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The National Lacrosse League's (NLL) Minnesota Swarm (4-4) begins the second half of the 2011 NLL season against the Colorado Mammoth (1-7) this Friday, March 3 at Pepsi Center. Face-off starts at 8:00 p.m. CST.
The Swarm finished the first half of the season in second place in the West Division and trail only the Calgary Roughnecks (5-3) by 1.0 game. Minnesota is a perfect 4-0 in divisional games this season, and will look to continue that streak Friday night against the Mammoth.
"We are happy to only be one game behind Calgary for the division lead," coach Mike Lines said. "At the same time, we feel like we've thrown a few games away. We will control our own destiny the rest of the way."
Minnesota's most recent victory came in Colorado two weeks and snapped a three-game losing streak at the time. The Swarm faced an early 5-1 deficit against the Mammoth, but prevailed 12-10 on the road behind five goals from F Ryan Benesch.
"We expect Colorado to come out extremely hard just like last time," Lines said. "Despite their record, they are only one game out of the playoffs right now."
Benesch, who has 49 points (25g, 24a) on the season, is currently is tied for the league lead in goals with Boston F Casey Powell. Minnesota's offense has featured a balanced attack in 2011 and with the recent acquisition of F Jamie Shewchuk, Lines says his team will continue to pose problems for opponents.
"Teams won't be able to cover everybody at the same time, and they can't double everybody," Lines said. "Someone will always be open and we are confident in everyone's ability on offense to finish."
The Swarm will also welcome the return of its captain D Ryan Cousins on defense. Cousins missed the first half of the season due to work commitments. To improve upon it's 4-4, Lines said the team must continue to improve in one key area.
"It's a consistency thing - game-to-game, quarter-to-quarter and shift-to-shift," he said. "If we can put together a full 60 minutes every night, I think we will finish better than 4-4 in the second half."
After Friday nights game, Minnesota won't hit the turf until it faces the Edmonton Rush on the road on March 25. The Swarm then returns to Treasure Island Field at Xcel Energy Center against the Buffalo Bandits on March 27 for a nationally televised game on VERSUS. Starting with its game against Edmonton, Minnesota plays its remaining seven games in about a month's span, with the season concluding on April 23 at home against Colorado.
Fans can watch Friday night's contest from Pepsi Center LIVE on mnswarm.com.
Swarm season, group and single game tickets are available with options in all price ranges. Tickets for the 2011 Minnesota Swarm season, presented by Treasure Island Resort & Casino, are available by visiting mnswarm.com or calling 888-MN-SWARM.
The Swarm finished the first half of the season in second place in the West Division and trail only the Calgary Roughnecks (5-3) by 1.0 game. Minnesota is a perfect 4-0 in divisional games this season, and will look to continue that streak Friday night against the Mammoth.
"We are happy to only be one game behind Calgary for the division lead," coach Mike Lines said. "At the same time, we feel like we've thrown a few games away. We will control our own destiny the rest of the way."
Minnesota's most recent victory came in Colorado two weeks and snapped a three-game losing streak at the time. The Swarm faced an early 5-1 deficit against the Mammoth, but prevailed 12-10 on the road behind five goals from F Ryan Benesch.
"We expect Colorado to come out extremely hard just like last time," Lines said. "Despite their record, they are only one game out of the playoffs right now."
Benesch, who has 49 points (25g, 24a) on the season, is currently is tied for the league lead in goals with Boston F Casey Powell. Minnesota's offense has featured a balanced attack in 2011 and with the recent acquisition of F Jamie Shewchuk, Lines says his team will continue to pose problems for opponents.
"Teams won't be able to cover everybody at the same time, and they can't double everybody," Lines said. "Someone will always be open and we are confident in everyone's ability on offense to finish."
The Swarm will also welcome the return of its captain D Ryan Cousins on defense. Cousins missed the first half of the season due to work commitments. To improve upon it's 4-4, Lines said the team must continue to improve in one key area.
"It's a consistency thing - game-to-game, quarter-to-quarter and shift-to-shift," he said. "If we can put together a full 60 minutes every night, I think we will finish better than 4-4 in the second half."
After Friday nights game, Minnesota won't hit the turf until it faces the Edmonton Rush on the road on March 25. The Swarm then returns to Treasure Island Field at Xcel Energy Center against the Buffalo Bandits on March 27 for a nationally televised game on VERSUS. Starting with its game against Edmonton, Minnesota plays its remaining seven games in about a month's span, with the season concluding on April 23 at home against Colorado.
Fans can watch Friday night's contest from Pepsi Center LIVE on mnswarm.com.
Swarm season, group and single game tickets are available with options in all price ranges. Tickets for the 2011 Minnesota Swarm season, presented by Treasure Island Resort & Casino, are available by visiting mnswarm.com or calling 888-MN-SWARM.
