Toronto, ON – The Toronto Rock will travel to Philadelphia this weekend to prepare for their first game against the Wings during the 2005 season. The Rock are rolling with a 2-0 record to date, chalking up wins against the Buffalo Bandits and the Minnesota Swarm.
Despite the 2 wins though, the Rock lineup will see some changes tomorrow night. Captain Jim Veltman will return to the floor, having missed 2 games because of a pulled hamstring. Defenseman Glenn Clark however, will miss his third game of the 2005 season with nagging complications due to recent knee surgery. The Rock will also add veteran forward Tim O’Brien to the lineup for the first time this season. O’Brien returns to the floor, having missed the 2004 season with a knee injury. Rookie Jimmy Quinlan will also see time in his first NLL appearance this weekend. Quinlan played for the WLA Coquitlam Adanacs this past summer, finishing 4th overall in the team’s point standings.
The Rock are raring to take on the Wings once again; the teams met at the Barrie Molson Centre in pre-season action. The game was a physical battle which saw the Rock emerge with the 16-13 win. In their long history, these teams have faced off 15 times. The Rock have a leg up on the Wings with a 12-3 record overall. The Rock have won 5 of 7 games played on Philadelphia’s home turf.
“This is a big division game and we’d certainly like to bring home a win. We’ve got 2 wins behind us but we’re always looking for ways to improve on what we’re trying to do with this team.” Terry Sanderson, Toronto Rock Head Coach and GM.
The game will not be broadcast on television this weekend but fans can catch all the action on The New AM 640 Toronto. The pre-game show begins at 7:30pm with Joe Bowen and Blair Campbell.
The Rock’s next home game at the Air Canada Centre will take place on Friday January 28, 2005 at 7:30pm versus the Rochester Knighthawks. Tickets for the game are still available through all Ticketmaster outlets by calling (416) 872 5000, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or in person at the Air Canada Centre Box Office.