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Minnesota Swarm (3-5) 13
Toronto Rock (2-6) 10
Kevin Buchanan Levels His Cannon on Rock
Friday, February 27, 2009
Toronto, Ontario
Attendance: 13,324
Many have been distresed about the Minnesota Swarm investing in American field lacrosse talent for a game played indoors,
especially with the talent and experience playing indoors north of the 49th parallel. The Swarm drafted seven players last
September in the Entry Draft, six of which were Americans, including two in the first round. One of those first rounders
definitely showed last night why he was indeed so highly thought of. Kevin Buchanan (7g 3a) ran
through and around the Toronto Rock defense onto tying a team single game record of five goals. One
of those five was the game winner as he and Swarm ended their five game losing streak with a 13-10 victory over the Rock Friday
night in Toronto.
As with nearly all games this year, the Swarm dug themselves a deep hole to start the game. With the Rock up 1-0, Buchanan got
the ball behind the net and found Sean Pollock (9g 16a) alone out front top right for the goal. The Rock then rattled off three
straight after that. Craig Conn (2g 6a) assisted on all three of those Rock goals and at the end of the first quarter, the Rock
were up 4-1 and literally running away with the game as their transition was looking awesome.
Buchanan got his first goal of the night to start the second quarter when he twisted and turned through the Rock defense to score
on Bob Watson (2-6 13.68 GAA .735 Save %). The Rock countered with two transition goals, the first by Jeff Gilbert (1g 3a) and the
second was shorthanded by Rob Marshall (3g 5a). For Gilbert, that was his first ever NLL goal. The Swarm were down 6-2 and that
may have been time most teams would have burrowed back in the hole and hibernate. Not the Swarm. Dan Marohl (11g 16a) started it
off by finding Ryan Ward (18g 17a) emerging from behind the net for a power play goal to cut the lead in half. Colin Achenbach
(1g 3a) got his first goal of the season as he got behind the defense and planted himself on the crease where Ward found him with
a pass. Buchanan then scored on a 4 on 4 situation as he ran around the defense and scored on his off side to the right of Watson.
Buchanan then tied it going down the middle, changing hands and letting one rip by Watson. The Rock were able to get the final
answer of the half, when Luke Wiles (14g 17a) unleashed a low laser from the restraining line by Kevin Croswell (2-3 10.23 GAA
.802 Save %) for a 7-6 lead at the half.
Aaron Wilson (11g 10a) started the third quarter scooping up a rebound and putting it back in. That goal was his 200th in
regular season action and his first for the Swarm since arriving via trade on February 19. After Chris Driscoll (5g 5a) got the
lead back for the Rock, Kevin Ross (8g 14a) tied it up again spinning off of Gilbert and going in alone on Watson. Buchanan got
his fourth of the night weaving through the Rock at the 6:05 mark, crossing the crease, faking once then slipping past Watson as he
passed the crease. That gave the Swarm their first lead in a game since the 0:32 mark of the second quarter against Colorado on
February 7th when Craig Point (4g 9a) put the Swarm up 3-2 over the Mammoth. That was four games ago or 200 minutes and 33 seconds
of not having a lead in a game. Marohl did his patented Air Marohl goal (shooting from behind the net and putting it in from the
side) to give the Swarm a two goal lead at 10-8. Buchanan got his fifth goal off a screen that opened up a shooting alley on
Watson. That goal would prove to be the game winner and the Swarm went to the fourth with a 11-8 lead.
Andrew Watt (5g 7a) scored his third shorthanded goal of the season to start the fourth quarter on the breakaway faking once and
scoring. Former Swarm Kasey Beirnes (15g 7a) then scored the next two goals for the Rock to try to rally the Rock back in the game
but Wilson put the dagger in the Rock scoring on the crease to make it 13-10. Wiles then was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty
after that goal and the Swarm whittle the Rock away man up for the rest of the game.
Buchanan made quite a splash Friday night leading the Swarm with his five goals and an assist. Last year, Point had his breakout
game in his rookie year in Toronto, this year Buchanan's breakout game was in Toronto also. Both Pollock and Ward had a goal
and four assists. Wilson scored two goals and assist in his first game in Toronto after being traded to Rochester in the offseason.
Croswell was stellar in net, holding the Rock to three second half goals and withstanding the Rock transition game that tired itself
out by halftime. Croswell faced 54 shots and saved 44 of them. Beirnes, Wiles and Driscoll each had two goals and one assist and
Watson saved 40 of 53 shots for the Rock.
