WGN-TV morning producer Nick Mitrovich talks to students who participated in the High School Reporter Night before the game on Saturday, January 26 at the Sears Centre Arena.
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FIVE HIGH SCHOOL REPORTERS ANNOUNCED AS WINNERS OF COMPETITION

HOFFMAN ESTATES, IL March 3, 2008 – The Chicago Shamrox indoor lacrosse team announced today the winner of their first annual High School Reporter Night, which took place during the Shamrox game on Saturday, January 26 against the Edmonton Rush. Winners of the contest are: Connor O’Gara of Buffalo Grove High School, Steve Myszka of Conant High School, Katie Trucco of Fenwick High School, Sean Leahy of William Fremd High School and Dominic Palumbo.

Participating high school reporters were treated as members of the press and participated in a tour of the stadium, pre and post-game interviews with players and coaches as well as a Q & A with a few members of the press including Nick Mitrovich, who is the sports morning producer for WGN-TV. Students were asked to submit their game stories for the competition, which would also be featured in their high school newspapers. The top five stories would be featured on the Chicago Shamrox web site (see below).

If you want to be included in next year’s High School Reporter Night, contact Director of Public Relations Joe Stefani at joe@chicagoshamrox.com or (224) 699-2207.

BRICK WALL NOT THAT LARGE, BUT HAS GAME
By: Connor O’Gara, Buffalo Grove High School

At 6-1, 170 pounds, Chicago Shamrox goalie Brandon Miller is not considered big. But he sure was big in a 17-11 win over Edmonton (0-3) Saturday night. Miller showed off his athleticism, bending over backwards and making goal scoring for visiting Edmonton quite the tall task.
Miller has recently struggled with equipment issues, forcing him to have limited playing time in the first two contests.
“I got back to the mental side of it,” Miller said. “I had to make some changes and I did a lot of visualizing.”
The “brick wall” knew that he had to put that behind him in order to get the Shamrox (1-2) their first win of the season.
“You start doubting yourself when you’re 0-2,” Miller said. “We knew that no matter what, we had to get a win tonight.”
It makes a coach’s job easier when he has a goalie that is making saves left and right like Miller. Coach Batley knows that it will be key for this team to get that type of performance out of their goalie night in and night out.
“It was nice to see him have a great game,” Batley said. “He’s rolling right now.”
This Shamrox team had two weeks to prepare for this one because of their week three bye. Putting up 17 goals is a sign that they were more than prepared to come out of Saturday with a win.
“We finally had a decent practice with no injuries,” Batley said. “We were happy to see guys making great decisions in transition.”
Forward Callum Crawford fueled the high scoring attack for the Shamrox, with a season high four goals. In the beginning of the second quarter, Crawford’s agility took over with a mid-air shot to take a 4-3 lead. The Shamrox kept their foot on the gas and never looked back from the early lead.
Crawford became the fourth Shamrox player in franchise history to have a four-goal game. The first year member of the Shamrox has had a slow start so far but it was clear Saturday night that Crawford has what it takes to become an explosive player in this league.
“The first couple games (Crawford) had to learn how to play with the other players,” Batley said.
Forwards Jonas Derks, Lindsay Plunkett and defenseman Tom Montour, also joined in the potent attack with two goals apiece.
While both clubs were winless at 0-2, Edmonton’s frustration became a little more apparent when they suffered some late penalties when the game was out of hand.
“(Edmonton) made a lot of moves in the offseason and they had some high expectations,” defenseman Scott Self said.
“They have been struggling and they came in thinking it was a good chance for them to get a win.”
With the Shamrox playing their best lacrosse of the early season, they will take their act out west to San Jose (1-2). A long season lies ahead but this group is confident that they have what it takes to lead this franchise to their first ever playoff berth.

