Boston loses game tied 10 times
By Doug Brown; Baltimore Sun Staff Writer, January 10th, 1993
As season openers go, the Baltimore Thunder’s was a dandy. In a game that was tied 10 times, the Thunder edged the Boston Blazers. 18-17, last night before 8,134 at the Baltimore Arena. The game was the Major Indoor Lacrosse League opener for both teams.
Neither team ever had more than a two-goal lead. The score was tied for the first time at 2 and the last time at 15. At that point, Tim Welsh scored what proved to be the winninggoal with 4:13 remaining.
“Two defensemen switched, and one backed up, which meant both were back, giving me a nice screen,” Welsh said. “The right side of the goal was wide open.”
But victory was by no means secure. In a frantic finish, John Tucker raised Baltimore’s advantage to 17-15, only to have Randy Fraser cut the lead to one. But Butch Marino scored his game-high fifth goal with 2:06 left, making Toby Boucher’s score at 1:03 the Blazers’ dying gasp.
David Lee, the Thunder’s 22-year-old rookie goalie from British Columbia, faced 60 shots and made 45 saves in his MILL debut. He left the game for a few minutes in the second quarter after being whacked on the chin by a Blazers stick. “I was dazed,” said Lee, who may need stitches to close the cut. “The guy got his stick up under my mask, so I guess I blocked the shot with my chin.”
The game marked the start of Marino’s second hitch with the Thunder. After two years here, he was traded to the Pittsburgh Bulls for three draft choices. During the past off-season, general manager Darrell Russell traded Jim Huelskamp, whose strength is defense, to Pittsburgh for Marino. “Defense for offense, even up,” Russell said. “It was a steal.”
The Thunder Jumped to a 2-0 lead 4:17 into the game on goals by Marino. Nell Doddridge came right back with two for Boston In an 11-second period and Dave Robinson sent the Blazers ahead, 3-2. That quickly dispelled any notion that the game might be a cakewalk for Baltimore. The score was tied six times in the first half, the first at 2 and the last at 7.
After 30 minutes, Doddridge had four goals, Marino three and Baltimore’s Jeff Jackson two.
Thunder coach John Stewart entered the game hoping for improvement in the defense that finished last in the seven-team league last year.
“We’ll never get over the top playing defense like that.” Stewart said. “The defensive emphasis has to be on speed, with the defense getting the fast break going. A good defense leads to a fast break offense. This is a game of fast breaks, the Idea being to create unbalanced situations.”
“Defense is good footwork and conditioning. There is no need to try to take the ball away from the offense. They have to shoot within 30 seconds, anyway. I Just want them to maintain good leverage and take away anything inside the shooting cylinder.”
The defensive load, Stewart says, should not be on the goalie alone. Even If Lee were not a rookie, the same would apply. “The key is how well we protect and support the goalie,” Stewart said. “He’s going to see 90 to 100 shots. We have to help him.”
