The Philadelphia Wings defense quickly put the league on notice, bringing some smash mouth, Welcome-To-Philly play in their home opener on Saturday. The Wings physically became too much for the Colorado Mammoth in the first half. I talked with Wings coach Ian Rubel and asked, “Is this the brand of defense you wanted? A Philly thing?” Rubel said “For sure, we talk about it as a group and we know what this city is all about and we know Philly is all about. A gritty city.” The grit would show in an 8-7 win over the Mammoth to open the season.
Playing With A Nasty Philly Attitude
A strong showing from the Philly offense in the first half. Dalton Young and Sam LeClair combine for 9 assists on the day, doing a great job of facilitating the ball around to teammates. Finding Eric Fannell wide open, and Joe Resetarits down low for a goal. Dalton Young did a great job of reading the Mammoth defense and seeing what they were throwing at him. The Mammoth would then tie things up with a goal from behind the net.
Dalton Young passes the ball to Brennan O’Neil from distance; O’Neill beats the one-on-one coverage and Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward. Immediately following with a goal is another new member for the Wings, Landon Sinfield scoring in transition. Joe Resetarits getting another one from his sweet spot on the wing. Dalton Young finds Evan Messenger on the breakaway for a goal. The Wings would score 4 unanswered goals in the second quarter to take a 7-3 lead.
Second Half – Things Got Hairy For Philly
The Colorado Mammoth seemed to adjust to give the Wings a taste of their own physical defense in the second half. Philly looked to switch things to an up-tempo offense which then left their own defense tired. This Wings team then found themselves in penalty trouble, making 5 straight trips to box in the second half. Will Malcom with a 5-point day for the Mammoth on 2 goals and 3 assists. Jalen Chaster and Dylan McIntosh also had a pair of goals each. Philly holds on for the W, and heads to Rochester next weekend for a key matchup with the Knighthawks, who also won their opening game this past weekend.
