Wolves’ Crowley wants what’s best for Stealth — just not on Saturday
Any other opponent for the Vancouver Stealth this week and Kevin Crowley would be feverishly rooting on the Langley Events Centre crew.
His second favourite team happens to be playing his first.
Crowley, 28, a right-handed sharpshooter from New Westminster who is now calling Philadelphia home base, leads the New England Black Wolves (8-9) against the Stealth (8-9) Saturday (4 p.m., TSN 1410) at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., as part of the final weekend of the National Lacrosse League regular season.
The Stealth have already qualified for the playoffs and will face the Colorado Mammoth on the May 6 weekend, but a Vancouver win Saturday coupled with a loss Friday by the Mammoth (9-8) to the visiting Saskatchewan Rush (11-5) would give Vancouver home-floor advantage over Colorado for the one-game opening-round set.
This is new ground for the Stealth. They had failed to make the post-season in their first three seasons based out the LEC. They’ve had trouble filling the building. There seems to be a buzz about the team now, though. If you’re a lacrosse person like Crowley, you can sense there’s a window here for the franchise.
“I try to promote the Stealth as much as I can," said Crowley, pointing to things like banging the proverbial Stealth drum during youth clinics with his Fusion Lacrosse company that he runs during routine trips home to visit family in New Westminster.
“I want to see them be successful. I want to try to help put fans in the seats for them. I want to see the growth of the sport in B.C.”
If you’re thinking Crowley might mail it in against the Stealth because of all that, consider that Saturday will mark his 100th NLL regular-season game and he’s competitive enough that he’s already totalled 450 points, including 201 goals.
He was also quick to point out, “I love it with the Black Wolves,” in the midst of all the talking up of Vancouver. Keep in mind, too, New England can clinch a home playoff date with a win over Vancouver and a loss by the Toronto Rock (8-9) to the Buffalo Bandits (6-11).
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound Crowley, who played collegiate field lacrosse at Stony Brook University in New York and suited up for the Philadelphia Wings before they moved to New England, is tied for third in the NLL in goals this season with 40. His 78 points leave him 11th in the circuit and second on his team behind the 95 produced by fellow righty Shawn Evans.
Keeping those two in check would go a long way to Vancouver succeeding and the Stealth may have to try to do it without veteran defenders Matt Beers and Cliff Smith, who could both be looking at supplementary discipline for incidents in Vancouver’s 13-7 win April 22 at home over the Mammoth.
Beers received a double game misconduct after a fight with Bryce Sweeting with 31 seconds remaining. With the ball yet to come into play after that bout, Smith scrapped with Stephen Keogh and picked up a match penalty for his troubles.
Keogh seemed to challenge Vancouver goalie Tye Belanger before Smith engaged him and Keogh was assessed an instigator penalty when the dust settled. That could help Vancouver’s chances of Smith being let off the hook.
Word lon the suspensions is expected late Thursday.
If they’re suspended, the Stealth will likely go with Travis Cornwall, a healthy scratch last week, and either Brandon Clelland or Ryan Wagner, who are on the practice roster.