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The Swarm Take On All Comers in 2009

2009 Schedule

September 2, 2008

The Minnesota Swarm along with the rest of the National Lacrosse League teams announced their schedules for the 2009 season. Even with the switch to the West, the Swarm will get an healthy dose of East opponents. They will only play six games within their new division, with the other ten games against the division they just departed. The rest of their division opponents will play anywhere from eleven to thirteen division games. Tiebreakers be damned in the West this year as I am sure controversy will prevail at years end when a tiebreaker may come down to a team that played six division games compared to a team that played thirteen division games.

Another way to look at the schedule is that the Swarm will be the only team to play every other team in the league at least once. They double up against Buffalo, Chicago, Colorado and Philadelphia. The variety of teams on the schedule should be a treat for Swarm fans and alleviate some of the concern of the unorthodox scheduling that rules in the NLL. Fans will be able to watch eight different teams at home. The four teams not coming to the X: Calgary, Portland, Rochester and Toronto can be seen on the road or hopefully simulcasted back to the Twin Cities. This schedule should be an interesting experiment the league can follow to see how a team handles playing every team in the league. The logistics, themselves, will be quite daunting. Maybe this is the wave of the future or maybe this is just an anomaly. Time will tell.

The Swarm have two weekends off: January 17 and March 7 for the All-Star game. They have two double header weekends including a nasty road trip doubledecker against Toronto and Buffalo on February 26 and 27. The Swarm finish the second half of the season with four straight road games followed by four straight home games to finish the season. Good tailgating games in April for the Swarm. The Swarm home schedule is the best ever when it comes to days with seven games on Saturday and one on Friday. Expect the Swarm to break attendance records this year with all those Saturday home games.

Now. lets breakdown the 2009 schedule as the Swarm Strikes Back at all enemies, West and East:

