VINC, TITANS STUMP KNIGHTHAWKS, 9-4

March 13th, 2010

ROCHSTER, NY – Although they were playing their second game in 24 hours against a team coming off a bye week, it was the Orlando Titans the well rested team, rolling past the Rochester Knighthawks, 9-4, on Saturday night.
The win, coming on the heels of Friday’s night’s 11-9 win over Philadelphia, moved the Titans to 6-3 on the season and gave them sole possession of first place in the Eastern Division. Rochester, who came into the contest on a two-game winning streak, fell to 5-5 on the season.

It looked to be a defensive battle from the start as the Titans and Knighthawks battled to rare scoreless tie in the first period. But then the Orlando offense would pick it up – scoring five times in the second period.

Chad Thompson got things going when he beat Pat O’Toole at the 11:42 mark of the period to make it 1-0. Matt Alrich then scored, followed by back-to-back goals by Mat MacLeod that upped the Titans lead to 4-0. Mike McLellan then scored with one second on the clock to make it 5-0 lead at intermission.

Rochester put more shots on goal than Orlando in the first half by a wide margin, but Titans goalie Matt Vino stopped all 29 shots to preserve the first half shutout.

McLellan added his second goal of the game at the 11:48 mark of the third quarter to make it 6-0, before Rochester finally put one past Vinc on Kevin Fines’ goal with just over nine minutes remaining in the quarter.

But Orlando would dominate the period, building the lead to 7-1 on Greg Peyser’s second goal of the season. The teams would then trade goals, before Scott Evans would score on a short-handed goal to cut the lead to 8-3. Rochester would then pull its goalie and Craig Point would beat Vinc to his right side to cut the lead to 8-4 with two minutes remaining.

But any chance of a Rochester comeback was short-lived. Consecutive minor penalties on Scott Evans, followed by a game misconduct, gave Orlando a penalty shot that Jordan Hall put between O’Toole’s legs for the Titans ninth goal of the game. Orlando would then run out the clock on their next possession.

For the game, Rochester led in shots on goal, 51-42. But Vinc’s 47 saves made the difference. It was the second time in nine starts that Vinc has held an opponent to five goals or less. Vinc now leads the NLL in saves per game (42.2), goals against average (8.78), save percentage (.828) and wins.

As for the offense, Hall had a big night for the Titans with a goal and six assists for a seven point night. Alrich, McLellan and MacLeod all had two goals each for Orlando.

Thanks to a pair of upset wins by Buffalo this week, gave the Titans sole possession of first place in the Eastern Division. The Bandits, who started the season 2-6, upset Orlando last weekend before beating first place Toronto in overtime on Friday night (12-11) and third place Boston in overtime on Saturday (9-8).

The Titans (6-3) now lead Toronto (6-5) by one game in the East, followed by Boston (5-5) and one and half games over hard-charging Buffalo (5-6).

Orlando returns home Saturday night, taking on the Calgary Roughnecks in a rematch of last year’s NLL Championship game.

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YOUNGSTERS LEAD TITANS PAST WINGS, 11-9

March 12th, 2010

Ryan Boyle scored two goals and added three assists to lead the Orlando Titans to an 11-9 decision over the visiting Philadelphia Wings on Friday night.

The win lifted the Titans, who played the game short-handed, to 5-3 on the season; while the Wings dropped to 2-8. Orlando played the game without the services of leading goal scorer Casey Powell. Starters Greg and Stephen Peyser, defenseman Bill Greer and forward Chad Thompson were also scratches from the Titans lineup.

“We had three youngsters really step up for us and that was the key,” Titans Head Coach Ed Comeau said. “We got off to a slow start again, but the guys settled down and once we took the lead we were able to hold it.”

Rookies Jessie Guerin (1 goal, 3 assists) and Nick O’Hara (1 assist); along with seldom used second-year defenseman Mike Ammann (3 loose balls) were all cited by Comeau for outstanding efforts. Ammann played a key role in holding Wings leading scorer Kyle Wailes to just one goal.

Orlando fell behind 3-1 in the game, but Jarett Park’s first goal of the season with nine seconds to go in the first quarter made it a 3-2 game after one period. From there, the Titans would score four goals in the first three minutes of the second quarter to take a 5-3 lead, a lead they would never surrender.

The teams would pretty much trade goals for the rest of the game, with the Titans answering every goal the Wings would score to keep the lead at two. For the contest, the Titans were edged on shots on goal, 53-51. Matt Vinc was outstanding in goal, giving up just seven goals in 52 minutes and recording 43 saves. Vinc was momentarily shaken up in the third quarter and was replaced by Kurtis Wagar, who gave up two goals in eight minutes of play.

The key play was Boyle’s goal at the 7:55 mark of the game. Philadelphia had just closed the gap to 10-9 and was playing with some momentum when Boyle took a pass from Guerin and fired a cross-handed shot with his back to the net to make it 11-9. Philadelphia would pull its goalie for the final two minutes but Orlando’s defense did not allow the Wings to get many good looks as time expired.

