PHILADELPHIA - Veteran Jake Bergey scored 20 seconds into overtime to lead the Wings past Buffalo, 15-14, Saturday at the Wachovia Center in front of 10,542 fans. The Wings gave up their lead late in the fourth quarter, but were able to force overtime with less than two minutes left on the clock. Bergey scored four goals in the win, while Athan Iannucci had another strong night with four goals and three assists. Goalie Rob Blasdell made 48 saves on 62 shots.

"I thought our veterans were terrific," said Wings' Head Coach Dave Huntley. "Bergey, Hajek, and Van Beek did a great job and so did our defense."

The Wings scored two goals in the first two minutes to take the quick lead. The two teams battled back and forth until late in the half when the Wings scored five unanswered goals to take a 9-5 lead into the locker rooms. Iannucci and Bergey each scored a hat trick for Philadelphia in the first half.

Buffalo outscored Philadelphia, 5-4, in the third quarter, but the Wings preserved their lead with four power play goals. It was a physical quarter, with 28 minutes in penalties. Buffalo didn't give up as they fought back to take a 14-13 lead. Jamie Rooney was able to tie the game for Philadelphia and force overtime with a goal at 13:07.

Athan Iannucci (4G, 3A) led the Wings in scoring with seven points. Six other players scored goals for Philadelphia, including Geoff Snider (2G), Jamie Rooney (2G,1A), Merrick Thomson (1G,4A), Dan Marohl (1G,3A), Taylor Wray (1G,1A), and Jake Bergey (4G ). Goaltender Rob Blasdell made 48 saves.

Mark Steenhuis led the Bandits in scoring with five points (4G,1A). Six other players scored for Buffalo, including John Tavares (2G,5A), Clay Hill (1G), Kevin Dostie (4G,1A), Cory Bomberry (1G,5A), Dan Teat (1G,3A), and Roger Vyse (1G,5A). Goaltender Michael Thompson had 37 saves on 52 shots.

Notes: The Philadelphia Wings' Merrick Thomson was named the NLL's Rookie of the Week for his performance in last Friday's 15-14 win over the National Lacrosse League's defending champions, the Rochester Knighthawks at the Wachovia Center. Thomson recorded three goals and three assists, while picking up five loose balls.

The Wings face the Colorado Mammoth in their first road game of the season on February 15 before returning home to host the Minnesota Swarm on Friday, February 22 at Wachovia Center at 8:00 p.m.

* * * *

The Buffalo Bandits fell short tonight in Philadelphia and suffered their first overtime loss of the season by a score 14-15. The loss now moves Buffalo to 2-2 on the season.

John Tavares led all Buffalo scorers with seven points (2+5) on the night. He now has 24 points (8+16) on the season. Mark Steenhuis and Kevin Dostie each posted four goals and one assist against the Wings. Cory Bomberry also had a strong showing with one goal and five assists. Dan Teat tallied four points (1+3) for the Bandits.

Transition Player of the Week, Pat McCready led Buffalo with 11 penalty minutes in the game. He now leads the Bandits with 23 penalty minutes on the season. Mike Thompson made 37 saves in net against the Wings. The net minder allowed 15 goals off 52 shots on goal.

The Bandits will next square off against the Calgary Roughnecks at the Sears Centre on Friday, Feb. 8. Game time is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Buffalo's next home game will be Sat., Feb. 16 against the Minnesota Swarm. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

* * * *

Line Score    1 2 3 4 OT TOTAL
Buffalo       5 0 5 4  0  14
Philadelphia  4 5 4 1  1  15

1st Quarter
Philadelphia - Geoff Snider (unassisted) 0:05
Philadelphia - Jake Bergey (John Christmas) 1:45
Buffalo - Mark Steenhuis (Cory Bomberry, Kevin Dostie) 2:56
Philadelphia - Athan Iannucci (unassisted) 4:32
Buffalo - John Tavares (powerplay) (Dan Teat) 5:20
Buffalo - Mark Steenhuis (Dan Teat, Delby Powless) 6:29
Buffalo - Kevin Dostie (John Tavares, Cory Bomberry) 7:20
Philadelphia - Jake Bergey (Taylor Wray, Dan Marohl) 8:31
Buffalo - Mark Steenhuis (Pat McCready, Mike Thompson) 9:08

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2008-01-27