By Tim Panaccio, Inquirer Staff Writer
The champion Philadelphia Wings open their fourth Major Indoor Lacrosse League season this weekend with two games.
Tonight at 8, they will be in New York to play the Saints, and tomorrow night at 8, they will host the Pittsburgh Bulls (formerly the Washington Wave) at the Spectrum.
Coach Dave Evans said the Wings, who were 6-2 in 1989, were physically stronger than last year’s squad, but he wondered about their frame of mind.
“I’m not sure what it is,” Evans said, “but I sense something is missing psychologically. There is something about having a defending champion. We didn’t blow people away last year. A couple of goals in a few games, and we’re not even in the playoffs.
“Championship clubs have a tendency to think they can turn it on once the season starts. I hope we’re sharp because right now I feel something isn’t right.”
Despite these concerns, the Wings appear to have a stronger club. Evans signed goalie Dwight Maetche, the Canadian MVP two of the last three seasons with the Vancouver Burrards in box lacrosse.
“Maetche is the best goalie in Canada right now,” Evans said. “He’s been playing box lacrosse all his life. I’d rate him in the top three in the world among indoor goalies.”
Maetche will start tonight against the Saints, who lost the MILL title, 11-10, at the Spectrum on April 7.
Maetche will alternate with last year’s starting keeper, Kevin Bilger, who finished second in the league in saves with 267 (33.4 per game).
“Kevin has looked better in practice,” Evans said. “I was always reluctant to pull him if he had an off-night last season. Now I have some flexibility with Maetche.”
The most notable face missing from the Wings this season is attackman Paul French (19 points), who retired to San Diego.
There are, however, seven new faces, including forward Chris Flynn, a former all-American at Penn. He spent last season coaching outdoor lacrosse in Britain.
Flynn’s specialty is face-offs, an area dominated by Bill Dirrigl, who was outstanding last season in key situations when the Wings needed the ball.
A familiar face returning this season is forward Pat Lamon. He played with Washington last season because of a company job transfer to Virginia that prevented him from attending games in Philadelphia.
Lamon was the Wings’ leading goal-scorer (21) in 1988. Last season, the Wings possessed three of the league’s top four point-scorers in Brad Kotz (44), John Tucker (35) and Andy Wilson (35). They all return.
One aspect of play the Wings must improve upon this season is defense. Although they led the league in scoring (122 goals), the Wings were a distant fourth among six teams in goals against (96).
The MILL again will have six teams and has delayed its Chicago entry until 1991. A proposal to increase the schedule from eight to 10 games was scrapped because of arena availability.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, January 12, 1990)