Minnesota Swarm (10-7) 8
New York Titans (11-6) 11
Why did the Titans have to Finally Beat the Swarm, Now?
Saturday, May 3, 2008
St. Paul, Minnesota
Attendance: 11,088
On February 8, 2008, there was no indication that the New York Titans would be where they are now. That night the Minnesota
Swarm beat the Titans 16-9 after scoring the first 13 goals of the game. The Swarm were 5-0 and the Titans were 1-4 and it
appeared that these two teams would end the season drastically far apart. Three months later and it is the Titans that will laugh
last as they came to Xcel last night and beat the Swarm, 11-8, in the Swarm's first ever home playoff game. The Titans win got
them a trip to Buffalo next Saturday for the East Division final against the Bandits.
This game was physical throughout and began from start. Ryan Sharp started it off with a hard check
into the Titans' Casey Powell but Powell got Sharp back a couple minutes later with a check from behind on Sharp into the boards.
Sharp eventually limped off on his left foot but the Swarm were on the power play. Craig Point made
good on that power play to put the Swarm up 1-0. After the Titans tied it at one, Sean Pollock
capitalized on another Swarm power play as he drove the net for the goal. Jeff Ratcliffe tied it at two with a 1:38 left in the
quarter.
New York got their first lead of the game at the start of the second quarter when Brendan Mundorf backed up to the crease,
turned and shot low on Swarm goaltender Nick Patterson. Andy Secore
tied it up on the Swarm's third power play goal as he beat Jordan Hall to the net and got it past Titan goaltender Matt Vinc. After
Casey Powell got the lead back for the Titans, Secore had the goal of the night when he scored on an "Air Gait" to tie it. Ten
seconds after that goal, the Swarm's Jon Sullivan was called for a five minute high sticking major
which we keep the Swarm a man down through the end of the half and for about the first two minutes into the third quarter. Just
over a minute and half down a man, Patterson made a save and found Sharp all alone for the breakaway goal and a 5-4 lead. The
Titans tied it going to half on a Powell goal with Sullivan still serving the five minute major.
The Titans jumped to the lead quickly in the third with Sullivan still in the box with a Mike McLellan goal. Ratcliffe extended
the lead to two half way through the quarter as the game became even rougher and tighter as it went. Secore cut the lead to one on a
pick and roll with Pollock at 9:22 of the quarter. The Titans had two chances for more goals in the quarter but a Brendan Mundorf
goal was waived off due to a crease violation and Rory McDade hustled after a Titan breakaway by Mitch
Belisle and laid maybe one of the best hits of the year on Belisle as he was just about to get his shot off on Patterson, sending
Belisle hard into the turf.
After the Secore goal, the game remained 7-6 for 11 minutes and 4 seconds until Dan Marohl tied it as
he received a pass from Chad Culp. The Titans answered in 57 secconds when Ratcliffe scored his third of
the game to put the Titans back in the lead. Culp then put a shot on net that Vinc had trouble controlling. Pollock was able to
reach into the crease to scoop it up and dump it into the net for the tying goal with 5:48 left in the game. The rest of the game
was about finishing off your chances, the Swarm did not but Powell sure did. Powell put the Titans back up one to stay with 4:20 left
as he scored off a pick. Powell responded again as he got one through Patterson's five hole. Greg Peyser won the ensuing face off
and Jarett Park got the loosie and found Pat Maddalena for the final goal. The Swarm had just as many opportunities during this time
but the ball did roll their way and Vinc cleaned up the rest.
Secore led the Swarm with three goals and three assists and Culp got five assists. Powell led the Titans with four goals and
three assists and Maddalena had two goals and four assists. Patterson made 33 saves on 44 shots and Vinc made 37 saves on 45 shots.
It was close and competitive throughout but in the end as I mentioned earlier, the Titans were able to capitalize late better than
the Swarm.
Even with the loss, the Swarm still had a very successful season. They got their first home playoff game in their history, won
the most games in a season with ten and most wins at home with six. Not to bad for a team with eight new players to start the
season with.
