The Boston Blazers are a lacrosse team based in Boston playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2009 season was their first season in the NLL.
The Blazers began their inaugural season by losing back-to-back games to the division rival (and eventual East division champion) New York Titans. But the Blazers surprised everybody by winning seven of their next eight games, on their way to a 10-6 record, tied with New York and Buffalo for best in the East. The Titans won the East on tie-breakers, but the Blazers finished a respectable third and made the playoffs in their first season.
In the Eastern division semi-final, the Blazers were defeated by the defending champion Buffalo Bandits 11-8.[1]
[edit] Regular season
[edit] Conference standings
x - clinched playoff spot, y - clinched division title, e - eliminated from playoff contention
[edit] Game log
Reference: [1]
| # | Date | Opponent | Score | OT | Attendance | Record |
| 1 | January 10 | @New York | L 19 - 14 | | 3,208 | 0-1 |
| 2 | January 17 | New York | L 13 - 9 | | 9,313 | 0-2 |
| 3 | January 23 | @Philadelphia | W 13 - 11 | | 9,462 | 1-2 |
| 4 | January 24 | Philadelphia | W 11 - 7 | | 4,423 | 2-2 |
| 5 | January 31 | Portland | L 9 - 8 | OT | 5,029 | 2-3 |
| 6 | February 7 | New York | W 9 - 8 | | 5,713 | 3-3 |
| 7 | February 13 | @Philadelphia | W 8 - 4 | | 9,006 | 4-3 |
| 8 | February 20 | @Minnesota | W 16 - 12 | | 12,106 | 5-3 |
| 9 | February 22 | @Calgary | W 11 - 10 | | 10,045 | 6-3 |
| 10 | February 28 | San Jose | W 16 - 10 | | 6,833 | 7-3 |
| 11 | March 14 | Toronto | L 9 - 8 | OT | 6,485 | 7-4 |
| 12 | March 28 | @Rochester | L 11 - 10 | | 7,329 | 7-5 |
| 13 | April 3 | @Toronto | W 14 - 13 | | 12,884 | 8-5 |
| 14 | April 4 | Buffalo | L 15 - 11 | | 7,073 | 8-6 |
| 15 | April 11 | Rochester | W 10 - 5 | | 8,097 | 9-6 |
| 16 | April 18 | @Buffalo | W 13 - 12 | OT | 18,527 | 10-6 |
[edit] Playoffs
[edit] Game log
| # | Game | Date | Opponent | Score | OT | Attendance |
| 1 | Division Semifinal | May 2 | @Buffalo | L 11-8 | | 13,343 |
[edit] Player stats
Reference: [2]
[edit] Runners (Top 10)
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; LB = Loose Balls; PIM = Penalty Minutes
[edit] Goaltenders
Note: GP = Games Played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average
| Player | GP | MIN | W | L | GA | Sv% | GAA |
| Anthony Cosmo | 16 | 840:02 | 9 | 5 | 142 | .781 | 10.14 |
| Mike Poulin | 16 | 122:12 | 1 | 1 | 25 | .734 | 12.27 |
| Totals | | | 10 | 6 | 168 | .774 | 10.50 |
[edit] Transactions
[edit] Trades
| September 18, 2008[2] | To Boston Blazers Anthony Kelly | To New York Titans Kurtis Wagar |
| September 15, 2008[3] | To Boston Blazers Jason Bloom 5th round pick, 2008 entry draft | To Colorado Mammoth John Gallant |
| August 28, 2008 | To Boston Blazers Paul Dawson | To San Jose Stealth Peter Veltman |
| July 29, 2008 | To Boston Blazers Jack Reid | To Rochester Knighthawks Kyle Laverty |
| July 29, 2008 | To Boston Blazers Travis Gillespie third round pick, 2009 entry draft | To Calgary Roughnecks Devan Wray |
| July 29, 2008 | To Boston Blazers Sean Morris Steve Panarelli second round pick, 2010 entry draft | To San Jose Stealth Travis Gillespie Tom Johnson third round pick, 2009 entry draft |
| July 24, 2008 | To Boston Blazers Brendan Thenhaus Kurtis Wagar | To Edmonton Rush Cam Bergman |
[edit] Entry draft
The 2008 NLL Entry Draft took place on September 7, 2008.[4] The Blazers selected the following players:
| Round | Overall | Player | College/Club |
| 1 | 1 | Daryl Veltman | Hobart College |
| 2 | 14 | Nick Cotter | Dowling College |
| 3 | 26 | Jon Harnett | Adrian College |
| 4 | 37 | Dilan Graham | Bellarmine University |
| 4 | 44 | Reed MacPhail | Victoria, BC |
| 5 | 52 | Chad Henry | Adelphi University |
| 5 | 56 | Paul Manesis | UMass |
| 6 | 63 | Danny Brennan | Syracuse University |
[edit] Roster
[edit] See also
[edit] References