  • Saturday, January 3 on the road vs.Portland LumberJax - Swarm lead series 3-1
    The Swarm start the season on the road against the West representatives in last year's Champions Cup. Last year, Ryan Cousins scored the game winning goal in overtime to beat the Jax, 14-13, at the X. The LumberJax lost their top scorer, Dan Dawson, to Boston in the dispersal draft but still have Brodie Merrill on defense to lead the team. Matt Disher, Scott Stewart, Spencer Martin are former Swarm with Jax.
  • Saturday, January 10 at home vs. Philadelphia Wings - Swarm lead series 6-4
    The Wings will be the home opening victims at the X for the Swarm. Last year, the two teams split their two game series, with each winning at home. The Wings won 17-8 in Philly and Sean Pollock came through in overtime to beat the Wings in overtime by a score of 15-14.
  • Saturday, January 24 at home vs. Buffalo Bandits - Bandits lead series 11-1 (2-0 in playoffs)
    The Swarm played the Bandits twice last year but both games were in Buffalo and both ended in losses by the scores of 16-14 and 11-7. The 2008 NLL Champions are led by the league's all-time leading scorer John Tavares and the orange shoed Mark Steenhuis. The Swarm have never beaten the Bandits in Minnesota, so this is time to make it happen.
  • Saturday, January 31 on the road vs. Rochester Knighthawks - Knighthawks lead series 6-4
    The Swarm make a trip to Blue Cross Arena to play John Grant and the K-Hawks. Last year, the two teams split as the road team took both games. The Swarm beat the K-Hawks, 18-17, in Rochester on a Pollock overtime winner. The K-Hawks then came to St. Paul and paid the Swarm back with a 11-8 victory.
  • Friday, February 6 on the road vs. Calgary Roughnecks - Series tied 1-1
    The Roughnecks, led by Swarm killer Josh Sanderson, will host the Swarm in the beginning of the team's first two game weekend. These two teams last met in 2007 in Calgary where the Roughnecks won 15-14. Every game of this series has been played in Calgary. The Necks have former Swarm Kelly Hall, who led the Swarm in goals in their inagural season, Nolan Heavenor and Kerry Susheski in uniform.
  • Saturday, February 7 at home vs. Colorado Mammoth - Mammoth lead series 2-0
    The Swarm finish the two game weekend hosting the Mammoth. The last time these two teams met was in 2007 at the X when the Mammoth beat the Swarm 11-9. That was Riley Kemp's last game he played as he went down to a knee injury. Kemp should once again be a fixture in the line up by the time the Mammoth come to the X.
  • Thursday, February 12 on the road vs. Chicago Shamrox - Series tied 3-3
    The I-90/94 rivals resume their war on the floor in this poorly scheduled game for Swarm fans. A Saturday game would be able to lure more Swarm fans to the Sears Centre but I still expect Swarm fans to represent well. The Shamrox just acquired one of the best goaltenders in the league, Anthony Cosmo, in a trade with San Jose. Last year, these two teams played four times with each team winning two games, one on the road and one at home.
  • Friday, February 20 at home vs. Boston Blazers - Never played
    The expansion Boston Blazers will play the Swarm for the first time ever on the Swarm's only Friday home game. Former Swarm Michael Kilby and Kyle Ross are with the Blazers now and come February 20, may still be with the Blazers. Aime Caines moved to the Twin Cities in the last month and expects to play with the Blazers this year. The hushand of the Swarm's Director of Marketing, Brooke Caines, Aime will be able to sleep in his own bed before being Swarmed over on the 20th.
  • Friday, February 27 on the road vs. Toronto Rock - Series tied 4-4
    This is the first of four straight road games for the Swarm and the first of two this particular weekend. The Swarm have won three straight against the Rock including both games last year to start the season. The Swarm beat the Rock in the season opener, 17-16 in overtime, on a Cousins goal. That game saw Pollock, Ryan Sharp and Travis Hill ejected for fighting not to mention Pollock attacked by Rock Head Coach Glenn Clark after the game in the tunnel. Still the Swarm dealt the Rock a deadly blow which they were still woozy from the next night when Swarm goaltender Nick Patterson shut the Rock down allowing only four goals in a 11-4 victory. Former Swarm Kasey Beirnes, Jamie Taylor and Mike Attwood will be waiting for their former teammates.
  • Saturday, February 28 on the road vs. Buffalo Bandits - Bandits lead series 11-1 (Bandits 2-0 in playoffs)
    The season rematch will be in Buffalo as the Swarm finish their road weekend double header. The Swarm's only victory against the Bandits came in 2006 when Matt Disher led the way in net to a Swarm 11-8 victory. Buffalo has never been a friendly enviroment for the Swarm as the Bandits ousted the Swarm from the playoffs in 2006 and 2007 at HSBC Arena.
  • Saturday, March 14 on the road vs. Philadelphia Wings - Swarm lead series 6-4
    Keith Cromwell and Dan Marohl return to Philly for the first time to play their former team. Philly counters with 2008 NLL scoring leader Athan Iannucci and league bad boy Geoff Snider. Will Iannucci be back in Philly red after suffering a knee injury this past summer? We shall see.
  • Sunday, March 22 on the road vs. Colorado Mammoth - Mammoth lead series 2-0
    This will be the Swarm's last road game of the regular season and finishes a four game road trip. They will make their first ever visit to the Pepsi Center where they will face the largest crowd in the NLL. Gavin Prout has led the Mammoth since they arrived in Colorado in 2002 and in those years, in order to win the West, you have to go through the Mammoth.
  • Saturday, March 28 at home vs. Chicago Mammoth - Series tied 3-3
    Brock Boyle and Darryl Gibson reaquaint themselves with Swarm faithful as the team returns home for the first time since February 20. This is the first of four games at home to finish the regular season.
  • Saturday, April 4 at home vs. San Jose Stealth - Swarm lead series 3-0
    The Swarm have done well against the Stealth in their history. Last year, the Swarm beat the Stealth in San Jose by a score of 14-12 as Chad Culp scored the game winner. The Stealth are led by Colin Doyle, who has averaged eight points per game in five games against the Swarm. The Stealth won the regular season title in the West last year but were upset by the LumberJax in the playoffs.
  • Saturday, April 11 at home vs. Edmonton Rush - Swarm lead series 1-0
    The Rush make their first ever visit to the X in this late season tilt. In the only match up between these two teams, the Swarm beat the Rush in an extremely low scoring 7-6 victory. Seven different players scored for the Swarm that night including Ryan Ward, Culp and Pollock. The Swarm's leading scorer from last year, Andy Secore, will return to the X, along with fan favorite Mike Hominuck and Andrew Martin. The Rush have completely revamped their roster under new GM and Head Coach Bob Hamley, so expect this game to be crucial.
  • Satuday, April 18 at home vs. New York Titans - Swarm lead series 4-1 (Titans 1-0 in playoffs)
    Revenge!!! The Titans return to the X where last year they ruined the Swarm's first ever home playoff game by a score of 11-8. Former Swarm Head Coach Adam Mueller coached the Titans in their first two years but retired. He is replaced by former Knighthawk Head Coach Ed Comeau. With a win in this game, the Swarm will clinch the West Division regular season title.
  • Satuday, April 25 at home vs. TBA
    First round playoff game victory will advance the Swarm to the West Finals. First ever playoff victory in team history.
  • Saturday, May 2 at home vs. TBA
    The Swarm should beat either San Jose or Colorado to advance to the Champions Cup.
  • Satuday, May 16 at home vs. Some team in the East
    The Swarm win their first ever Champions Cup as they throttle Buffalo at the X.