Whether it?s quiet confidence or a businesslike approach, all is calmat Baltimore Blast camp as the team pursues a playoff berth.
Just one game out of first place with four games remaining, the Blast (15-11) can clinch one of four playoff spots with a win this weekend. But the players aren?t ready to celebrate early.
“The guys aren?t really saying much,” said forward Giuliano Celenza, who hopes to return next week from a slight fracture in his lower leg. “We just go in and play. We?re excited, but nobody has said anything quite yet.”
The Blast will play host to Chicago tonight at 7:35 p.m. and visit Philadelphia Saturday (5:05, televised on VERSUS) with the playoffs in reach. With a win over Chicago, the Blast cannot only stay on pace with first-place Detroit (16-10) and Philadelphia (15-11), but also keep Chicago (13-12) at bay. Chicago and Milwaukee (13-13) play two more times this season as they battle it out for the last playoff spot in the league.
But the Blast can?t get caught up in the rest of the league?s performances. The team has gotten to this point by focusing on the game at hand, and now it can control its own fate.
The key to this position was the team?s eight-game winning streak ? from Feb. 2 to March 11 ? which, according to defender Billy Nelson, lifted the team?s spirits.
“We were starting to play together as a team, and obviously it?s a lot more fun as a team,” Nelson said. “Going into the playoffs, hopefully we can get on a roll before then.”
The key to that, according to coach Danny Kelly, lies in the team?s willingness to pull together defensively.
“We still need to focus on playing good team defense,” Kelly said. “Over that stretch where we got on a roll, we were consistent with it. Over the past two games, we?ve had situations where we lost our man and it created problems for us.”
While the team would prefer to win every night, last weekend?s two losses ? at Detroit and Milwaukee ?might have come as a timely wake-up call.
“I think it just shows you when you don?t do the little things well, there?s a fine line between winning and losing,” Kelly said.
PLAYOFF TICKETS
» Should the Blast clinch a playoff spot this weekend, postseason tickets would go on sale next week. For more information, visit the team?s Web site: www.baltimoreblast.com.
» Check out Monday?s edition of The Examiner for a special feature on the team?s road trip to Philadelphia.
