“I am glad that Athan and Merrick are being recognized for their fine play in January,” said Wings coach Dave Huntley. “We look forward to even better things from both players the rest of this season.”
The Wings are gearing for their next game action on Friday, Feb. 15, when they face the Western Division leading Colorado Mammoth (4-0). The game will be broadcast on Comcast SportsNet at 10:30 p.m. Philadelphia is one-half behind front running Minnesota (4-0) in the East Division standings.
The Wings face the Minnesota Swarm in their next home game at Wachovia Center on Friday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m.
Iannucci and Thomson were joined by four other Wings - forward Jake Bergey, transition player Geoff Snider, defender Taylor Wray and goalie Rob Blasdell - on the NLL East Division All-Star ballot released this week. The 2008 NLL All-Star game will be played March 16 in Edmonton, Alberta.
Fans will have the opportunity to help select the starting lineups for both the East and West division teams. Voting will take place at www.nll.com/community through Feb. 24. Fans may submit one ballot per day. The fans’ votes will be combined with those of league media and team General Managers and head coaches, with each counting for one-third of the total vote. The All-Star Game coaches will select all remaining players
Bergey, in his 11th season with the Wings, currently ranks third in goal scoring in the National Lacrosse League with 12 goals. The Salisbury State product has recorded 17 total points (12G, 5A) in his first three games played in the 2008 season. Bergey scored the game-winning overtime goal in the Wings last home game versus the Buffalo Bandits on Saturday, January 26.
Snider was the Wings first pick (third overall) in the 2006 NLL Entry Draft. The 5-11, 200-pound transition player has eight points (2G, 6A) and has 30 groundballs. Snider has won 71 percent of his faceoffs this year
Wray is in his fifth year out of Duke University. The 6-2, 230-pound defender has collected 27 loose balls. Blasdell is currently second in the NLL in wins with three and ranks sixth in the league in saves with 123. Blasdell was acquired from the Arizona Sting in the first round of the 2007 dispersal draft.