MILLER HELPS SHAMROX END EARLY SEASON SKID
By: Steve Myszka, Conant High School

Last year Shamrox goalie Brandon Miller made his first appearance in the National Lacrosse League All-Star game. He had a 12.28 goals-against average while saving just over 77 percent of the shots he faced.
But in just two games this year, Miller had yet to play the full 60 minutes. An equipment infraction ended his appearance against Toronto, and later Miller was pulled with just under 10 minutes to go in Philadelphia after giving up 14 goals.
In those two games the Shamrox were 0-2, giving up an average of 15 goals while scoring just 10.
“Brandon is a guy who can make a big difference when he is in net,” Shamrox forward Joans Derks said.
Saturday night Miller showed just how big a difference.
In a 17-11 win against the 0-2 Edmonton Rush, Miller played the full 60 minutes and made 27 saves on 38 shots.
“I just had to get back to the mental side of the game,” Miller said.
Miller’s play was stellar, and the Shamrox are finally looking like the team that finished just one game away from making the playoffs in their inaugural season last year.
“We just decided to focus on the defensive side of the ball,” head coach Jaime Batley said.
The extra work provided a lot of dividends as the Shamrox were 3-for-6 on the penalty kill.
“We worked on the penalty kill all week because it was really hurting us in our first two games,” Miller said.
But a team can’t win a game on defense alone. And the Shamrox offense also improved its game.
Forward Callum Crawford, who the Shamrox acquired via trade from San Jose, had 4 goals to lead the offensive surge.
“Callum is a kid just waiting to break out,” Derks said. “He wasn’t the featured weapon in San Jose, but we told him here he would be.”
Other top multi-goal scorers were Derks, defender Tom Montour and forward Lindsay Plunkett, each with 2 goals.
The Shamrox were tied 3-3 after the first quarter, but they came out and scored 3 goals the first 3:05 of the second quarter to lead 6-3. After 2 goals by Edmonton’s A.J Shannon, Jason Clarke score with just 1:36 left in the half to give the Shamrox a 7-5 lead heading into the half.
“Our offense was big for us today, we scored when we needed to,” forward Chris Panos said.
The second half belonged to the Shamrox as they outscored the Rush 9-6, including 7 goals in the final quarter to get their first win in front of the 5,107 at the Sears Centre.
“That really gets the monkey off your back,” Miller said. “The first win is always great to get you going.”
The Shamrox next play Saturday, Feb. 9 when they travel to play a struggling San Jose Stealth team which, after taking an overtime win in their opener against Calgary, has lost back-to-back games.
“We will take some time to enjoy this,” Montour said. “But we know we need to get back to work and keep our focus.”
- Steve Myszka

SHAMROX ROUT EDMONTON FOR FIRST VICTORY OF SEASON
By: Katie Trucco, Fenwick High School

It seems the bye week the Chicago Shamrox had the week before their game on Saturday at the Sears Centre was all they needed to ensure a win over the Edmonton Rush, 17-11. Coming off of an 0-2 start in the regular season, the Shamrox’s well-deserved win was the result of practicing during the bye week, as well as getting to spend more time together as a team. The extra practice and time spent as a team clearly showed in an impressive team effort Saturday night before more than 5,000 enthusiastic fans.
The first quarter started off well for the Shamrox, with Thomas Montour scoring the first goal. From there, the Shamrox were able to stave off a Rush counter-attack, ending the quarter 3-3.
The second quarter began with the Rush’s Mike Grimes scoring off of a steal. Yet this did not stop the Shamrox, who really picked up their game in this crucial quarter. Shamrox’s Mike Kirk and Bryan Kazarian each scored goals off of remarkable fast breaks. The only setback of the quarter for the Shamrox was Darryl Gibson’s two-minute penalty for illegal crosschecking. At half, the Shamrox still held a slim lead at 7-5.
Halftime didn’t shake the team’s momentum, and they started off the second half with a goal by Chris Panos, assisted by Callum Crawford. Crawford’s hard work paid off as he posted a hat trick, and added an extra goal for a total of four goals for the game. “Callum is not necessarily a go-to guy,” explained Shamrox coach Jamie Batley, ”but he works hard and listens, and he tries to learn everything.” The Shamrox’s Josh Wasson and Kevin Fines also posted goals, and defender Scott Self’s five-minute penalty for elbowing accounted for a successful second half, both defensively and offensively.
The game ended with a Shamrox win, which Batley attributed to focus on defense: “The defense has been playing great, which means the goalie doesn’t have to see as many shots.” The Shamrox goalie, All-Star Brandon Miller, is one of the best in the league, and in 2007 was 3rd in the NLL for saves, tallying 291 for the entire season. “The whole game, for me, was mental,” Miller explained, “I spent a lot of time thinking and visualizing the game in my head.” Shamrox defender Bobby McBride credited Miller’s good game as “frustrating for the opponent.”
The win was just what the team needed to get momentum going for the rest of the season, and they will look to keep their defense alive and their focus intact as they prepare for their next game against the San Jose Stealth, at San Jose.

