The Philadelphia Wings are soaring.
Kevin Crowley leads the NLL in points after six games. Trevor Baptiste continues to be one of the most reliable possession extending transition players in the league. The Wings play a disciplined brand of lacrosse. In an imperfect game, they’re doing all the right things to stay in the postseason hunt.
Hosting back-to-back games this weekend at the Wells Fargo Center, Day dressed a lineup that says, “hey, Philadelphia, we’re putting our name in for the best team in town.”
Wings Rout Knighthawks
Last night, the Philadelphia Wings kept a stronghold on third place in the Eastern Conference. Bouncing back from a controversial loss to the Albany FireWolves, the Wings defeated the Rochester Knighthawks, 18-10. Philadelphia tied the most amount of goals scored by a team this season.
Corey Small did leave the game but will play today.
When firing on all cylinders, the Wings are one of the most lethal teams in the NLL. They’re a roster deep with veteran scorers, primed transition and attack, and Zach Higgins is the goaltender. Speaking of Higgins, he allowed three second-half goals, allowing his team to gallop on the scoreboard. Philadelphia scored eight straight goals to open the second half.
“Our motive this week was holding each other accountable and giving more effort. We all had more juice, and it showed on the scoreboard and the game.”
Trevor Baptiste; 1/22/2022
Remember what happened the last time the Wings played the Knighthawks? It makes this victory taste sweeter.
Today, Philadelphia could improve its record in the Eastern Conference. A win against the New York Riptide keeps the Wings amongst the elite of the NLL. The Riptide are searching for their first victory of 2021-2022 and are 0-1 versus the Wings. New York has never defeated Philadelphia, in fact. A win at the Wells Fargo Center would be a first in multiple ways for the Riptide.
Wings Drop One
Unlike yesterday, the Wings weren’t able to protect themselves against penalties. Philadelphia finished 1/5 on the penalty kill, whereas New York was 2/7. Early miscues, including a shorthanded goal by Mackenzie Mitchell, contributed to the Riptide having just enough to conquer the Wings in regulation.
“We lost the five-on-five game tonight, which we don’t lose very often.”
Paul Day; 1/23/2022
Philadelphia couldn’t pull away. They were as disciplined as the opposition throughout the game. Cory Vitarelli and Small recorded hat tricks, but both efforts didn’t up-end Conor Kearnan. In front of Steven Orleman, Kearnan and the rest of New York made sure the offense willed their way to their first victory of the season and first-ever versus the Wings.
On the weekend, Philadelphia improves to 4-3, defeating the Knighthawks and admitting defeat to the Riptide.
Up Next
Following a weekend at home, the Wings visit the Georgia Swarm. The last time these two teams battled, Blaze Riorden sent the crowd home happy, securing the overtime winner.
Overall, Philadelphia is 3-3 all-time against the Swarm.
Expect another close game. Higgins hasn’t faced Georgia this season. Eric Penny earned the overtime victory. Matt Rambo, Ben McIntosh, and Riorden all had hat tricks in the win.
Lyle Thompson hung five on Penny. Kason Tarbell helped defensively; the Wings totaled 39 shots on Mike Poulin. Georgia’s record doesn’t accurately represent how stubborn they play Philadelphia.
(Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre)
