Brandon Miller (Photo: grabowskiphoto.com)

“We’ve gotten off to an unbelievable start.” said Miller. “Going 3-1 in our inaugural month is wonderful for this franchise. Coach [Jamie] Batley teaches that we need to be the hardest working team each night, and we have been for the most part.”

Jason Clark, a 7-year veteran of the league, has exploded on to the scene in 2007. The forward from Toronto has racked up 21 points (6g, 15a) on the young season. He is well on his way to surpassing his career high of 57 points (31g, 26a) set in 2003 with Ottawa.

Bill McGlone (Photo: grabowskiphoto.com)

Veteran forward Chris Panos is leading the team in goals one month in to the season, with 10. He is followed by two rookies, Josh Wasson-McQuigge (8) out of the University of Hartford and Bill McGlone (7) out of the University of Maryland.

“I really had no expectation coming into this season.” said McGlone. “I have never really played box (indoor) lacrosse before so I thought it would take some time to get used to. I really feel like I have caught on very well to indoor game and am a lot more comfortable now. Having veteran guys like Panos, Cam Woods and Mat Giles around really helps.”

Including the preseason in which the Shamrox went 1-0-1, the Shamrox have only tasted defeat once in their entire existence. The attitude of winning is something that Head Coach/GM Jamie Batley tries to instill in all his players, and seems to be working with the first-year Shamrox.

“We used the preseason to get focused.” said forward Bryan Kazarian. “We came out firing from the get-go. We need to work on getting off to better starts in our games. Other than that, we really are clicking. It’s been a lot of fun so far.”

CHICAGO SHAMROX TICKET INFORMATION

John Grant

After posting a 3-1 record in January, including two road wins, the Chicago Shamrox blitz into February in first place in the NLL East. The month features all four games coming against divisional opponents. A strong showing this month could go a long way in securing a playoff spot for the first-year Shamrox.

“Our team has worked hard the first month of the season and has received favorable results.” said Shamrox Head Coach/GM Jamie Batley. “The next four games are like four point games in hockey. In order to make the playoffs we must win in our division. This will be a good test to see where we fit in, thus far.”

The month starts out with a pivotal trip to the Blue Cross Arena in upstate New York to take on the Rochester Knighthawks (4-2) on Saturday, February 3 at 6:35 p.m. CST. The Knighthawks are mere percentage points behind the Shamrox for first place in the East. They are on a roll, winning two straight games, a 19-15 win over the Toronto Rock on January 20 and a 22-18 victory over the New York Titans on January 27. The game will wrap up a grueling 4-game road trip, in which the Shamrox have made stops in Minnesota, New York City, and San Jose, CA.

In the Knighthawks win over the Titans, veteran forward John Grant set a league-record with 15 points (9g, 6a), topping the previous record of 14 points which was shared by three people. The Knighthawks feature a potent offense with three of the top four league leaders in points on their roster. Grant currently leads the league with 38 points, forward Scott Evans is third with 32 points and forward Shawn Williams shares fourth place with 31.

“The game this Saturday night in Rochester should be a great battle.” said Shamrox captain Cam Woods. “Taking on one of the leagues most dangerous offenses as well as one of the leagues best goaltenders will be no easy task. This is the final game of our four game road swing before we head home and we feel that if we are the hardest working team then we are capable of winning on any given night. This weekend will determine first place in the east and we would love to bring home a 4-1 record for our fans in Chicago.”

The following weekend, the Shamrox return home to the Sears Centre for just the second time ever, to take on the defending NLL East champion Buffalo Bandits at 3:00 p.m. CST on Sunday, February 11. The Bandits sit only one game behind the first-place Shamrox at 2-2. The game can be seen on tape delay on Monday, February 12, at 7:00 p.m. CST on Comcast Sports Net.

The Bandits feature one of the games best, John Tavares. Tavares, a 15-year NLL and Buffalo Bandit veteran, holds the all-time NLL records for career points (1,167) and career assists (607) and currently sits second in career points (560) behind the legendary Gary Gait.

“It will be nice to get back to the Sears Centre and play in front of the home fans.” said forward Chris Panos. “That first crowd on opening night against the Titans was awesome. Hopefully we can return home in first place and give the fans even more to cheer about. [John] Tavares is their catalyst and is always tough. Hopefully, we can neutralize him and get the win.”

The Shamrox then hit the road again to take on the Toronto Rock at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday, February 18 at 2:00 p.m. CST before returning home on Saturday, February 24 to take on the Minnesota Swarm at 7:30 p.m. CST.

Tickets for all remaining home games are available starting as low as $15 per seat, group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and Shamrox LAX PAX are books of 10 ticket vouchers that can be redeemed at any time. For all your ticket information, call 1-877-SHAMROX or log on to www.chicagoshamrox.com.

Chicago Shamrox | 5401 Trillium Blvd. | Suite 320 | Hoffman Estates, IL 60192