SHAMROX OVERWHELM VISITING EDMONTON AND CRUISE TO FIRST WIN OF SEASON
By: Sean Leahy, William Fremd High School

Every game weekend, the Chicago Shamrox not only rack up points on the field, but also in the air. With the majority of the team flying in from Canada a day or two before a game, frequent flyer miles are in no short supply for these road warriors.
But as of Jan. 26, the team was still lacking a victory on the 2008 season. By the end of the night, though, that problem was handily solved.
After dropping the first two contests of the season, the Shamrox (1-2) took it to the visiting Edmonton Rush (0-3) with a 17-11 victory at the Sears Centre.
“It’s a confidence booster for us as a team,” defenseman Scott Self said of getting into the win column. “We get confidence in ourselves that we can go out there and win a game. It’s a weight off our shoulders.”
Shamrox defenseman Tom Montour scored just over a minute into the game and the home team never looked back.
In a contest during which they never trailed, Chicago pulled away in the fourth quarter, scoring six times and forcing the Rush to pull their goalie.
“We’ve really entered an area of focus in the last 10 days where there have been no other distractions,” head coach Jamie Batley said. “Tonight was a matter of focus with the defense and, after we got the ball, our transition really came alive. We’re really happy to see guys making great decisions in transitions, something we haven’t seen yet this year.”
Pacing Chicago in goals was Callum Crawford with four, and he also racked up three assists. Goalie Brandon Miller ended the night with 27 saves, and the Shamrox were able to tally their highest score of the young season.
Self-described “everyday guys,” the Shamrox are not the typical pro sports team. Most of the athletes actually reside in Canada and hold other jobs and positions during the week. For example, between games, rookie Bobby McBride goes to school in Ottawa, and even general manager/head coach Jamie Batley works outside the team. During the week, he works for the Canadian IRS.
But on Jan. 26, he was behind the bench as his team played its best lacrosse of the season.
“We’re definitely going to build off this momentum,” Batley said. “It’s great for camaraderie when you win and you work as a team.”
In addition to the sweet feeling of victory over Edmonton, Batley says the team is finally off the mend.
“This is the first time we’ve been healthy all year, so we’re pretty excited about that,” Bately said.
Now with one victory under their belt, every player at full strength and momentum going into the rest of the season, the Shamrox, a group of “everyday guys,” will look to become known by another name: National Lacrosse League champions.

