Philadelphia Barrage

Last updated
Philadelphia Barrage
Philly Barrage.PNG
Founded 2001
Folded 2020
League Major League Lacrosse
Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ColorsOrange, navy blue, white
   
Head coach Spencer Ford
Championships3 (2004, 2006, 2007)
Division titles2 (2006, 2007)
Local media The Philadelphia Inquirer
FormerlyBridgeport Barrage
2001–2003
Website phillybarrage.com/

The Philadelphia Barrage were a professional field lacrosse team that are based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and member of Major League Lacrosse. They were the Bridgeport Barrage from 2001 to 2003 at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The team then relocated to Philadelphia from the 2004 season to the 2007 season when they became a traveling team for 2008. They ceased operations before the 2009 season due to the economic situation in the United States. The Philadelphia Barrage were resurrected for the 2020 season.

Contents

Franchise history

The team played in Bridgeport, Connecticut from the 2001 to the 2003 season and relocated to the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova in 2004. From their initial move to Philadelphia, for the 2004 season, through the 2006 season, they played at Villanova Stadium, which is located on the campus of Villanova University. They had previously played at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport where they hosted the inaugural Major League Lacrosse All Star Game in 2001. The Barrage made the playoffs for the first time in 2004 and won the Major League Lacrosse Championship over the Boston Cannons. The Barrage, after winning their 1st Eastern Conference Title, once again made the playoffs and won the Major League Lacrosse Championship in 2006 over the Denver Outlaws. For the 2007 season, the team moved to the United Sports Training Center in West Bradford Township, Pennsylvania. The Barrage, after winning their 2nd Eastern Conference Title, once again made the playoffs and won the Major League Lacrosse Championship in 2007 over the Los Angeles Riptide. The Barrage become the first team in MLL History to win back to back Steinfield Cup titles by winning the championship in 2006 and 2007.

After subsequent months of rumors, about the status and financial health of the franchise in 2007, Major League Lacrosse assumed operational control of the franchise in 2008. The Barrage played the full 2008 season as a travel team with their designated home games at league promotional sites outside of the Philadelphia area. [1] The team folded before the 2009 season.

2020: Revival

On February 17, 2020, MLL announced it was bringing back the Philadelphia Barrage after it folded the Atlanta Blaze the day before. The league named Blaze general manager Spencer Ford as the Barrage head coach. [2] The team will operate under Mark Burdett, the league's Chief Revenue Officer. [3] [4]

The Barrage were not able to announce a new home venue before the COVID-19 pandemic affected the 2020 season, delaying their official return to Philadelphia until 2021. The team played its first game on July 18 in a quarantined Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium against the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Despite getting out to a 3–0 lead, the team lost in its first game since 2008 by a score of 16–11 to the Bayhawks. On July 20, in third try, the Barrage won their first game since 2008, by a 14–10 score over the new Connecticut Hammerheads. [5] With a 12-11 comeback win in their last game against the New York Lizards, the Barrage finished their comeback season 2–3, which was not good enough for a playoff berth.

Retirement

On December 16, 2020, the MLL-PLL merger was announced. This would bring both major American field lacrosse leagues, Major League Lacrosse and Premier Lacrosse League, together as one entity under the PLL banner. Only the Boston Cannons, rebranded to Cannons Lacrosse Club, would continue to exist through the merger. The rest of the MLL franchises, including the Barrage, would be retired. The PLL does have the option to use the folded franchises' likeness in an expansion.

Roster

2020 Philadelphia Barrage
#NameNationalityPositionHeightWeightCollege
1 P.T. Ricci Flag of the United States.svg D5 ft 11 in185 lb Loyola
2Colin Minicus Flag of the United States.svg A5 ft 11 in160 lb Amherst
3Alex Woodall Flag of the United States.svg FO6 ft 0 in215 lb Towson
5Carlson Milikin Flag of the United States.svg SSDM6 ft 0 in195 lb Notre Dame
9Tim Barber Flag of the United States.svg M5 ft 10 in194 lb Syracuse
11Chris Madalon (A) Flag of the United States.svg G6 ft 3 in210 lb North Carolina
12James Wittmeyer Flag of the United States.svg A6 ft 2 in202 lb Mercyhurst
13Kyle Marr Flag of the United States.svg A5 ft 11 in185 lb Johns Hopkins
15Brett Craig Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg LSM6 ft 6 in245 lb Seton Hill
16Kevin Fox Flag of the United States.svg LSM5 ft 9 in170 lb Penn State
17Ryan MacSpayden Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg M6 ft 1 in180 lb Mercy
21Liam Byrnes (C) Flag of the United States.svg D6 ft 3 in195 lb Marquette
22Jon Mazza Flag of the United States.svg M6 ft 4 in207 lb Towson
24Brendan Sunday Flag of the United States.svg A6 ft 5 in200 lb Towson
30William Nowesnick Flag of the United States.svg D6 ft 6 in240 lb Salisbury
31Chad Toliver Flag of the United States.svg SSDM5 ft 11 in198 lb Rutgers
32 Shayne Jackson (A) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg A5 ft 9 in175 lb Limestone
33Matt Whitcher Flag of the United States.svg SSDM6 ft 3 in200 lb York (PA)
34Shane Doss Flag of the United States.svg G5 ft 11 in167 lb Notre Dame
40Eddie Bouhall Flag of the United States.svg D6 ft 0 in200 lb Lehigh
41 Mark Evanchick Flag of the United States.svg D5 ft 11 in210 lb Penn
42 Mark Matthews (A) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg A6 ft 5 in230 lb Denver
43Tyson Gibson Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg M6 ft 1 in188 lb Robert Morris
45Anthony Joaquim Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg M6 ft 2 in215 lb St. Joseph's
84Tommy Palasek (A) Flag of the United States.svg A5 ft 11 in185 lb Syracuse

(C)- captain

(A)- alternate captain

Season-by-season

Philadelphia Barrage
YearWLRegular season finishPlayoffs
Bridgeport Barrage
2001 3113rd in American Division---
2002 3113rd in American Division---
2003 1113rd in American Division---
Philadelphia Barrage
2004 752nd in American DivisionWon semifinal 18-17 (OT) over Rattlers
Won championship 13–11 over Cannons
2005 483rd in American Division---
2006 1021st in Eastern ConferenceWon semifinal 17–12 over Cannons
Won championship 23–12 over Outlaws
2007 931st in Eastern ConferenceWon semifinal 13-12 (OT) over Outlaws
Won championship 16–13 over Riptide
2008 752nd in Eastern ConferenceLost semifinal 16-15 (OT) to Rattlers
2009—
2019 		Did Not Play
2020 235th in League---
Totals4659Regular Season Win % = .438Total Playoff Record 6 - 1
Playoff Win % = 0.857

Game-by-game

Coaches and others

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References

  1. ↑ "Inside Lacrosse - Barrage on for '08". Inside Lacrosse. 2007. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007.
  2. ↑ "The Philadelphia Barrage are Back". MLL. February 17, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Mark Burdett Joins Major League Lacrosse as Chief Revenue Officer". majorleaguelacrosse.com. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  4. ↑ "Bayhawks President Mark Burdett Confident MLL Can Begin Play by Fourth of July". pressboxonline.com. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-17.
  5. ↑ Mark Matthews leads Barrage to their first win since 2008

See also

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