DULUTH, Ga. (January 27, 2022) – The Georgia Swarm (2-3) invite the Philadelphia Wings (4-3) to Gas South Arena for the teams’ second matchup of the season against one another. Georgia looks for redemption for the 12-11 overtime loss to Philadelphia on Jan. 8.
Whichever team records the win on January 29 takes the lead in the all-time series, which is knotted at 3-3. The Swarm is 1-2 against the Wings at home, dropping the last contest in Gas South Arena on March 8, 2020, 12-11. In an odd twist of fate, the final score in the last three meetings between Georgia and Philadelphia has read 12-11 (Jan. 31, 2020: GA 12, PHI 11; March 8, 2020: PHI 12, GA 11; Jan. 8, 2022: PHI 12, GA 11).
After playing last week’s game against the Rochester Knighthawks with seven Swarm players on the COVID-19 protocol list, Georgia’s roster is now back at its full strength with the activation of 2020 NLL MVP F Shayne Jackson, F Tanner Buck, F Vaughn Harris, D Ethan Riggs, G Craig Wende, G Laine Hruska, and D Jeff Henrick.
Since the two teams last played each other, Lyle Thompson and Wings forward Kevin Crowley now rank second and first in league points, respectively. Thompson was the first NLL player to eclipse 30 points this season as he totals 32 after defeating the Knighthawks on Jan. 21. Crowley passed Thompson with 34 points on Jan. 22 after notching two goals and seven assists against the Knighthawks. Crowley and the Wings played a doubleheader during week eight and totaled five points against the Riptide. Crowley, enters the Swarm vs. Wings game with 39 points on the season.
When the Swarm fell to the Wings on Jan. 8, it was the start of a two-game slump for the team. Georgia ended its draught on Jan. 21 when they topped the Rochester Knighthawks, 12-8. The Swarm dominated the first quarter, outscoring the Knighthawks 5-1. Before Jan. 21, the Swarm had only scored seven total goals in the first frame throughout four games. They rode this momentum throughout the game to bring home a win and go into the rivalry match against Philadelphia with positive energy.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Wings played a double-header last week going 1-1 in Wells Fargo Center. The Wings started the weekend with a win defeating the Knighthawks 18-10 on Jan. 22. Philadelphia lost its groove and fell to the New York Riptide by one on Jan. 23 marking the team’s third loss of the season.
The last time the Swarm and Wings battled each other on Jan. 8, Thompson recorded his second-straight five-goal performance of the season. Thompson led the field in points, totaling eight while Jordan Hall was second for Georgia in points registering one goal and five assists. Another key player of the game was Brendan Bomberry, who sent the game into overtime netting the tying goal with .6 seconds left on the clock. Starting netminder Mike Poulin made 39 saves and ended the game with a .764 save percentage.
As Crowley leads his team in points (39), goals (12), and assists (27), Matt Rambo ranks second for Philadelphia in points (32) and assists (21). When the two teams played each other on Jan 8, Rambo totaled six points (3g, 3a) while Crowley totaled five (1g, 4a). Wings’ goalie Zach Higgins ranks second in the NLL and is 3-2 between the pipes totaling 223 saves, a .780 save percentage and 10.97 goals against average. Higgins was not in net when the Swarm and Wings faced off on Jan. 8, but Eric Penney suited up in between the pipes and saved 50 Georgia shots and had a .819 save percentage.
As Thompson sits atop the team standings in points (32), goals (14) and assists (18), Hall follows in points (21) and assists (16). Bomberry ranks third in points (17), goals (7) and assists (10) while averaging 3.4 points per game. Poulin earned his second win in net last week against Rochester and now totals 190 saves and a .772 save percentage on the season.
After playing four-straight contests on the road, the Swarm hosts three of the next four games at home. Following the Georgia Swarm vs. Philadelphia Wings game on Jan. 29, Georgia invites the Albany FireWolves to Harrah’s Cherokee Resort and Casino Field next Friday, Feb. 4 and the New York Riptide on Saturday, Feb. 12.