in the game, Gary Gait, who finished with three goals and three assists, got the ball with the Turbos protecting a 14-11 lead.

Four Wings tried to poke it away from him. He switched hands. He faked high and low, left and right. He even forced two Wings to run into each other.

Still, he held onto the ball, killing two minutes off the clock.

"Twenty years of playing lacrosse allows me to do that," Gary Gait said. ''Part of the reason is playing with my brother. We've been doing it so long; we know so much about each other out there.

"Plus, these guys allow us to play our game. It's an unselfish club."

The crowd of 16,642 saw a pair of league records fall:

* Paul Gait scored twice to break the single-season record for goals, 28, set by the Wings' Brad Kotz in 1989. Gait now has 30.

* Gary Gait's three assists broke the single-season record for assists, 24, set by the Wings' John Tucker in 1989. Gait now has 25.

If there was one consolation for the Wings, it was holding Detroit to 14 goals - six under its league-leading average of 20.

That was a result of marvelous goaltending by Dallas Eliuk, who made 43 saves. Many of Detroit's goals came on clean breakaways.

In fact, with the Gait brothers controlling the ball as if their aluminum sticks were magnetic, Detroit actually dominated many of the Wings' power plays, making Eliuk's job even harder. The Turbos wound up scoring three short-handed goals.

"We gave them the ball eight to 10 times because of poor shot selection," said Evans. "When you do that, it's no wonder, with their skill level, that they'll turn that into four or five goals, which they did."

Tucker and Lou Delligatti led the Wings with two goals each. With 10 goals this season, Tucker is the only Wings player in double digits in scoring.

The Wings never led, although they tied the score four times, the last with 8 minutes, 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Scott Gabrielsen's 15-footer past Turbo goalie Ted Sawicki made it 11-11. A minute later, Pete Parke gave the Turbos the lead for good, scoring his third goal of the game.

The victory gave the Turbos a 5-1 record and a stranglehold on the National Division lead. The Wings dropped to 2-3 in the American Division.

If both clubs won their divisions, they would meet in the one-game championship, which probably would be played in Philadelphia because the Wings draw well - they lead the league in home attendance with an average of 15,904.

"That's kind of hokey, since they've beaten us twice, but I would welcome the home advantage," Evans said.

Thursday, February 28, 1991

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

The last time the Philadelphia Wings held a team meeting, the club went out and defeated the New York Saints, 13-8.

With the Wings (2-4) struggling to make the Major Indoor Lacrosse League playoffs, Philadelphia coach Dave Evans held another team chat on Tuesday, hoping to find answers before tonight's 8 o'clock game against the Pittsburgh Bulls (2-3) at the Spectrum.

"I asked them some questions," said Evans. "Have they lost confidence in themselves or our game plans? Are they bored? What is it? We play well in spurts, but we haven't played well overall. It's a matter of executing what I consider a very simple game plan."

The Wings lost, 13-11, to the New England Blazers on Friday without their top scorer, John Tucker (10 goals, 20 points), who had a conflict with another job. Also missing was Brad Kotz (six goals, 12 points), who mysteriously broke his left hand in early February and is expected to miss his third straight game tonight.

Also absent last week was Todd Curry (two goals, 10 points), who is expected to miss two of the Wings' final three games because of his coaching job at Loyola of Baltimore.

"Losing guys to job commitments is just something that we are going to have to live with," said Evans. "The league is never going to pay these guys enough money to quit their regular jobs."

The Wings are last in the MILL in scoring (68 goals) and are averaging 3.5 fewer goals per game than last season. Although the Wings are third defensively, they have also given up 14 more goals (82) than they've scored.

Despite these woes, the Wings could win the American Division with a 4-6 record and meet probable National Division champion Detroit (6-1) in the championship game on April 6. League officials have decided to play the title game where home attendance is best.

Which means it could be at the Spectrum, because the Wings lead the league with an average attendance of 15,904.

"It's hard to believe we could finish under .500, still win our division and host the title game," said Evans. "But it could happen. It's hokey, but I won't fight it."

Friday, March 1, 1991

By Paul Domowitch, Daily News Sports Writer

If anybody wants Philadelphia Wings forward Gary Martin the next seven days, they will have to track him down in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Martin and his wife are off to Jackson Hole today for their first vacation since Martin's wife gave birth to their first child 15 months ago.

Before leaving, Martin helped keep alive the Wings' hopes for a third successive Major Indoor Lacrosse League title, with three goals in his team's 11-9 come-from-behind victory over the Pittsburgh Bulls last night at the Spectrum.

The win moved the 3-4 Wings just a game behind the division-leading Baltimore Thunder with three to play. Two of those final three games are against Baltimore.

Martin's hat trick was only the second of his MILL career. The first one came in his first game with the Wings in 1988.

He had just three goals in the Wings' previous six games. But last night, the 29-year-old former Penn State star was constantly in the right place at the right time. Two of his three goals came in a pivotal third period in which the Wings scored four goals and turned a 7-5 halftime deficit into a 9-8 advantage.

The Wings also got two-goal efforts from John Holthaus, Scott Gabrielsen and Mark Hahn.

"Gary plays that type of game every game," Wings coach Dave Evans said. ''But tonight, he got the (scoring) opportunities and put them in the net. Other nights, he works just as hard and does the other stuff away from the ball."

Martin has been overshadowed the last few years by linemates Brad Kotz and Andy Wilson, two of the Wings' top scorers. But with Kotz out with a broken hand and Wilson also not in uniform last night, Martin felt he had to pick up the scoring slack.

