Philadelphia goaltender Dallas Eliuk made 50 saves as the Wings remained alive in the battle for the last playoff spot with a 10-9 victory over the New York Saints. The victory avenged a one-goal loss on Long Island a week ago and put both teams at 5-6 with one week left to play in the regular season.

Saturday night's game was described as a "must win" for both teams. A win for the Saints would have clinched the fourth and final playoff berth. By winning, the Wings kept their playoff hopes alive after a rocky start this season. The importance of the game led to an NLL-record attendance of 17,573 at the First Union Center for a close played game highlighted by the goalie's performances on both ends of the turf.

"Somewhere in the back of our minds, we must want to make sure that our fans get their money's worth," said Wings coach Tony Resch. "Either that or the guys are trying to add to my gray hair."

The game opened up rather quickly, with the Wings scoring first as Jake Bergey found rope with his first of three goals. It then took several minutes for the scoring to resume, with New York's recently-acquired Chris Panos tying it up. The scoring and the lead would change hands several times and both defenses forced poor shots while the goalies thrilled the crowd with their acrobatic saves.

The hard hitting and intensity seemed to have the players pumped up, and the second period featured a good fight between Saint Chris Panos and Wing Paul O'Grady, who would both find themselves involved in rough play later. As the game progressed and the shot totals mounted, it became clear that Eliuk and Saints goalie Sal LoCascio would be the determining factors in the outcome. Both goalies knocked aside shot after shot, leaving attackers shaking their heads. With just over two minutes left in the game, the Wings' Sean Radebaugh took a shot on goal and it trickled by LoCascio for what turned out to be the game winner.

"Dallas just continues to amaze me," Resch said. "Every time we needed the big stop, he came up with it."

Both clubs have 5-6 records, tying them for fourth place. Both teams must win their final games, each to be played this weekend. The Wings visit Rochester Saturday, while the Saints have the unenviable task of hosting first place Toronto the night before.

BOX SUMMARY
                                  1  2  3  4     TOT
New York Saints (5-6)             2  3  2  2  --   9
Philadelphia Wings (5-6)          4  3  1  2  --  10

NEW YORK SAINTS               PHILADELPHIA WINGS

Player stats currently unavailable.

Shots on goal           59    Shots on goal           49
Saves made by           39    Saves made by           50
   LoCascio          59          Eliuk             50

*** STATS LISTED OFFICIAL BY VERIFY WITH N.L.L. ***
*** NOTE THAT STATS ARE INCOMPLETE ***

The Philadelphia Inquirer and a National Lacrosse League press release contributed to the game summary.