Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/3/12
From Press Release
The Philadelphia Wings have clinched their first home playoff game in 10 years.
Philadelphia (7-5) was idle last weekend. However, losses by Buffalo and Washington, along with Edmonton’s victory over Minnesota on Saturday, clinched a playoff spot for the Wings.
Philadelphia – which went 5-11 last year and finished last in the eastern Division – hosts Minnesota this Friday at 7 p.m. at Wells Fargo Center and then plays at Buffalo on Saturday. The Wings can clinch a home playoff game with two wins and a Rochester loss to Calgary next weekend. The Wings last hosted a home playoff game in 2002.
The Wings turnaround is due in large part to a plethora of offseason changes that have changed the culture of the team in the locker room as well as the performance on the field. After serving as the team’s general manager in 2011, Johnny Mouradian has also assumed head coaching responsibilities this season. Additionally, the Wings added offensive firepower when they acquired Brodie Merrill in an offseason trade, Dan Dawson with the No. 1 overall pick in the dispersal draft and Kevin Crowley with the No. 1 overall pick in the entry draft.
In addition to commanding the locker room, Wings Captain Merrill has been a standout transition player this season with 116 loose balls recovered, tops among non-faceoff men. Dawson is the team’s top set-up man with a league-high 68 assists while Crowley is currently second in the NLL with 33 goals scored.
Tickets can be purchased online at WingsLAX.com or by phone at 215-389-WING.
Toronto (6-6) can clinch a playoff berth next weekend with a win over Edmonton and a Buffalo loss to Philadelphia. A win would bring Toronto to 7 wins and a Buffalo loss would give the Bandits 9 losses. Washington also has 9 losses. Buffalo and Washington play each other later this season, and the loser of that game would have at least 10 losses. Toronto could finish no worse than 7-9.
About the 2012 National Lacrosse League Playoffs
The 2012 NLL Playoffs will begin on the weekend of May 4-6 and are scheduled to take place over three consecutive weekends.
Eight teams will advance to the playoffs. All playoff games are single-elimination, and hosted by the higher-seeded team.
The four Divisional Semifinal games will open the playoffs on the weekend of May 4-6. The winners advance to the Eastern and Western Divisional Finals on the weekend of May 11-13. The winners advance to the 2012 NLL Championship Game.
Playoffs Calendar
April 28: Final Day of Regular Season
Weekend of May 4-6: Divisional Semifinals
Weekend of May 11-13: Divisional Finals
Weekend of May 18-20: Championship Game
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