Minnesota Swarm (0-0 H 0-0 A 0-0)

at
Portland LumberJax (0-0 H 0-0 A 0-0)

Saturday, January 3, 2009 - 9:30 pm CST
Rose Garden
Portland, Oregon

Live Statistics

Minnesota Swarm Game Center

TV/Internet/Radio Coverage:

More Coverage of this game at:

Regular Season History:

Ryan Cousins (9g 5a in 2008) scored the game winner in overtime last year on February 10 to lead the Swarm to a 14-13 victory at the Xcel Energy Center. That goal sent the Swarm to a 6-0 record and their best start in franchise history.

Rosters:

Regular Season Statistics:

2009 NLL Standings

Former LumberJax With The Swarm:

• Ryan Sharp (9g 11a)

Former Swarm With The LumberJax:

• Matt Disher (2-5 11.22 GAA .771 Save %)
• Scott Stewart (7g 14a)

Jon Sullivan - Consecutive Game Streak - 51

The 23rd season of National Lacrosse League action opens up on Saturday night with three games including the fifth ever match up between now division rivals, the Minnesota Swarm (10-7 last season) and Portland LumberJax (8-11 last season). The Swarm are moving into the West Division this year after spending their first four seasons in the East. The LumberJax will be waiting as they were West Division champions last year and looking to stay that way for 2009.

The Swarm look to have a solid offensive lineup to start the 2009 season, especially with Swarm General Manager Marty O'Neill making some nice moves to add to the lefthanded scoring depth. Chad Culp (23g 32a in 2008) is the only lefthanded forward on the active roster at the end of 2008, returning in 2009. Culp has outlived many other lefthanders in now his fifth year with the Swarm, including Andy Secore, Mike Hominuck and Kelly Hall to be the #1 option on that side of the field. Dean Hill (9g 10a) will return from an injury that sidelined him for the last half of 2008. Hill has lost some weight and gained a bit of speed and endurance which should allow him to better his 2007 numbers that included 32 goals. O'Neill drafted two lefthanders in the first round in the 2008 Entry Draft and both have made the team. Andrew Watt was the eighth pick of the draft and is expected to step right into the lineup as the third lefty. Kevin Buchanan, from The Ohio State, was the eleventh pick and will get his baptism of fire to the indoor game this year. Buchanan has a hard outside shot that should be able to beat many a goaltender. Late camp pickup, Kevin Ross (5g 6a), rounds out the lefthanders for the Swarm. Ross last year played for the Chicago Shamrox after they selected him in the first round in the 2007 Entry Draft. Ross scored two goals and four assists for the Shamrox against the Swarm in four games as the Shamrox finally installed him in the lineup in the second half of last season.

The right side of the offense is will be counted on to carry the early load while the lefthanders are acclimated. Ryan Ward (33g 36a) is back to lead the attack after setting the Swarm single season goal record of 33. Craig Point (27g 34a) returns for his second season as the NLL Rookie of the Year in 2008. Sean Pollock (24g 36a) also notched sixty points for the Swarm while working the pick and roll with Ward. What really has the O'Neill excited, is a full season of Dan Marohl (6g 12a) with the Swarm. Marohl scored over 60 points in the three previous seasons with the Wings (2005 - 2007) before he got traded to the Swarm in mid-2008. Now healthy after below the neck body surgery during the offseason, Marohl is expected to match the numbers of his righthanded compatriots.

The LumberJax are hoping that they can match the offensive numbers that the Swarm have put up and plan to put up in the future. Their problem is that they lost their number one option, Dan Dawson (38g 43a), to the Boston Blazers in the Arizona Sting dispersal draft. So far, the LumberJax don't appear to have found a replacement with Dawson's pedigree. They will count on Ryan Powell (21g 43a) and Derek Malawsky (25g 35a) to make up for as much of the Dawson loss as possible. After those two players, the Jax will have to count on rookies like Tim Campeau and relatively inexperienced NLL players like Cory Conway (11g 10a) and Peter Jacobs (11g 12a) to improve on those numbers that came last year in their rookie seasons. The uncertainty of the Jax's offensive depth has many questioning their ability to prosper enough to make the playoffs.

The Swarm base their defense on speed and the ability to counter on transition. The LumberJax have a bigger and more physical defense that is looking to beat down their opponents. The Swarm return most of their defense from last year including the two time NLL Defensive Player of the Year in Ryan Cousins (9g 5a). Key additions to the defense include Kevin Fines (6g 8a), recently of Chicago, who is a transition threat. Riley Kemp will be returning to the defense after missing 2008 due to injury. Kemp has the ability to run the floor well and is familiar with the Swarm system. First round rookie, pick thirteen, Joe Cinosky is a bear of man that adds a bit of size and tenacity to the defense.

The Jax defense is spelled "BIG". It is led by Brodie Merrill (17g 21a) at 6' 4", who last won the NLL Defensive Player award before Cousins in 2006. Since the Jax came into the league, Merrill has been designated as the team's franchise player and has lived up to his billing. Two of the three Morgan brothers, David (1a) at 6' 10" and Peter (5g 15a) at 6' 8" along with Bruce Alexander (1a) add the size to this squad that often kept the Jax in games last year.

This weekend's game is a reunion of teacher-student this weekend. The teacher is the LumberJax goaltender, Matt Disher (2-5 11.22 GAA .771 Save %), who started and played for the Swarm from 2005 - 2007. The student is Nick Patterson (10-4 11.99 GAA .768 Save %) and now Nick is the master. Patterson grew as a NLL goaltender under Disher's tutelage and in their first three years together in Minnesota, Patterson slowly began to evolve as the starter. After Disher was traded to Edmonton before the 2008 season, Patterson fully assumed the Swarm starting goaltender mantle. Disher didn't last long in Edmonton in 2008 and was traded to Portland at mid-season where he did something Patterson has yet to do, earn a playoff victory as he helped lead the Jax to the Champions Cup where they lost 14-13 to the Buffalo Bandits.

I expect to see the Swarm come out hot immediately this weekend. They have played a couple exhibitions while the LumberJax were the only team not to. The Jax offense can't keep up and with Patterson in net for the Swarm, they wouldn't expect to keep up any way. A great West Division debut for the Swarm starts this weekend in Portland as they Swarm the Oregon Trail.

Prediction: Minnesota Swarm 14 Portland LumberJax 10

Next Games After This Match Up

• Minnesota vs. San Jose - Saturday, January 10 7:00 pm CST
• Portland vs. Colorado - Friday, January 9 9:30 pm CST