The last game of the Week 1 slate was an absolute banger. Pechanga Arena and the rest of San Diego welcomed back their beloved Seals to their home floor. The Seals, new and old, welcomed the Philadelphia Wings for a Sunday showdown. We say new and old, because while the Seals had a lot of familiar faces return, they also had a lot of massive additions this offseason, and boy, those paid off big time in the first game of the year. The likes of Rob Hellyer, Zach Currier, Ben McIntosh, and Ryan Benesch, were involved in 16 of the team’s 18 goals. This involvement helped propel San Diego to an 18-15 win over the Wings.
The overpowering Seals offense put a damper on the debut of the 2024 first overall pick, Brennan O’Neill. The former Duke Blue Devil had a good showing in his own right, considering he hasn’t seen too much playing time on any box lacrosse floor. Keeping in mind the final score, if you’re a fan of goaltending, you may want to look away. (Just kidding, please keep reading!)
The offensive onslaught that was the entirety of this game began as soon as the first whistle blew. With twelve total goals scored in the first quarter, we knew we were in for a treat. Benesch got the party inside Pechanga started with his first of the game, first of the season, first as a Seal, not even a minute into the game. That party quickly ceased, as Philadelphia proceeded to go on a five-goal run. Scorers in that span were Holden Cattoni, Mitch Jones, O’Neill, and Joe Resetarits twice. Benesch stopped the bleeding with his second, but Philadelphia came back with two more, one from Scott Dominey and the other from Cattoni. Two of the other newcomers for San Diego, Currier and McIntosh each got their first in response, but Cattoni completed the first quarter hat trick to end the frame. 8-4 Wings after one.
Did you catch your breath? Good. The second quarter was an absolute masterclass by San Diego. After giving up eight in the first quarter, how about only giving up one in the second, while scoring seven. Hellyer got the first two of his Seals career to begin, the second being a power play goal. Jones stopped the bleeding with his second, and that’d be that for Philadelphia’s scoring. Five-straight for San Diego catapulted themselves into the lead and swung the momentum going into the half. The first three were power play markers, courtesy of Wesley Berg, Benesch, and McIntosh. The other two were scored by McIntosh and Hellyer, shocker right? After a wild first half, we sat at 11-9 Seals.
“Obviously it really wasn’t the start we wanted”, said Benesch at the break. “We didn’t panic, we stuck to the game plan, and so far, it’s worked for us. We’ll play our game, play to our principles, and hopefully come out with a W.”
Philadelphia has a couple newcomers of their own, one being Phil Caputo, who came over in the PCLC Dispersal Draft. He tallied his first with the Wings to begin the third quarter. Blaze Riorden followed him up to tie the game up. Benesch tallied his fourth, but was quickly answered by Dominey’s second. At this point, once again, San Diego put the game on ice and took over. The Seals rattled off three-in-a-row to end the frame and swung the momentum once again. Scorers in that run were Adam Noakes, Benesch, his fifth, and Eli Gobrecht. 15-12 San Diego after three.
The fourth quarter was a lot of the same, as there was “every other” type scoring. Every time Philadelphia crept closer, the Seals had the answer. Tre Leclaire opened it up for the Seals, but was answered by should have been Seal, but Wings newcomer Callum Crawford on the power play. McIntosh buried his fourth, but was answered by Cattoni, also his fourth. Drew Belgrave and Jones traded goals, but the clock struck zero on Philly. Your final from Pechanga, 18-15 Seals. Whew.
Players of the game for Philadelphia were Cattoni (4+2), Jones (3+5), and O’Neill (1+3). Nick Damude, another newcomer, had an eventful night in goal. He made 34 saves on 51 shots in 51:31 of game play. Deacan Knott stopped six of six the rest of the way. For San Diego, Benesch (5+4), McIntosh (4+2), and Hellyer (3+3) led the way. Christopher Origlieri also had an eventful night, stopping 24 of 36 in 40:51 of game play. Mike Poulin stopped seven of 10 in relief.
“It’s always a little uncomfortable, but it’s good to get a few early”, said McIntosh about opening the season against his former club. “It’s a good start, we have a lot to build on. It’s a good start, but now we’re onto the next one.”
San Diego (1-0) looks to build on this massive offensive output. They hit the road to take on the Georgia Swarm Saturday at 8pm. Philadelphia looks to clean up a bit defensively, all the while keeping up on the offensive side. Their next contest is at home against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs (0-1)* Saturday December 14th at 6pm. 
