The Philadelphia Wings squared off with the first-place Buffalo Bandits for the second and final time this season, but this time in front of a boisterous crowd of 16,128 Wings fans at the First Union Center in Philadelphia. In their first meeting in Buffalo the Wings suffered a disappointing 2nd half and were soundly beaten, 16-11. A repeat here would make a playoff berth a bit shaky to obtain.

On this night however, there was buzz in the air. Perhaps giddy from a huge win by the Flyers just hours before in the same building, the large crowd had arrived earlier than usual and were louder than usual during pregame activities. Perhaps also fueled by the ongoing Fan Appreciation Night activities, the Philadelphia fans cheered the Wings on to a season high 22 goals and a clinched playoff spot with the most dominating game of the season, a 22-11 win over the Bandits.

After scoring first in the contest, Buffalo was unable to contain the Wings offense, which scored the next four goals. Buffalo attempted to come back with two goals of their own, but the Wings' big guns ignited a nine-goal second-period explosion that included a seven-goal run. This flurry resulted in the removal of Bandit starting goalie Marty O'Neill in favor of Matt Disher late in the first half. Disher fared little better as he faced 27 shots, allowing nine goals. His frustration was quite visible when he threw his helmet across the carpet in digust after Paul O'Grady scored Philadelphia's 21st goal.

As the Wings offense was hitting high gear, its defense was following suit. The Wings limited the Bandits to two goals in the opening frame and just one in the third. Tempers flared as the Bandits became more frustrated in the fourth period, which started right off with rough play and penalties. There were several scuffles highlighted by the fight between Wing Dave Stilley and Bandit Andy Ogilvie, who were each ejected with game misconducts two minutes into the fourth period. It was at this time the Wings were awarded a penalty shot, due to three concurrent Bandits penalties, and Tom Marechek brought the crowd to its feet as he raced towards the net. The roar was deafening after he beat Matt Disher over his right shoulder for his fourth tally of the evening.

The Bandits scring was led by Chris Prat, John Tavares, Derek Malawsky, and Shawn Williams, each with two goals. The Wings offensive effort was led by Game MVP Mark Millon, who tallied five goals and six assists. He was aided by Tom Marechek and Jake Bergey, each of whom had four goals, and rookie Jason Clark's three goals.

The Bandits will travel to Albany to finish their regular season against the Attack on Saturday. The Wings will also finish the regular season on the road, visiting Rochester to face the Knighthawks the same night.

BOX SUMMARY
                                  1  2  3  4     TOT
Buffalo Bandit (7-4)              2  4  1  4  --  11
Philadelphia Wings (7-4)          4  9  3  6  --  22

BUFFALO BANDITS               PHILADELPHIA WINGS
               G - A   PTS                   G - A   PTS
D Malawsky     2 - 2     4    M Millon       5 - 6    11
Tavares        2 - 2     4    Marechek       4 - 4     8
Accursi        0 - 4     4    Finneran       1 - 5     6
Prat           2 - 1     3    Bergey         4 - 1     5
Williams       2 - 1     3    J Clark        3 - 2     5
Sweet          0 - 3     3    Ryan           2 - 3     5
Catton         1 - 0     1    Oglesby        1 - 2     3
R Kilgour      1 - 0     1    Eliuk          0 - 3     3
Santos         1 - 0     1    Gagliardi      0 - 3     3
Disher         0 - 1     1    McEvoy         1 - 1     2
O'Neill        0 - 1     1    Slate          0 - 2     2
                              O'Grady        1 - 0     1
                              Phair          0 - 1     1
                              Stilley        0 - 1     1

Shots on goal           51    Shots on goal           56
Saves made by           34    Saves made by           40
   O'Neill           18          Eliuk             40
   Disher            16
Penalties                7    Penalties                6
Penalty Minutes         20    Penalty Minutes         21
Power Play Goals         3    Power Play Goals         3
Faceoffs Won            22    Faceoffs Won            15
Loose Balls             91    Loose Balls             81

*** STATS OFFICIAL BY VERIFY WITH PHILADELPHIA WINGS ***