In the news
Athan Iannucci of the Philadelphia Wings was awarded
MVP in the NLL this past week. Of course, as you all know, Iannucci is also a
(former) Salmonbelly.
Labels: Athan Iannucci
More on Iannucci
Yesterday I read a well-written report on Ianucci's move to the St. Regis Indians. Today, however, when I went back to link to that particular article, I couldn't find it. Instead I found a story by the same writer, Paul Tutka, saying that the
reports are premature.
I certainly hope this second version is closer to the truth.
Labels: Athan Iannucci, New Westminster Salmonbellies, St. Regis Indians
Salmonbellies take another hit
So, not only are the Salmonbellies without
Craig Conn for the 2008 season, but top scorer Athan Ianucci has decided to play for the
St. Regis Indians in Cornwall, Ontario, according to
this article.
Salmonbellies' GM Dan Richardson likens the situation to "getting hit with a 2x4." I'm sure a lot of fans (and players) feel the same way.
Labels: Athan Iannucci, Craig Conn, New Westminster Salmonbellies, St. Regis Indians
Senior Salmonbellies host lacrosse camp
What could be cooler than a lacrosse camp hosted by senior Salmonbellies? From July 7 to 11, the Bellies host their first annual
lacrosse camp for kids. Imagine playing with Athan Iannucci, Craig Conn, and other great players at the Barn. I'll bet there are some pretty excited kids out there just counting down the days.
Labels: Athan Iannucci, Craig Conn, New Westminster Salmonbellies
I want my money back
Well, it's hard to believe that what we witnessed at Queen's Park Arena tonight was the first game of the WLA finals. Where did the top-rated Bellies go? They were awful tonight. Again, they had no defense, their shooting was off, and they dropped the ball (literally) far too many times. Final score: 15-5 for the Adanacs.
The Bellies had a few--a very few--good plays. Peter Morgan scored a couple of times on powerplays, Iannucci made a beautiful one-handed goal after picking himself off the ground in front of the net, and Shibild made a lot of good saves, particularly in the latter part of the game. Shibild was looking a bit discouraged in the first period, and even made a direct in-front-of-the-net pass to Adanacs' Colin Doyle, who promptly placed the ball in the net.
The Adanacs played a much stronger game, however, and totally dominated all three periods. Their star player tonight was Ray Durante, mind you, a ref who's got a bit of reputation for favouring whoever happens to be playing against New West. I'm not saying that the Adanacs didn't deserve to win. They played hard and they played well--consistently. But Radar was annoying. He failed to call an illegal pick on an Adanacs player, and when a Bellie from the bench pointed it out, he got two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. Radar also missed calling a Bellies' goal in the last couple of minutes of the game (not that it would have changed the outcome). Then, on the buzzer, Iannucci shot straight into the net. An Adanacs player started roughing him, and both benches cleared for a fight. And somehow, after all that, Bellies' Darren McEwan gets a ten-minute abuse of officials gross misconduct. I'm pretty sure a lot of fans wanted to abuse Radar tonight too. As for McEwan, I'm not sure why he was the only one who ended up with a penalty from the brouhaha. In fact, I didn't even find out about the penalty until I got home and compared my notes with
Pointstreak.
Post-game fight
Adanacs' Captain, Bruce Murray, after the fight
Here's to a better game Sunday night in Coquitlam.
Labels: Athan Iannucci, Canadian Lacrosse Association, Colin Doyle, Peter Morgan, Radar, Ray Durante, Ron Shibild, WLA 2007
