NEW YORK, N.Y. - Madison Square Garden "The World’s Most Famous Arena" will be the site of another historic first on Friday, May 1 as the New York Titans host the Rochester Knighthawks at 7:30 p.m. in the opening round of the 2009 National Lacrosse League (NLL) playoffs. The game will mark the first playoff lacrosse game ever contested at Madison Square Garden.
Professional indoor lacrosse made its debut at the Garden on January 20, 2007, when the expansion New York Titans defeated Chicago 11-9 in front of 13,127 fans. The Titans won the NLL’s 2009 East Division regular-season title with a 10-6 record. New York hosts the fourth-seeded Rochester (7-9) in a single-elimination playoff game. The winner will advance to the East Division final during the weekend of May 8-10 against the winner of the Boston Blazers/Buffalo Bandits divisional semifinal game.
The contest will be highlighted by two of the greatest and most well-known lacrosse players in the history of the sport - Casey Powell and SU women's lacrosse head coach Gary Gait. Both were All-Americans and won championships during their lacrosse careers at Syracuse. Gait retired from the NLL in 2005 as the league’s all-time leading scorer. He came out of retirement this season and helped lead Rochester to the playoffs. Powell is one of the top offensive players in the NLL and a candidate for 2009 NLL MVP on the strength a 40-goal, 45-assist season. He led New York to the division title in just the franchise’s third season of play.
Tickets for game start at $20 and are now on sale at ticketmaster.com and the MSG box office. For more information, visit the official website of the New York Titans, www.nytitans.com.