By BARRIE DAWSON - Courier-News Staff Writer - January, 1988
EAST RUTHERFORD — Box lacrosse? It’s a thing of the past. Call it indoor lacrosse from now on, as in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League.
In its first season, the league was called the Eagle Pro-Box Lacrosse League, but that was last year. The new name, a new commissioner and some new rules were among the changes outlined at yesterday’s press conference at Giants Stadium.
According to Commissioner G. Darrell Russell, a lawyer by trade, each of the league’s four teams — the New Jersey Saints, Baltimore Thunder, Philadelphia Wings and Washington Wave — will play an eight-game schedule this season. Last year, they played six.
The Saints, who call Byrne Meadowlands Arena home, open their schedule with a Jan. 3 home game against Baltimore at 7:30 p.m. En route to last year’s 5-1 record, they led the league in goals-per-game average (14.67) and penalties per game (22.2 minutes per).
They will again be coached by Bob Engelke, a two-time All-American outdoor lacrosse player at Adelphi University. Tom Flatley, who coached the USA Team to world titles in 1982 and ’84, is the Saints’ new general manager.
“My job is to put together the best team I can for our owners in New Jersey,” said Flatley, who must cut the team’s 40-man pre-season roster to 22 before the season begins. The Saints will practice at the Sport & Party Center, Inc., in Syosset, N.Y.
Among the players on the Saints’ pre-season roster are former Rutgers University stars Tom Sweeney and Bill Naslonski. The Saints will again wear blue and gold jerseys, but the design will be different, with more emphasis on gold.
Saints’ season tickets cost $50 for lower-level seats and $45 for the upper level. Individual game tickets cost $15 for the lower level and $13 for upstairs. Tickets go on sale Dec. 1 at the Meadowlands Arena box office and via Ticketmaster. Saints’ away games will be telecast by SportsChannel.
Indoor lacrosse is similar to ice hockey in that teams field six players at a time. Another similarity is that play can be just as rough.
When asked whether fighting was necessary to help market the game, Engelke said, “I don’t believe so. You need contact, but you don’t need fighting and cheap shots.”
