Compiled and Written by Kevin Neibauer
Lax Philly – A Division of Edge of Philly Sports Network
The Philadelphia Wings are coming off an 8-6 season and were among the favorites for a Championship. General Manager/Head Coach, Paul Day managed to keep his core players intact, but that doesn’t mean the squad didn’t lose players.
Key Losses:
Eric Shewell, Liam Patten, Nate Wade and Gowah Abrams
Key Acquisitions:
John Gagliardi, Brock Sorenson, Ryan Wagner, Jackson Suboch, John Ranagan, Alex Crepinsek, Corey Small, Kevin Buchanan, and Ben McIntosh.
Goaltending:
A change in the goaltending as back-up Brandon Miller retired and returned to Coaching. Gowan Abrams was shipped to New York, so Angus Goodleaf was brought in to back-up Zach Higgins. The club should be solid in net as long as Higgins can duplicate the performance he exhibited when the team last played.
Offense:
On the offense, an already explosive unit that actually got stronger. New faces of Kevin Buchanan, Corey Small and what may have been the biggest news of the off season, the acquisition of Ben McIntosh in exchange for Josh Currier. McIntosh lives on the outskirts of Philadelphia, so it’s a homecoming for him.
“I am beyond excited to be a part of the Wings organization. Philadelphia has a special place in my heart since my college days at Drexel.”
Ben McIntosh
On a side note… Ben also coaches youth lacrosse in the Philadelphia area.
Defense:
The defense is quite strong with the additions of Sorenson, John Gagliardi and Ryan Wagner.
Faceoffs:
All that offensive fire power is made even more lethal when you have arguably the best face off man in the league…Trevor Baptiste.
The Outlook:
How will Small, McIntosh, et al, mesh with Kevin Crowley, Brett Hickey, Matt Rambo, Blaze Riorden and the rest of the offensive juggernaut? That is the million dollar question!
Safe to say that Philadelphia will be a very exciting team to watch. Factor in 6 of their first 7 games are at home in the Wells Fargo Center.
Gary Groob has been involved with Lacrosse for the majority of his life, whether playing, coaching, or covering the sport for the media.
An avid fan, with a real drive about helping to “grow the game”, Gary became part of podcasts about the game in 2010. Through the podcasts, Mr. Groob was given an opportunity to write about lacrosse, and the rest as they say, is history.
Through many miles (flying and driving) Gary has made inroads with the National Lacrosse League, Major Series Lacrosse League, the Ontario Lacrosse Association, as well as the Arena Lacrosse League, covering the leagues, their teams, and players, working for, and in concert with all of them.
In the year 2020, Mr. Groob was made the media person for the Arena Lacrosse League, voted onto the board of directors of the Brampton Excelsiors Lacrosse Club, as well as being made administrator of the Lacrosse page “Global Lacrosse” with a membership of 9000 members in over 90 Countries. Gary was also made an administrator of Lacrosse History Past Present and Future in 2022.
Mr. Groob co-hosts a weekly Lacrosse show on Spanglish Sports World, and ZingoTV channel 250, as well as writes a weekly lacrosse column for La Portada Canada News (both in print, and online).
Gary also hosts a Lacrosse talk show and podcast for The Edge of Philly Sports Network, seen live Sunday nights at 9pm (ET), and archived on the Edge of Philly YouTube page, as well as Spotify.
Mr. Groob’s other sports interests include Hockey, Football, Boxing, Wrestling, and Baseball, competing competitively in Boxing and Wrestling for many years.
Latest Articles
No Practice No Problem????Flyers
National Lacrosse League Opens Friday with NLL Faceoff Weekend: Ten Things to KnowLacrosse, NLL
Native American Heritage Month – Making Wooden Lacrosse sticks: Rodney Haring, SenecaLacrosse
A Tale of Two Halves in South PhillyEagles- National Lacrosse League – Roster MovesLacrosse, NLL
