RYAN WARD | Edmonton Rush
www.twincitieslacrosse.comRyan Ward (born September 26, 1980, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) is a lacrosse player for the Edmonton Rush in the National Lacrosse League. He was traded from the Minnesota Swarm to Edmonton in the off-season of the 2009 season.
Ward is a two-time Mann Cup winner (in 2003 & 2005) with the Victoria Shamrocks of the Western Lacrosse Association. In 2003, he was awarded the Western Lacrosse Association MVP award.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Ward was selected by the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse as a first round selection (2nd overall) in the 2004 MLL Collegiate Draft.[1] He only played one season in the league.The Philadelphia Wings drafted Ward in the First Round (3rd overall) in the in the 2003 NLL Entry Draft. As a rookie, he was awarded Rookie of the Week honors in week 8 of the season and named to the 2004 NLL All-Rookie Team. During the 2005 NLL season, Ward was traded to the Minnesota Swarm. In the 2006 NLL season he was awarded Offensive Player of the Week honors in week 12 for his ten point game against the Portland LumberJax, and helped lead the Swarm to their first playoff appearance. In 2007 he was elected to his first National Lacrosse League All-Star Game and again helped led his team back to the playoffs. In 2008, Ward was again named to the All-Star team, replacing the injured Casey Powell.
JOE PAVELSKI | San Jose Sharks
Joseph Pavelski (born July 11, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He scored a goal in his first NHL game, making him the 11th Sharks player in the history of the team to do so.PLAYING CAREER
Pavelski won a Wisconsin State Hockey Championship with the SPASH (Stevens Point Area Senior High) Panthers in 2002.[1]. He was a member of the 2004 Clark Cup champion Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL. He won an NCAA Division I National Championship with the University of Wisconsin Badgers in the 2005–2006 season, while leading the team in overall points.He started his career on a hot streak, scoring 7 goals and 10 points in his first 12 games. He continued playing well, before suffering a leg injury in his first season that saw his playing time reduced.
During the 2007–08 NHL season, Pavelski became a regular player on the Sharks roster and one of the best and most consistent young players on the squad, having played in all of 82 regular season games and in all of 13 playoff games. He also became one of the most dangerous players in the NHL during the shoot outs, having scored seven times on 11 opportunities that season. During the postseason, he was tied for the team lead in goals with Ryane Clowe (five) and tied for second with Clowe in points (nine). Pavelski also led San Jose with three game-winning goals during the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which tied for third most in the league. In addition to his offensive numbers, he finished tied for 12th among NHL forwards in blocked shots (59) during the regular season.
