By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Philadelphia Wings (3-1), who host the first-place Detroit Turbos (3-0) tonight at 8, lead the Major Indoor Lacrosse League in attendance with an average crowd of 14,244.
“The crowd in Philadelphia has been a big factor for this team, maybe the biggest,” said Wings midfielder John Tucker, a three-time all-American at Johns Hopkins.
“It would be nice to get crowds like that everywhere we go,” said Tucker, who scored a goal and added four assists during a rowdy 14-9 victory over Baltimore last week.
The Wings drew just 6,479 at the Baltimore Arena this season and only 9,324 at Nassau Coliseum in New York.
Tucker said the Wings would prefer playing all games at home. He said the fans here seem appreciative of the Wings’ offense, which leads the league in goals per game (15.7) and which is second to Baltimore in goals scored (63). Baltimore has 71 goals but has played two more games.
The Wings’ Brad Kotz leads the league with 12 goals and 21 points for a 5.3-point average. Because the league plays just eight games, all stats are tabulated on a “per game” average.
Tucker (six goals, 11 assists) has 17 points, but he is second in scoring with a 4.3-point average.
Detroit leads the league in fewest goals allowed (25), an 8.3 average in three games. Turbos goalie Ted Sawicki has made 117 saves and leads the league in save average (39.0).
Wings goalie Kevin Bilger has the most saves with 119.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, February 18, 1989)