Three Wings to start in All-Star game

Three Wings were named yesterday to the East Division starting lineup for the National Lacrosse League All-Star Game.

Defenseman Thomas Hajek, rookie transition player Geoff Snider and goaltender Matt Roik were selected for the March 10 game in Portland by the combined votes of the league's general managers, media and fans. The game will air on Versus.

Hajek, in his third year as the Wings captain, will be making his third consecutive All-Star Game appearance. He has three assists and 42 ground balls in seven games. Roik has the lowest goals-against average (9.57) in the NLL. Snider, the Wings' first-round draft pick (third overall), has eight goals and eight assists and leads the team in ground balls with 75.

The East and West teams will each have 18 players, and all 13 teams must be represented.

Buffalo's Darris Kilgour coaches the East, with Rochester's Ed Comeau as his assistant. Colorado's Gary Gait, a former Wings player, will coach the West with the help of Arizona's Bob Hamley.

Also yesterday, Wings forward Kyle Wailes was named Rookie of the Week for scoring three power-play goals and adding two assists in a loss to Buffalo last Saturday. *