Fort Worth, Texas. (April 7, 2024) – The Panther City Lacrosse Club (8-8) rebounded and found themselves back in the win column, defeating the visiting Philadelphia Wings, 12-10, Sunday afternoon in Fort Worth at Dickies Arena. Jonathan Donville netted his fourth game-winning goal of the season as he fired one past Philadelphia’s Zach Higgins with 2:43 remaining in the contest to put PCLC up 11-10. Liam Patten would add an empty-net goal to seal the deal late in the 4th.
Rookie Jason Knox was the star for Panther City as he recorded a career high eight points, tying his career high with four goals and setting a career high with four assists, including three power play goals. Panther City finished the afternoon 6-10 (60%) on their power play. Will Malcom was once again the lead facilitator for PCLC as he finished with five assists, while also adding one goal for a six-point performance. Malcom currently has 33 goals and 61 assists on the season. Last season he finished with 96 points (35G/61A). With two games remaining, Malcom needs seven assists to break Jonathan Donville’s franchise record of 67 assists in a single season. He is also six points away from being the first member in franchise history to record a 100-point season.
Callum Crawford (5 points – 2G/3A) and Donville (4 points – 2G/2A) were also contributors for Panther City Sunday afternoon. Donville has now recorded five game winning goals in his career with Panther City and sits just behind Phil Caputo (6) for most in franchise history. His four game winning goals this season sets the franchise record for most GWG in a single season. Another key for Panther City was that they were able to manufacture goals in transition as Tony Malcom, Josh Medeiros and Liam Patten all scored for the home team, with Medeiros’ goal in the first quarter also being a short-handed goal.
Panther City generated a ton of shots on offense as they set a new franchise record with 66 shots on goal. The previous high was also this season as they had 62 shots on goal against Rochester (3/3/24).
Defensively, goalie Nick Damude batten down the hatches and made big saves when the team needed him most, as he stopped 43 of the 53 shots (.811 save percentage) he faced against Philadelphia. Matt Hossack led the way for the defenders with 11 loose balls and also added two assists. In his return from a two-game absence, transition player Tony Malcom recorded a goal, scooped up 8 loose balls and caused one turnover.
As of Sunday afternoon, Panther City sits in 7th place and has two remaining games, one next Sunday at home against Albany and then they will close out the regular season in Calgary against the Roughnecks on Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m. CT. New for the NLL this year are the Unified standings, in which the top eight teams make the playoffs, which includes the elimination of the Eastern and Western Conference.
POST GAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH TRACEY KELUSKY
On improved power play…
“We had a completely different look when we put Knoxy [Jason Knox] up top. I don’t think we have utilized him very well on the power play in particular the last couple games. He shoots the ball real well and he showed that tonight and it just gives us a completely different look. Little less play oriented, but it was really just manufacturing some good shots on it and thankfully it worked.”
On new singing John Lintz …
“Unfortunately, he didn’t get to play the second half, he tweaked something in his lower body but I love Lintz’s game. I have always liked his game. He’s a hard-nose player, but experience is the key reason why we brought him in. So many winnable games in this league and it never hurts to have a guy on the back end that just does things consistently well and he’s a natural born leader. He’s played with a lot of guys on our team, so it’s not like we are inserting somebody that doesn’t know anybody. It just made a lot of sense [for us].”
On Jason’s Knox development …
“I don’t know if it’s a development thing, as it’s not a confidence thing either. It’s him starting to understand how good he can be. I’m proud of the way he played tonight. We picked him at 5 [in the 2022 NLL Entry Draft] and I would have probably picked him at 3 and maybe even with the 1st overall pick because I think he’s that good. He picked up six loose balls tonight, which was really good. I challenged him before the game to play harder and not just loaf around out there. Not that he has been loafing around, but his progression is good, he’s always been a skill player. I have coached him since he was 12 years old. It’s really about a mindset for him and being a pro. I hope that tonight sparks that a little bit and he goes on a bit of a run here.”
On Jonathan Donville and his clutch performances…
“He’s reliable and in critical times he probably plays his best ball because he’s not thinking as much he just wants to go do. He’s a pro and prepares almost to a fault too much. When he goes out and just plays, he’s at his best. I think that’s proof in the pudding when the games on the line that he just goes and does it because he’s not thinking as much. He’s just going to play and wants to carry the group which is why we got him first overall in the [2021 NLL Entry] draft. His resume speaks for itself and I’m glad he was able to get that tonight for us.”
On message going into the next game…
“Our message is we have to get back to just worrying about us and being more efficient in every aspect of our game. That’s how you get into the playoffs and that’s how you go a long way in the playoffs. By doing the little things very well and understanding that the little things are of utmost priority. We are going to look at the roster and scout [Albany], but it really boils down to us being more efficient, worrying about us, and cleaning up the things we need to clean up. I thought we did really well tonight, but we worked hard. I give that team a whole lot of credit as well because I know they laid it on the line for their [Head Coach Paul Day]. I have been in that locker room. I know that he’s the leader and guy’s respect him and they worked extremely hard. We were able to match that. After playing two games this weekend it’s really a credit to our guys as well.”
FORWARD JASON KNOX QUOTES
On being on top in the power play…
“It is definitely a comfort thing that I’ve got to get used to. It is a little bit of a change. It’s more the flow of the offense and what’s working and what’s not working and the adaptability to go back and forth. I like playing up top. It’s a lot of fun and you can see the floor a little bit better but it’s just part of our gameplan.”
On getting better throughout the season…
“I think it’s a comfort thing. It’s a different speed coming from college to box lacrosse and especially professional box lacrosse. The guys do a great job making me feel at home and get my confidence up and my comfort level up for sure.”
On playing against Philadelphia’s goalie Zach Higgins …
“He’s a good goalie. He’s really big and he flairs out a lot, so it’s tough. You got to get him moving side to side on swings and then just finding a spot and placing it is a big thing with him.”
On Jonathan Donville …
“He’s an incredible lacrosse player. His game sense is unmatched. He can shoot the play like anyone else. His playmaking is probably his most undervalued aspect just because of how well he can score the ball. He’s a really good playmaker and a big part of our offense.”
On what it’s like to learn from Callum Crawford as a rookie …
“It’s amazing. When you can find anybody in the game that is as smart as Callum and has been around as long as Callum has, you want to just soak up as much information as possible. He’s an unbelievable player. We joke around at just how he’s still able to do the things he does. It’s remarkable. He’s a great guy too. He’s great in the locker room and he’s got his kids around all the time and it’s a lot of fun hanging out with him.”
