After rough welcome, top lacrosse pick Kevin Crowley looking forward to time with Wings

It wasn't the reception that Kevin Crowley, the Wings' top draft choice, expected when he arrived in Philadelphia to join his new National Lacrosse League team.

He parked a borrowed car at 40th Street and Girard Avenue, only to return and find it gone. The ever-vigilant Philadelphia Parking Authority had impounded the car and taken it to a lot on Fairmount Avenue.

"It's not how I wanted to start things off," said Crowley, chuckling now that the incident is behind him. "It introduced me to some parts of the city I don't think I need to see again. It was a lesson in geography."

The incident also cost him $260 to get the car back.

The 6-foot-4 Crowley, the first selection in the 2011 draft, is a key to a retooling effort that involved the offseason acquisition of two other major players and the moving of Johnny Mouradian to the dual post of general manager and head coach. Last season, his first with the Wings, Mouradian served as general manager.

In addition to Crowley, a record-setting forward for four seasons at Stony Brook, the Wings picked up 2009 NLL most valuable player Dan Dawson and 2010 transition player of the year Brodie Merrill.

Mouradian will get the chance Saturday night to find out how well the new faces - there are eight on the team - mesh when the Wings take on the Rochester Knighthawks at 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center in their season opener. The Wings lost all three of their games against the Knighthawks in last year's 5-11 season.

"We have 18 new players," Mouradian said. "We had to make the changes in order to improve our offense. We think we have created stability on the player front now. We've got some depth now."

At Stony Brook, Crowley scored 131 goals and added 101 assists in 60 career games. He is the only player in school history, and one of just 40 in Division I history, to have more than 100 goals and 100 assists.

Dawson, considered one of the top box lacrosse players in the world, joins his younger brother Paul on the Wings. He has recorded 321 goals and 447 assists in his 10-year NLL career. He also plays defenseman for the Hamilton Nationals of the outdoor Major League Lacrosse.

Chat with Wings top draft pick Kevin Crowley on Friday from 1 to 2 p.m. at www.philly.com/wingschat

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