Game Statistics
Box Score
Minnesota Swarm Game Center
| Team Stats |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
F |
|
Sv/S |
PIM |
PP |
SH |
S |
SOG |
LB |
FO |
| Minnesota |
1 |
5 |
5 |
2 |
13 |
|
44/54 |
8 |
1/3 |
1 |
71 |
53 |
71 |
15/28 |
| Toronto |
4 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
10 |
|
40/53 |
6 |
0/4 |
1 |
74 |
54 |
83 |
13/28 |
| # |
Minnesota |
G |
A |
Pts |
PIM |
PPG |
SHG |
S |
SOG |
LB |
FO |
| 33 |
Kevin Buchanan |
5 |
1 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
7 |
7 |
0/0 |
| 17 |
Sean Pollock |
1 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
4 |
7 |
0/0 |
| 44 |
Ryan Ward |
1 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
13 |
6 |
2 |
0/0 |
| 10 |
Aaron Wilson |
2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
7 |
4 |
0/0 |
| 7 |
Dan Marohl |
1 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
8 |
3 |
0/0 |
| 22 |
Andrew Watt |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
0/0 |
| 71 |
Kevin Ross |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
0/0 |
| 27 |
Colin Achenbach |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
0/0 |
| 19 |
Chad Culp |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
7 |
5 |
0/0 |
| 47 |
Travis Hill |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
14/18 |
| 12 |
Eric Pacey |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
0/0 |
| 16 |
Noah Talbot |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
0/0 |
| 21 |
Kevin Fines |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
1/10 |
| 23 |
Jon Sullivan |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
0/0 |
| 31 |
Kevin Croswell |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0/0 |
| 34 |
Nick Inch |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
0/0 |
| 50 |
Ryan Cousins |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
0/0 |
| 93 |
NickPatterson |
Backup Goaltender - Did Not Play |
| 4 |
Joe Cinosky |
Did Not Dress |
| 5 |
Josh Funk |
Did Not Dress |
| 8 |
Rory McDade |
Did Not Dress |
| 26 |
Ryan Sharp |
Did Not Dress |
| 28 |
Darren Halls |
Did Not Dress |
| |
| # |
Minnesota |
MIN |
GA |
Saves |
Shots |
Dec |
|
| 31 |
Kevin Croswell |
60:00 |
10 |
44 |
54 |
W 2-3 |
|
| 93 |
NickPatterson |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
| |
| # |
Toronto |
G |
A |
Pts |
PIM |
PPG |
SHG |
S |
SOG |
LB |
FO |
| 15 |
Luke Wiles |
2 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
12 |
6 |
5 |
0/0 |
| 33 |
Kasey Beirnes |
2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
8 |
7 |
10 |
0/0 |
| 93 |
Chris Driscoll |
2 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
0/0 |
| 8 |
Craig Conn |
0 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
5 |
4 |
2/4 |
| 14 |
Rob Marshall |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
8 |
0/0 |
| 16 |
Blaine Manning |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
9 |
1 |
0/0 |
| 27 |
Peter Lough |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
1/5 |
| 4 |
Jeff Gilbert |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
9 |
0/0 |
| 12 |
Chad Thompson |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
0/0 |
| 5 |
Mark Scherman |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
0/0 |
| 25 |
Mike Hobbins |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0/0 |
| 54 |
Jason Crosbie |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
5 |
10 |
0/1 |
| 23 |
Matt Carroll |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0/0 |
| 29 |
Bob Watson |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0/0 |
| 37 |
Scott Campbell |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0/0 |
| 42 |
Lewis Ratcliff |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
0/0 |
| 44 |
Stephen Hoar |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
10/18 |
| 1 |
Curtis Palidwor |
Back up Goaltender - Did Not Play |
| 10 |
Bill McGlone |
Did Not Dress |
| 18 |
Josh Wasson |
Did Not Dress |
| 22 |
Cam Woods |
Did Not Dress |
| 43 |
Mike Attwood |
Did Not Dress |
| 81 |
Michael Fleming |
Did Not Dress |
| |
| # |
Toronto |
MIN |
GA |
Saves |
Shots |
Dec |
|
| 29 |
Bob Watson |
60:00 |
13 |
40 |
53 |
W 2-6 |
|
| 1 |
Curtis Palidwor |
0:00 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
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Next Games After This Match Up
- Minnesota (3-5) at Buffalo (7-1) - Saturday, February 28 6:30 pm CST
- Toronto (2-6) at Rochester (2-5) - Saturday, February 28 6:35 pm CST
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