Patrick Bernard – Philadelphia Correspondent, All Lacrosse All The Time / Stream Punk Sports
Blaze Riorden set the tone early in this game. He would have a monster game with 4 goals and 2 assists just doing what he does best and that’s bulldozing to the net. The Philadelphia Wings did everything right in this game with good team ball movement, finding open teammates, setting screens, and making things uncomfortable for the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Joe Resetarits and Holden Cattoni combined to record 17 assists on the night. They both did an amazing job facilitating the ball around having great vision on the floor, knowing where the open teammate is, making it tough for Las Vegas to defend.
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Wings new pieces fitting into their roles well
One major takeaway in this game is that Philly’s shiny new toys are fitting into their roles very well. Duke product Brennan O’ Neill showed why he was selected number one overall by Philly in the 2024 draft. He put on a show for the Wings’ home opener, cooking with 4 goals and 1 assist. The play that stood out to me is when he beat double coverage to find the back of the net. He was making some nice goals throughout the second half of this game. Phil Caputo also contributed to the scoreboard for Philly with 2 goals and 2 assists.
Flipping to the goaltending, Nick Damude played sensational between the pipes for the Wings, allowing 10 goals on 57 shots. Las Vegas’ last goal didn’t come until late in the fourth quarter when the game was well in hand. Damude had his eyes locked into the opposing offense on this night.
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The Aftermath
The Philadelphia Wings made a statement kicking things off with the huge 19-10 win in their home opener. The win already matches their home win total from last season. Credit the Wings for scoring on 4 out of 5 power plays in this game. Philly’s defense was a huge x-factor as well, doing a great job with man to man coverage. The Desert Dogs did have a couple of bright spots in this game with 2 goals and 3 assists from Casey Jackson and rookie Adam Poitras getting a couple of goals early in the first. The Desert Dogs will be looking to get revenge when they face the Philadelphia Wings again Friday night, this time in Las Vegas. A sweep for the Wings in this home-and-home series will be vital for them to continue building confidence and new chemistry.