Wings Take Flight In Win Over Colorado

The Philadelphia Wings had a two-week bye to start the season.  Whereas other teams may have seen this as an obstacle; the Philadelphia Wings used this time to put the final touches on a solid game plan that lifted them over Colorado with an 8-7 victory that was a nail biter at the end.

Philadelphia soared to a stunning 2 goal lead before Colorado came roaring back.  The end of quarter 1 had a light scoring 2-1 Philly lead.  Quarter 2 was the strongest for Philadelphia as they outscored Colorado 5-2.  Philly fans grew nervous at the half, as they expected Colorado to turn it around after the locker room chat.  Colorado attempted to do this–but their 1 goal in quarter 3 and 3 goals in quarter 4 were not enough to stop Philadelphia from flying away with the W.

Philadelphia has some new faces, some players returning from injuries, and veterans to help them lead the way.  Right away fans noticed a more aggressive style of play with both transitions and defense.  Nick Damude stood on his head with a solid 52 saves to secure the win.

Head coach Ian Rubel commented on the change with Damude as well as the new strategies that were implemented in the off season.  “Loose balls and the way we changed from offense to defense needed to be better.  Number one: loose balls.  If you don’t possess the ball, you can’t do anything; and possessing the ball is the best defense.  It’s a strong, strong focus on attacking loose balls this year, so you will see us play quite a bit more aggressive.”

Also commenting on the game was a new addition to the Wings.  Landen Sinfield joined Philadelphia and made his presence felt with athletic hustle and his first goal.  He commented on what it was like to see and join Philadelphia.  “It was a real blast.  I’ve never been to Philly before.  Coming out with that crowd?  I didn’t realize how into the game everyone was.  All the cheering and the chants they’re doing.  “Damude’s Dudes were hilarious.  I loved it!”  Just to see our fans come out and support us, and then just be able to come out on top–that was a blast!”

And a blast it was.  But Philadelphia fans were quite nervous going into quarter 4.  Any time Dillon Ward is in the net, it is going to be challenging.  By changing the typical Philly offense and slowing down some of the shots, the Wings were able to catch Ward off his game a few times.  That, combined with a more aggressive style of play on transitions that was coupled with a healthy defense, allowed the Wings to rise above Colorado to hang on for the win.