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PLAYOFFS BEGIN THIS WEEKEND

Action begins on tonight as New York hosts Rochester at MSG

04/27/2009

The waiting is over! The 2009 NLL Playoffs begin on Friday, May 1 with the Divisional Semifinals weekend. The first of the four games takes place at Madison Square Garden, as the New York Titans host the Rochester Knighthawks at 7:30pm ET. Later this evening, the Portland LumberJax host the San Jose Stealth at the Rose Garden arena, 10:30pm ET.

On Saturday, the action returns to the East Division as the Buffalo Bandits host the Boston Blazers. Gametime at HSBC Arena is 7:30pm ET.

The opening round of the playoffs concludes on Sunday, as the Calgary Roughnecks host the Colorado Mammoth at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Gametime is 5pm ET.

Eight teams have advanced to the playoffs. Following this weekend's single elimination games, only four teams will remain. This weekend's winners will meet in the East and West Division Finals on the weekend of May 8-10.

Tickets for all playoff games are now on sale. The fans of the home teams are excited for playoff lacrosse in their towns this weekend. The fans of the visiting teams have plenty to look forward to as well. In Rochester, Knighthawks team owner Curt Styres has filled five charter buses with fans who will be getting a free ride to the game in New York City.

In Denver, the Colordo Mammoth are going to host a fan viewing party on Sunday, May 3 when the Mammoth (7-9) hit the road to face the Calgary Roughnecks (12-4) in a West Divisional Semifinal game. Game time is 3pm MT. The Colorado Mammoth announced earlier this week that due to the NBA Playoff schedule, and in an effort to better accommodate its fans, the organization has changed the venue for the team's viewing party this Sunday, May 3. LoDo's Bar & Grill (1946 Market Street in downtown Denver) will now be the site of the team's viewing party. The Mammoth will be in Calgary Sunday afternoon for their first round NLL Playoff Game against the top-seeded Roughnecks.

Game time is 3pm on Sunday and Mammoth fans will have the opportunity to come to LoDo's and enjoy drink specials, prizes, giveaways and more ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃÆ'¢â€Ã...¡Ã‚¬" all while in the company of fellow Colorado supporters. The Wild Bunch and Wooly will be on hand, as well as members of the Mammoth front office staff.

The event will be free to attend, but fans are asked to RSVP by email to Mammoth@PepsiCenter.com. By submitting the RSVP, fans will automatically be entered into an exclusive team drawing at the party. Fans of all ages are welcome at the event. There is no reserved seating; all seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. LoDo's opens at 11am on Sunday.

All NLL Playoff Games can be watched live online via the NLL Network at NLL.com.

NLL Playoffs, Divisional Semifinals

Friday, May 1

Rochester Knighthawks (7-9, #4 East) at New York Titans (10-6, #1 East), 7:30pm ET at Madison Square Garden

San Jose Stealth (7-9, #3 West) at Portland LumberJax (9-7, #2 West), 10:30pm ET at Rose Garden

Saturday, May 2

Boston Blazers (10-6, #3 East) at Buffalo Bandits (10-6, #2 East), 7:30pm ET at HSBC Arena

Sunday, May 3

Colorado Mammoth (7-9, #4 West) at Calgary Roughnecks (12-4, #1 West), 5pm ET at Pengrowth Saddledome