12-02-2023 (Photo: Brandon Hill)
The 2023-24 NLL season was officially underway, as the final game from week one came to you from the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The Philadelphia Wings came to town to take on the New York Riptide. Obviously, both teams were looking to start the new campaign off strong, however it was the Wings who came out with the dub. After starting the game on a five-goal run across two quarters, Philadelphia snuck out with a 13-10 win.
The NLL’s leading scorer from a year ago, Jeff Teat, was short and sweet before the game. After being asked what people should expect from this year’s Riptide squad, Teat said, “a lot of fire, a lot of energy, and a lot of fun.”
It seemed as though Philadelpia had the same mindset, as they shut New York out after one quarter of play. Holden Cattoni got the first goal for the Wings at the 13:51 mark on the power play, and the next goal wasn’t until 2:40, when Blaze Riorden lit the lamp. Ben McIntosh scored his first in the final minute on the power play, to make it 3-0 Wings after one. It should be noted that Philadelphia’s defense was stifling in the first, as well as Zach Higgins looking like he was in midseason form.
The Wings added to their lead, as Sam LeClair and Mitch Jones tallied their first of the game and of the new season. On the ensuing faceoff, 15-year veteran, Jay Thorimbert, finally got New York on the board. Connor Kearnan followed that up with his first, with an acrobatic dive across the crease. Cattoni got his second of the game, but then the Riptide came roaring back. New York rattled off three-straight goals from Mitch Wilde, Kearnan, and Damon Edwards, and all of a sudden we had a ballgame. 6-5 Wings heading into the half.
As we said, Higgins was sparkling in the first half, making 25 saves on 30 shots. On the other side, Cameron Dunkerley got off to a slow start, but really settled in nicely. The youngster made 23 saves on 29 shots.
“He’s big for our team and in the locker room (speaking about Cattoni),” said LeClair at halftime. “Who are you going to cover? Our power play is dangerous and we can put the ball in the back of the net at any time. We have to stick to our game plan, we know what our strong suits are.”
The Wings, excuse me, Riorden, continued his strong play to begin the third quarter, as he notched the first two goals of the frame, his second and third. Jeff Teat finally got his name in the goal column with a power play marker. The rest of the quarter saw “every other” scoring. Alex Pace scored for Philly, but was answered by Kiel Matisz. Matisz’s was answered under a minute later by McIntosh’s second. 10-7 Wings going into the fourth.
Matisz answered right back with his second of the game to begin the fourth quarter. The next two goals by Philadelphia seemed to have been the back-breaker for New York. Jones tallied his second, and Mike McCannell got his first, to give the Wings a four-goal lead with 6:11 to play. Every time the Riptide got close, Philadelphia had the answer. Prime example, Larson Sundown scored his first of the game on the power play, but 50 seconds later, Riorden notched his fourth. Reilly O’Connor scored his first in the final seconds, but that’d be all she wrote. Your final, 13-10 Philadelphia.
Players of the game for Philadelphia were Riorden (four goals), Jones (2+6), and McIntosh (2+2). Higgins shut down any comeback attempt from New York that came his way in the second half. He finished with 49 saves on 59 shots. For New York, Kearnan (2+3), Matisz (2+1), and Teat (1+4) led the way. Dunkerley had his moments of success, but ultimately came up short. He finished the night with 36 saves on 49 shots.
“I just love this game,” said Riorden. “To have the Wings faithful here, it means everything. They made the trip, they’re loud, they’re proud, we had no other option. To come out with a “W” on the road is a great start.”
“I think the guys got to know each other in training camp, we had an excellent camp,” said head coach Paul Day after the game. “When Blazer scores, they’re dirty goals, and that’s Philadelphia lacrosse I think. We’re really happy with our group, and we just hope to get better.”
Philadelphia (1-0) looks to continue their momentum as they travel to Hamilton to take on the Toronto Rock (0-0), Saturday at 7pm. New York (0-1) has to have a short memory, and has some time to make adjustments. They have a week off before they welcome Halifax (1-0) to town on December 16th at 1pm.