CHICAGO ROX AND ROLLS THE RUSH
By: Dominic Palumbo

The Chicago Shamrox came into the third game of the 2008 NLL season 0 and 2, looking to tally there first win against the Edmonton Rush. That night, they also hosted a high school reporter night which showed a number of high school writers the journalistic side of sports.
I talked to Bill McGlone, a midfielder for the Shamrox in his second year on the team. I asked him how he adjusted to the more physical play of indoor lacrosse as opposed to outdoor which he played at Maryland. McGlone stated that playing basketball helped him and just having a lot of athleticism really helped. He also said, “I listen all the time. I came in not knowing a lot about indoor lacrosse and just listening to (Coach) Batley and the veterans really helped.” Regarding the game against the Rush, McGlone commented that it was a must win game and he was treating it like a playoff game. Coming into the game the Rush was also 0 and 2, but 70 percent of their goals were scored by 4 players; Kyle Goundrey, Chris McElroy, Chris Gill, and A.J. Shannon. If the Shamrox were going to win this game, they were going to need to stop those 4 players. Also a question mark was the Shamrox starting goalie Brandon Miller, who had not played a full game coming into Saturday.
5,000 strong rose to their feet for the opening face off won by the Rush. Tom Montour started the scoring with a goal at 13:58 in the first quarter. Mike Kirk got the first penalty for Chicago at 11:33, but the Shamrox defense was excellent, with no shots reaching Miller. The Shamrox were very proficient on killing penalties. The Rush scored only 3 times on 8 tries. Jonas Derks of the Shamrox scored the second goal at 9:14 to put the Shamrox up 2 to 0. The Rush countered with a couple of quick goals by Mike Accursi and Ben Prepchuk only 87 seconds apart. Chicago tried to take the momentum back with a diving goal from behind the net by Callum Crawford with 3:13 left in the first quarter, but Edmonton countered with a quick goal at the end of the first by Chris Gill. It was an impressive setup and goal by Edmonton. Beginning with a pass from Ben Prepchuk to Dan Stroup in front of the crease, Stroup then executed a behind-the-back pass to Chris Gill for the goal at 2:03. The first quarter ended with both teams tied at 3-3. Shamrox came out in the second quarter with intensity by tallying three goals in the first 4 minutes of the quarter. Crawford tallied his second on a highlight reel jump shot. Mike Kirk and Bryan Kazarian added the other two. Edmonton countered with two unanswered goals by A.J. Shannon, but Chicago scored again when Jason Clark caught a ricochet off the boards and stuffed it in the net. At the end of the half, the Shamrox were leading, 7 to 5.
When the Shamrox returned in the second half they got on the board with a goal by Chris Panos at 12:12. For a stretch, the game was dominated by defense until Callum Crawford netted an amazing goal with a snipe from a great distance to complete a hat trick at 8:07. Rookie defenseman Bobby McBride scored shortly thereafter at 7:25 to put the Shamrox up, 10 to 5. Although the Shamrox had momentum, Edmonton tried to mount a comeback with two goals by Chris Gill and Jimmy Quinlan. At the end of the third quarter, the Rox led 10 to 7. Just like in the aforementioned three quarters, the Shamrox scored again early in the 4th quarter. Jonas Derks, Josh Wasson, Callum Crawford, and Lindsay Plunkett scored to put the Shamrox up, 14 to 7. The Rush made it 14 to 9 when Chris Gill netted two unanswered goals to complete his hat trick to make it. The Shamrox really ended the Rush’s comeback with three goals by Plunkett, Kevin Fines, and Montour within three minutes. Mike Accursi scored the last two goals to attain a hat trick but it was all too much for the Rush. The final score was 17 to 9. The M.V.P. of the game was Brandon Miller with 27 saves and an amazing performance in net.
Coach Batley said that he knew his team could play like this all the time but injuries in training camp and some goalie equipment problems had caused the Rox to drop the first couple of games. The Rush players the Rox had to watch were Kyle Goundrey, Chris McElroy, Chris Gill, and A.J. Shannon. Gill had 4 goals and Shannon had only 2. The Shamrox look like they are going to be a winning team and Chicago knows that they have the stamina to make a deep playoff run.
One of the Shamrox few American players, Bill McGlone was born on April 24th, 1984 in Ridley, Pennsylvania. Billy Mac, as the Shamrox P.A. announcer likes to call him, was the third pick of the 4th round draft in the 2006 NLL entry draft and won Rookie of the Week honors in week 2 of the 2007 season. McGlone was a three-time All-American for the Maryland Terrapins and twice made the All ACC team. McGlone played with and against a great number of players in his college career. He played against Kyle Harrison and Matt Ward, who won the MVP trophies for college in 2006 and 2005. He also played with talented goalie Harry Alford and four-time All-American Joe Walters at Maryland. He also is a very personal guy. His favorite NASCAR driver is Ricky Bobby and his favorite dance move is “The Sprinkler”. Bill has been performing adequately this year with 2 goals, but it will be tough to top last years rookie season.