Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/8/08
Philadelphia Wings second-year forward Athan Iannucci continues to score at a record pace and is a near bet to break the National Lacrosse League (NLL) record for goals in a season in the coming weeks.
Iannucci, with 54 goals, is seven from tying the league mark of 61 goals set by the Colorado Mammoth’s Gary Gait in 2003. Iannucci is averaging 4.5 goals per game and the Wings have four regular season games remaining.
Philadelphia plays Friday at the Portland LumberJax at the Rose Garden and Saturday at the Minnesota Swarm at the Xcel Energy Center.
“Athan is a very gifted lacrosse player,” said Wings coach Dave Huntley. “It’s amazing that in his second year as a pro that he has been able to play at such a high level each night. He is an instrumental part of the team success that we have had this season.”
Iannucci, who scored his 54th goal in the Wings’ 11-9 win over the Toronto Rock Sunday, is currently tied for fourth on the NLL’s single-season goal scoring list with Paul Gait (Washington, 2002) and John Grant (Rochester, 2006).
The top three spots are all held by Gary Gait, who also played for the Wings from 1993-97.
The current NLL single-season goal record, 61, is a significant number in all of sports. Roger Maris recorded 61 home runs during the 1961 season to break Babe Ruth’s previous mark of 60; Maris’ record stood for 38 years.
In basketball, Los Angeles Laker Elgin Baylor scored 61 points in game 5 of the 1962 NBA Finals game versus the Boston Celtics, a single game NBA Finals record.
In hockey, Wayne Gretzky holds or shares 61 different records, including the most goals scored through the first 50 games of a season, which he set in the 1981-82 season when he netted 61 goals.
