Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/13/10
Max Seibald, the 2009 NCAA Lacrosse Player of the Year, will make his National Lacrosse League home debut in a Wings uniform when the Wings host the Buffalo Bandits tonight in a must-win game at the Wachovia Center at 8:00.
Seibald, last year’s Tewaaraton Trophy winner, was acquired from the Boston Blazers on January 25 in exchange for the Wings’ 2010 first-round draft pick and future considerations. He made his professional lacrosse debut last week in Toronto at the Air Canada Centre.
“Max had some good energy,” said Wings GM and coach Dave Huntley. “Toronto is a tough place to play and this was the first time he ever stepped inside an arena to play lacrosse. If everyone plays to the level Max did, and he exceeded my expectation, maybe the result would be different.”
The Bandits (1-5) are last in the Eastern Division in the NLL. Buffalo is 10th in the League on the power play, converting on 28 percent of its opportunities and ninth in the League in killing power plays (55 percent). The No. 1 one seed in the 2009 Eastern Division playoffs is 0-3 on the road this season.
Mark Steenhuis leads the Bandits with 30 points (13G, 17A), followed by Mike Accursi with 13 points (9G, 4A). Goalie, Ken Montour, has a goals against average of 11.06 per game and a save percentage of .783. Brandon Francis is third in the league with 41 penalty minutes.
The Wings, (1-4) are fifth in the Eastern Division. Philadelphia is ninth in the League on the power play, converting on 31 percent of its chances, and seventh in the League killing power plays (57 percent). The Wings are 1-1 at the Wachovia Center.
Drew Westervelt leads the Wings with 20 points (9G, 11A) and Mat Giles has 19 points (9G, 10A). Wings goalie Brandon Miller has 185 saves on the season with a save percentage of .749.
“We are in the same position as the Wings and I don’t want to say we will make wholesale changes if we don’t get wins in the next couple, but that might be what we have to do,” said Bandits coach and GM Derek Graham.
Huntley also said the game has much importance: “We have to turn it around this weekend.
“Every week is important and everyone approaches it as one game at a time but there are games that are essential where you draw lines in the sand and this is one. This is a playoff game for us.”