In addition to Boyle’s big night, Pat Maddalena (2G, 2 A), Jordan Hall (2G, 3 A) also had big nights for the Titans.

Philadelphia got three goals and two assists from Drew Westervelt and Geoff Snider won 21 of 25 faceoffs and scooped up with loose balls for the Wings.

Orlando gets little rest, traveling to Rochester to face the Knighthawks on Saturday night.

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Four Titans to Play for Team Canada

March 9th, 2010

The Canadian National Team has announced its final 23-man roster for the 2010 FIL World Lacrosse Championships and the list includes four members of the National Lacrosse League’s Orlando Titans.

Team Canada named current Titans players Jordan Hall, Matt Vinc, Patrick Merrill, and Angus Dineley to its final roster that will compete in the World Championships in Manchester, England this July.

Hall is currently leading the Titans in points with 41 and is considered one of the top young players in the National Lacrosse League. The versatile and athletic Vinc plays goalie for the Titans and was recently named NLL Player of the Month for February. Vinc made the Canadian team as a defenseman, a position he plays in Major League Lacrosse, which is the outdoor professional game. Merrill, another defenseman, has helped anchor a Titans unit that has led the league in scoring defense this year. Dineley, who is currently the Titans number three goalie, was one of three goaltenders named to the Canadian National Team.

The four will most likely compete against four other Titans who were named to the final roster of Team USA earlier. Ryan Boyle (Forward) Stephen Peyser (Defenseman), Matt Zash (Defenseman), Brendan Mundorf (Forward) will all play for the United States. Mundorf is currently on the Titans protected list but could rejoin the team in the coming weeks.

The FIL World Championships are the world championship for outdoor or “field” lacrosse and they are held every four years. Since the first recognized world championship in 1967, the United States has won eight gold medals, including every gold medal awarded between 1982 and 2002. Canada upset the United States at the 2006 World Championships.

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TITANS HOPE TO KEEP WINNING WAYS AGAINST BANDITS

March 5th, 2010

At first glance, the Orlando Titans (4-2) would be considered big favorites when they travel to Western New York to take on the Buffalo Bandits (2-6) at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

But neither Titans head coach Ed Comeau or Bandits head coach Darris Kilgour are looking at the game in the role of favorite or underdog. For Comeau, he sees the game as just another difficult step in the journey that will hopefully lead to a championship in the Titans first year in Orlando.

“There are simply no easy weeks and no easy games in the National Lacrosse League,” Comeau says. “The second you take a team lightly is the second you are going to get beat. Buffalo is a tough place to play. They get great fan support and we are going to have to play well to win.”

For Kilgour, he sees the start of the second half of the Bandit season as a new beginning. “We did not play well in the first half of the season…it’s something that we find unacceptable and it’s certainly unacceptable to our fans, which have provided us with great support this year,” Kilgour said during the NLL’s weekly press conference. “We are going to look at the second half of the season as a new beginning and it starts Saturday night against the Titans.”

Orlando, who will be looking to build on their lead in the Eastern Division, will be playing games on consecutive weekends for only the third time this year. A factor that some Titans believe hurt them in their two losses. “We lost to Boston twice this season and both losses came following bye weeks,” Team Captain Casey Powell said. “It’s really tough to get any momentum going when you go 12 or 14 days between games. That stretch of the schedule is behind us and hopefully we’ll get some rhythm going the rest of the way.”

Although the Titans scored a season-high 16 goals last week on the road against Toronto, Orlando will most likely look for its defense to set the pace against Buffalo. Goalie Matt Vinc and defenseman Rory Smith, Greg Peyser and Pat Merrill lead a defense that has allowed a league-low 9.66 goals per game.

Vinc, who leads the league in goals against average, saves per game and save percentage is coming off a great three-game stretch where he has averaged 48 saves per game in claiming NLL Player of the Month honors.

Still, Comeau has to be encouraged that his offense is showing signs of coming to life, after averaging less than 12 goals per game in their first five contests. Against Toronto, nine different players scored goals – including four by Casey Powell and three from Matt Alrich as the Titans exploded for 16 goals in the final three quarters after being blanked in the first stanza by the Rock.

A win in Buffalo would put the Titans in a good position, as the team is slated to play five of their next seven games at home.

Game time in Buffalo is 7:35 p.m. and the game can be heard on the Orlando Titans Radio Network, including ESPN 1080AM and WKQI 1240 AM in Eustis. Fans can also watch the game via LIVESTREAM on NLL.com on the Orlando Titans channel.

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VINC & POWELL BRING HOME NLL HONORS

March 3rd, 2010

VINC NAMED NLL FEBRUARY PLAYER OF MONTH One day after being the National Lacrosse League’s Defensive Player of the Week for his 52-save performance on the road against Toronto, Orlando Titans goaltender Matt Vinc was named the NLL’s Player of the Month for February.

In leading the Titans to a 2-1 record, Vinc had a 9.33 goals against average. His stats included a near-perfect performance in a 12-5 against Colorado and a huge 16-12 road win against Toronto, the league’s top offensive team in 2010.