Game Statistics
Box Score
Minnesota Swarm Game Center
| # | Minnesota |
G |
A | Pts |
PIM |
PPG | SHG |
S |
LB | FO |
|
# | New York |
G |
A | Pts |
PIM |
PPG | SHG |
S |
LB | FO |
| 21 |
Andy Secore |
3 |
3 |
6 | 0 |
1 |
0 | 14 |
5 |
0-0 |
|
22 |
Casey Powell |
4 |
3 | 7 |
2 |
1 | 0 |
14 |
2 | 0-0 |
| 19 |
Chad Culp |
0 |
5 |
5 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 5 |
2 |
0-0 |
|
42 |
Pat Maddalena |
2 |
4 | 6 |
2 |
0 | 0 |
9 |
4 | 0-0 |
| 17 |
Sean Pollock |
2 |
1 |
3 | 0 |
1 |
0 | 9 |
3 |
0-0 |
|
14 |
Ryan Boyle |
0 |
5 |
5 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 7 |
4 |
0-0 |
| 44 |
Ryan Ward |
0 |
3 | 3 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
11 |
1 | 0-0 |
|
90 |
Jeff Ratcliffe |
3 |
0 | 3 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
7 |
2 | 0-0 |
| 7 |
Dan Marohl |
1 |
1 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
6 |
3 | 0-0 |
|
2 |
Brendan Mundorf |
1 |
1 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
11 |
5 | 0-0 |
| 9 |
Craig Point |
1 |
1 |
2 | 0 |
1 |
0 | 7 |
4 |
1-2 |
|
12 |
Jarett Park |
0 |
2 | 2 |
2 |
0 | 0 |
4 |
10 | 0-0 |
| 26 |
Ryan Sharp |
1 |
0 |
1 | 0 |
0 |
1 | 2 |
8 |
0-0 |
|
20 |
Greg Peyser |
0 |
2 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
3 |
15 | 13-21 |
| 93 |
Nick Patterson |
0 |
1 |
1 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0-0 |
|
44 |
Jordan Hall |
0 |
2 |
2 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 6 |
4 |
0-0 |
| 8 |
Rory McDade |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 4 |
3 |
0-0 |
|
48 |
Matt Vinc |
0 |
2 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0-0 |
| 12 |
Eric Pacey |
0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
12 |
0-0 |
|
19 |
Mike McLellan |
1 |
0 | 1 |
0 |
1 | 0 |
5 |
1 | 0-0 |
| 16 |
Noah Talbot |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
6 |
0-0 |
|
56 |
John Orsen |
0 |
1 |
1 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
6 |
0-0 |
| 23 |
Jon Sullivan |
0 |
0 |
0 | 7 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
5 |
0-0 |
|
3 |
Matt Alrich |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
2 | 0-0 |
| 27 |
Colin Achenbach |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
1 |
3 | 0-0 |
|
16 |
Patrick Merrill |
0 |
0 | 0 |
4 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
3 | 0-2 |
| 31 |
Kevin Croswell |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0-0 |
|
21 |
Erik Miller |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0-0 |
| 34 |
Nick Inch |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
0-0 |
|
24 |
Rory Smith |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
1 | 0-0 |
| 40 |
Ian Rubel |
0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
1 |
0-0 |
|
36 |
Mitch Belisle |
0 |
0 | 0 |
2 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
3 | 0-0 |
| 47 |
Travis Hill |
0 |
0 |
0 | 2 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
15 |
9-21 |
|
41 |
Bryan Barrett |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
1 | 0-0 |
| 50 |
Ryan Cousins |
0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 1 |
9 |
0-0 |
|
71 |
Keevin Galbraith |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
0 | 0 |
0 |
3 | 0-0 |
| # | Minnesota | MIN |
GA | Saves | Shots |
|
# | New York | MIN |
GA | Saves | Shots |
| 93 | Nick Patterson | 60:00 |
11 | 33 | 44 |
|
48 | Matt Vinc | 60:00 |
8 | 37 | 45 |
| 31 | Kevin Croswell | 0:00 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
|
21 | Erik Miller | 0:00 |
0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scoring by Quarter | 1 | 2 |
3 | 4 | F |
| Minnesota | 2 | 3 |
1 | 2 | 8 |
| New York | 2 | 3 |
2 | 4 | 11 |
| Team Stats | Power Play | SHG |
PIM | LB | Saves/Shots |
SOG |
SOFF |
Face Offs |
| Minnesota | 3/6 | 1 |
15 | 82 | 33/44 |
45 |
16 |
10/23 |
| New York | 2/5 | 0 |
16 | 66 | 37/45 |
44 |
25 |
13/23 |
| Scratches | | |
| | |
| Minnesota | Chris Courtney | Keith Cromwell |
Andrew Biers | Kyle Ross | Justin Norbraten |
| New York | Jamie Hanford | Brian Tower |
Rich Brzeski | Anthony Kelly | Jeff Spano |
| 
