The Philadelphia Wings were flying high for their home season opener on Saturday in Philadelphia. It was freezing on the outside and scorching on the field in a physical game that was entertaining from start to finish. Some new faces were mixed in with the old faces, and it was the same with the coaching staff. Philadelphia started strong and finished strong, soaring to a solid 19-10 win to tie a franchise record for goals scored.
The fans had the stadium jumping before the game began. The music was loud, the play was fast. The fans were loyal, loud, and proud. They roared for returning players like Mitch Jones and Blaze Riorden. However, they also shook the stadium with their screams for the newly acquired guys as well.
Adding to the new guys was the promotion of Ian Rubel as the head coach. There definitely seemed to be a new vibe as the players hit the turf. The defense, something the Wings struggled with in past years, seemed energized. Guys stepped up their transition games, and the offense found the back of the net in a variety of ways—something they struggled with last season. The game featured some outstanding goals with a well-balanced offense.
Rubel was not surprised by the balance or the play of the offense.
“I mean, it’s not surprising to me. I mean the talent we have and we’ve been preaching move the ball,” Rebel said. “We all know if you’re taking penalties in this league, then you’re probably going to pay for it. Our power play is clicking. You take penalties in this league and there’s going to be trouble.”
The first quarter ended up tied 4-4. Blaze Riorden, Joe Resetarits, Mitch Jones and new to Philly Phil Caputo all scored in the first for the Wings.
For Las Vegas, Adam Poitras scored a pair in the first quarter. Also scoring was Jack Hannah and Dylan Watson. It looked like the game was going to be a crap shoot until quarter 2.
Quarter 2 saw Philadelphia flex its Wings and score, blanking the Desert Dogs 5-0. They were flying high as they soared into the half. Sam LeClair and Mitch Jones both scored twice. Joe Resetarits also scored once. Sam LeClair’s goals were dynamic. However, it was his excitement and enthusiasm that brought the crowd to its feet and this seemed to increase the pace on the field.
Five different Philly players scored in quarter 3. This included Brennan O’Neill.
There had been a lot of hype about O’Neill coming into this game.
“Brennan O’Neill — he keeps getting better practice by practice and game by game,” acknowledged Rebel. “We knew the kind of talent we were getting.”
And that talent was on display, as he held onto the ball with multiple players draped on him. He was a distraction every time he stepped on the turf. And what was clear to everyone was how each shift seemed to boost his confidence.
O’Neill reflected on his play as well as that of being in Philadelphia as a professional athlete.
“It was more than I could have imagined,” he said. “I had expectations coming in and they exceeded them. They really helped us going forward and staying on track. It’s a lot more physical off ball and you have to be ready at all times.” He showed that in the second half.
Quarter 4 had Casey Jackson quickly finding the net for Las Vegas. However, Blaze Riorden fired back with two of his own, followed by Brennan O’Neill with two. For the Desert Dogs, Jackson and Kyle Killen each scored once.
The well-balanced offense also included a power play game that scored on 4 of its 5 opportunities -something that Philadelphia sometimes struggled with last season. They also took a wide variety of shots. They did not just wait for everyone to get set before taking the shots, and they also did not just shoot from the outside while hoping it went in.
The defense seemed revitalized as well. They hustled to various spots, saw the open man, caused turnovers, and hustled to play defense during transitions. The team played with a sense of urgency that appeared to be missing at the end of last season.
Someone would be hard pressed to identify just one star of this game for Philadelphia. Riorden had four goals, Holden Cattoni had 9 assists and Resetarits had 11 total points. Goalie Nick Demude had 47 saves.