Against Toronto, Vinc tied his own single game club record with 52 saves – allowing just 11 goals on 63 shots. He allowed just two goals in the first 55 minutes against Colorado, stopping 47 of the first 49 shots on goal. He currently leads the NLL in saves per game, goals against average and save percentage.

Even in Orlando 12-11 double overtime loss to Boston, Vinc posted impressive numbers. He did not allow any goals the first 17 minutes of overtime and the 12 goals allowed during the longest game in NLL history translated into a 9.55 goals-against average based on a normal 60-minute game. He recorded 46 saves in the loss.

For the month, Vinc averaged 48.6 saves per game. The league average for NLL goalies is less than 40.

POWELL, VINC EARN PLAYER OF WEEK HONORS Following Orlando’s impressive 16-12 road win over then-first place Toronto, a pair of Titans were named to Player of the Week honors by the National Lacrosse League.

Team captain Casey Powell was selected as both the Offensive Player of the Week and Overall Player of the Week; while Titans goalie Matt Vinc was named Defensive Player of the Week. Philadelphia’s Geoff Snider was named Transition Player of the Week and Colorado’s Alex Gajic took Rookie of the Week honors.

Powell played a key role in the Titans win, scoring four goals and adding four assists to account for eight points. His totals included three goals and two assists in the second quarter as the Titans scored five goals in the final three minutes to turn a 4-3 deficit into an 8-5 halftime lead.

Vinc earned his second Defensive Player of the Week award for 2011. He tied his own team record for saves, stopping 52 of 63 shots on goal in the win. For the season, Vinc leads the NLL in saves per game, save percentage and fewest goals against average.

“Both players are highly deserving of the honor,” Titans head coach Ed Comeau said. “After a sluggish start, Casey really got our offense going in the second quarter and VNO (Vinc) has been outstanding all season in net for us.”

Snider registered one goal and four assists while scooping up a game-high 16 loose balls and won 26 of 29 faceoffs (89.7%) in Philadelphia’s win over Buffalo. Gajic had three goals and an assist in Colorado’s loss to Minnesota.

The awards marked the third and fourth time this season that a Titans Player has earned NLL Weekly Honors. In addition to Vinc’s other Defensive Player of the Week award for Feb. 5 Colorado win, Greg Peyser was the NLL’s Defensive Player of the Week for his play against Rochester on Jan. 29. The NLL Weekly Player Awards are determined each week by a vote of the General Managers and Head Coaches of the league’s eleven member clubs.

The Titans return to action on Saturday night facing the Buffalo Bandits on the road.

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POWELL, TITANS EXPLODE PAST TORONTO, 16-12

February 27th, 2010

TORONTO, ONT, CANADA– Casey Powell scored four goals and Matt Alrich added a hat trick as the Orlando Titans overcame a 2-0 deficit to record a 16-12 win over the Toronto Rock on Saturday night.

The Titans had trouble early, as the Rock dominated the first 15 minutes of play, before Powell and Pat Maddalena scored to knot the game at 2-2 early in the second quarter.

Powell and Mike Hominuck traded goals to make it 3-3, before Sandy Chapman would give the Rock their last lead of the game with a goal at the 9:14 mark of the second quarter. From there, the Titans offense would explode for five goals in the final 2:55 minutes of the half. Alrich would score twice and Powell and Jordan Hall would each score as Orlando grabbed a 7-5 lead.

A key play came in waning seconds of the quarter, as the Titans gained possession and pulled goaltender Matt Vinc for an extra attacker. Ryan Boyle would then score with one second left to give the Titans an 8-5 lead at the half.

The Rock would outscore the Titans 3-2 in the third period to cut the lead to 10-8.

But four quick goals by Orlando to start the fourth period would give the Titan an insurmountable 14-8 lead. From there, Toronto could not cut the gap any closer than three goals and Orlando would cruise to the win.

Orlando had outstanding performances from all areas of their game. Toronto would out-shoot the Titans 64-40, but Vinc came up huge again – recording a season high 52 saves. For the game, the league-leader in saves gave up just 11 goals, as a Toronto goal late in the game came on an empty-netter.

Powell would finish with an eight-point night with four goals and four assists, Pat Maddalena had two goals and six assists for eight points; while Hall added one goal and six assists for a seven-point night. Alrich had an assist to go with his three goals.

The Titans defense was outstanding. Coming into the game, the Rock featured three of the top six goal scorers in the league in Blaine Manning, Garrett Billings and Stephan Leblanc. The trio came into the contest with 62 goals on the season but were held to just four on the night – including none by Billings who came in with a league-leading 23 goals. In addition, the Titans defenders scored twice and won 21 of 31 faceoffs.

Orlando’s win was a huge lift for the team after last weekend’s heartbreaking 12-11 double overtime loss to the Boston Blazers. The win lifted the Titans to 4-2 (.667) on the season and moved them percentage points in front of Toronto 6-4 (.600) in the Eastern Division. The Titans move into sole possession of first place, following Rochester’s (5-4) 12-11 overtime home loss to Edmonton tonight.

The Titans return to action next Saturday, taking on the Buffalo Bandits on the road.

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