Copperheads ready to take on Syracuse

Oct 4, 2012 |   Stingers to visit Bojangles’ Coliseum     

by Samuel Perley

The Charlotte Copperheads return to the field this Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM when they welcome the visiting Syracuse Stingers to the Bojangles’ Coliseum. This weekend’s matchup features a very experienced and talented squad who are looking to enter the Professional Lacrosse League as an expansion team in 2013. You can expect more hard hitting and fast paced action like we saw two weeks ago against the Jacksonville Bullies.

The Copperheads are led by leading scorer, Matt Hickman, who has notched eight goals and five assists in the team’s first two matchups. Ethan Farrell and Greg Rogowski should also be key factors on the offensive side. Farrell has tallied four goals and six assists while Rogowski has pocketed three goals and a team high eight assists so far this season. Another Copperheads player to keep an eye on is Ryan Hotaling, a member of the 2011 US National Team.

As for the visitors, a number of the Stingers’ players hail from the Onondaga Reservation in Syracuse, NY an area well regarded for producing talented box lacrosse players. Among them is Captain Neal Powless, a three-time All-American at Nazareth College and member of the Iroquois team at the World Lacrosse Championships in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2004. Powless has also played box lacrosse with the Six Nations Chiefs in the Ontario Lacrosse Association and won a Major Indoor Lacrosse League Championship in 1997 with the Rochester Knighthawks.

“Neal is a talented box lacrosse player and an ambassador for our sport. It is great to see him involved with bringing box lacrosse to the Onondaga Reservation and upstate New York” says Copperheads’ head coach, Tom Ryan.

Other players of note include Assistant Captains Brent Rothfuss and Murray Stout. Rothfuss, another former All-American at Nazareth College player, played professionally in Major League Lacrosse for four seasons as well as indoor lacrosse for the Rochester Greywolves of the Cam-Am League. “Brent is an athletic two way player with experience playing at all levels,” says Ryan.

Stout played alongside the Stingers’ Duane Porter and goaltender Ross Bucktooth with the Onondaga Redhawks in the Can-Am League. The Redhawks won the 2012 Can-Am League Championship and placed sixth at this year’s Presidents’ Cup in Spruce Grove Alberta, Canada, a tournament reserved for the top Senior B box lacrosse teams in the country.  Additionally, the Stingers have a number of other players with international experience with the Iroquois National Team and in the Can-Am League.

Notably, the Copperheads’ Craig Rosecrans played with Stingers’ forward Brandon Spillet at Le Moyne College from 2002-2004. As a senior in 2004, Spillet scored an astounding seven goals in a come-from -behind victory against Limestone College in the Division II National Championship game. Spillet netted the game winner in double overtime which coincidently was assisted by Rosecrans.  Spillet played in the MLL for the Rochester Rattlers and was originally drafted by the PLL’s Reading Rockets.

Gates at Bojangles’ Coliseum will open at 3:00PM for the 4:00PM start.  For tickets call 704.817.9190.