"They're the goal scorers," Martin said. "But with both of them out, other people had to come up (and do the job). I don't usually get this many (opportunities)."

Martin had two excellent point-blank opportunities for a fourth goal foiled in the fourth quarter by Bulls goalie Kevin Bilger, who used to play for the Wings.

"I think Kevin knew where I was putting the ball," Martin said. "If you think about it, it's not going to go in. That's what I was doing. I was thinking top corner (of the net)."

Martin's mother, who lives in Florida, was in attendance last night. She will take care of his daughter while he and his wife are in Wyoming.

The Wings' valiant second-half comeback followed an awful first half that saw Philadelphia give up no fewer than five breakaway goals.

"They scored seven goals in the first half and didn't earn one of them," Evans said. "Every one of them was just a stupid, asinine error on our part. All we had to do was eliminate the errors and take charge. Which is what we did in the second half.

"That (second half) was the best half we've played all year."

WINGTIPS: Included among last night's 13,712 spectators were 76ers forward Charles Barkley and Flyers goalie Pete Peeters. "Rick (Mahorn) would really like this game," Barkley said, referring to the MILL's non-stop body-banging . . . Pittsburgh had two goals negated because the shots were attempted inside the crease.

Friday, March 1, 1991

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

Gary Martin and John Holthaus aren't exactly household names to fans of the Philadelphia Wings.

Until last night, they had combined for just three goals this season - all by Martin.

This morning, however, they're local lacrosse heroes.

Martin scored three goals and Holthaus two as the Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Bulls, 11-9, before 13,712 at the Spectrum.

"My very first game against Washington four years ago, I got a hat trick, so it's been a long time between them," said Martin. "I was an attack man in college (Penn State), and in this league, I have been more of a defensive player. I had enough shots in the past, but tonight they finally went in.

"Maybe it had something to do with my mother. She came all the way from Pompano Beach (Fla.) to see me play. I think I'll keep her here."

Ball possession was the key as the Wings (3-4) controlled play in the second half, patiently setting up for the good shot and working the ball, side to side.

The Bulls fell to 2-4.

The Wings scored three goals in the first 6 minutes, 36 seconds of the third quarter, erasing a two-goal deficit to pull ahead for good at 8-7.

Two of those goals came from Martin while the third was scored by Scott Gabrielsen (two goals).

Holthaus, a rookie, made it 9-7 at 11:37 as he picked up a loose ball in the crease and fired it past Kevin Bilger for his first goal of the season.

Holthaus scored again early in the final quarter and then Mark Hahn, who had two goals on the night, scored a power play goal at 5:24 to give the Wings a cushion at 11-8.

The Wings entered last night's match 1 1/2 games behind the Baltimore Thunder (4-3) in the American Division.

Fittingly, the Wings' final two games of the season are against Baltimore, with St. Patrick's Day (March 17) marking the Wings' final regular-season home appearance.

The Bulls jumped all over the Wings early - as have most teams this season - consistently outsprinting the Wings' defense with quick outlet passes.

Brian Nikula and Sandy Harrison scored in the first five minutes to give the Bulls a 2-0 lead.

Pittsburgh scored five breakaway goals on Wings' goalie Dallas Eliuk and held a 7-5 halftime lead.

John Wilson and Bob Martino were partially responsible with their deep outlet passes that seemed to catch the Wings' flat-footed.

In what is becoming an alarming trend, the Wings lost every footrace up the carpet on one-on-one or two-on-one breakaways, leaving Eliuk to face most shots head-on.

Bulls goalie Bilger, who guided the Wings to the 1989 Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship, made several nice saves, including two arm deflections on Tony Resch and Paul Deniken.

The Wings managed to take the lead three times in the first half, the last time coming at 4:43 of the second quarter, when John Conley's 20-footer gave them a 5-4 edge.

Sunday, March 10, 1991

Paul Deniken scored three goals and added two assists last night to lift the Philadelphia Wings to a 15-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Bulls in a Major Indoor Lacrosse League game at the Civic Arena.

Greg Manley and Ricky Fried added two goals apiece as the Wings improved their record to 4-4 with two games remaining. Dallas Eliuk played an excellent game in goal, with 47 saves.

The Wings, who got goals from 11 different players, held a 5-2 lead at halftime and put the game away with seven goals in the fourth quarter.

Sunday, March 17, 1991

By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer

If the Philadelphia Wings want to win their third consecutive Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship, they'll have to steal the Thunder - twice - beginning with today's 1:30 p.m. match at the Spectrum against Baltimore.

The Thunder (5-3) leads the American Division by one game over the Wings (4-4). Both clubs end their seasons Saturday at the Baltimore Arena.

"We don't foresee us losing at home this weekend," said Lou Delligatti, an original Wings member from 1987. "One thing is different: We're going into this game with a lot more respect for Baltimore than we've had in the past."

One reason for that is goalie Jeff Gombar, who has 236 saves in seven games. Gombar set a league record with a remarkable 60 saves in the Thunder's 14-10 win over the New York Saints on Feb. 15.

Aside from goaltending, the Thunder also enjoys a speed advantage over the Wings.

The Wings return home having won last week at Pittsburgh, 15-7, with the help of Paul Deniken's hat trick. Delligatti says practices of late have been spirited.

"It's like old times again," he said. "We've come together as a team. It's do or die for us. We think we can win both games."

If the Wings do, they'll host the MILL title game on April 7 at the Spectrum against the Detroit Turbos (7-2), who already have clinched the National Division.