Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/23/22 – From Press Release
The Philadelphia Wings came out of the locker room at halftime and took off like a rocket, scoring five times in the first 3:09 and used a 13-3 second-half scoring advantage to claim an 18-10 win over the Rochester Knighthawks Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center.
The victory moved the Wings to 4-2 on the season ahead of this afternoon’s showdown with the New York Riptide at 4 p.m. at the WFC.
The game was a tale of two halves, as the Knighthawks erased a 2-0 lead the Wings had opened up in a 60-second span during the first quarter. Rochester went on a 6-1 run over the final five minutes of the first quarter and first three minutes of the second quarter. The Wings slowed the momentum but still trailed 7-5 at halftime.
However, the second half turned into a completely different affair as the Wings scored four goals in the first 92 seconds and added four more before the end of the period, outdistancing the Knighthawks 8-1. A further 5-2 scoring advantage took the contest to its 18-10 conclusion, one goal shy of the Wings’ franchise record of 19 in a game established in the 2018-19 season.
By the end of the night, nine different Wings had found the back of the net, led by a hat trick from Ben McIntosh (Drexel). Matt Rambo (La Salle, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy assistant coach), Trevor Baptiste, Blaze Riorden, Brett Hickey, Kevin Crowley 9Fusion Co-Founder), Cory Vitarelli, and Kiel Matisz all scored twice, while Anthony Joaquim got in on the fun with his first goal of the season.
Crowley contributed seven assists for a season-high nine points, while Matisz had four assists for six points and Rambo, Vitarelli and McIntosh each earned five point nights. Trevor Baptiste won 20 faceoffs, passing the 700-win milestone for his career in the process, and also grabbing 16 loose balls.
Zach Higgins earned the win with 44 saves on 54 shots. The Wings fired 64 shots on Rochester goaltenders Rylan Hartley and Joel Watson, with Hartley absorbing the loss on 47 shots faced. Watson stopped 11 of 17.
The Wings play the second half of the back-to-back on Sunday when they host the New York Riptide at 4pm.
WINGS MILESTONES:
Philadelphia Wings defenseman, Trevor Baptiste, hit a career-high 700 faceoff wins this weekend against the Rochester Knighthakws. Baptiste, with an impressive winning faceoff record of 66.9% leads the league in faceoff wins.
Philadelphia Wings defenseman, John Ranagan, celebrated his 100th game played this Saturday as the Wings faced off against the Rochester Knighthawks. This is Ranagan’s first season with Wings already cementing himself as an integral part of the team’s defensive squad.
Philadelphia Wings transition player and captain, Kiel Matisz, celebrated his 300th assist this weekend against the Rochester Knighthawks. Matisz ranks in the top 10% for assists within the league, with 15 recorded so far this season.
UP NEXT:
Todayat 4:00 pm at Wells Fargo Center, the Philadelphia Wings will host their special ‘Bark in the Bowl’ game when they take on the New York Riptide. At Bark in the Bowl, dog lovers and Wings fans alike are invited to bring their furry friends to take part in dog-friendly activities throughout the concourse. Both dogs and their owners can look forward to enjoying treats throughout the game including a special pup-inspired beverage. The first 500 dogs in attendance will also receive a Wings bandana.
**Adoptable puppies will be available on the concourse located at the Broad Street Atrium by Section 123 courtesy of Emancipet and Pennsylvania SPCA
Wings fans and their furry friends can purchase tickets at wingslax.com.