VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Ravens suffered their first home loss Sunday night, dropping an 18-14 decision to the Philadelphia Wings- the defending National Lacrosse League champions. The Wings jumped out to a 6-1 lead five minutes into the second quarter by scoring on their first three power play opportunities.

"When we put in a little bit of effort, things changed a little bit in our favour," said Ravens head coach Paul Dal Monte. "The result was obvious."

The Ravens would extend the lead to 12-9 before faltering late in the third quarter.

"For some reason we didn't play well consistently for 60 minutes. We played great at times and then just average at times," said Dal Monte. "You can't play average against a team like Philadelphia with their speed and athleticism. It just isn't going to happen."

Ravens leading scorer Chris Gill, who had four goals and two assists, felt the team started too slowly.

"We knew they were a good team, they didn't catch us off-guard," said Gill. "We just did something stupid and came out of the gate slow."

Jason Clark led the way for the Wings (1-1) with one goal and eight assists. Wings' leading scorer Tom Marechek had five goals and two assists while Vancouver-native Jeff Ratcliffe, playing in front of friends and family for the first time in his pro career, scored three goals and four assists for the Wings. "We just never let down. We were down by a few goals and we bounced back," said Marechek. "It's a long way to come, 3500 miles, and there was no way we were going to lose this game."

Jamey Bowen had two goals and three assists for the Ravens while Ryan O'Connor added two goals and two assists. Peter Morgan scored his second consecutive hat trick.

The game featured the first two penalty shots in Ravens history. Ryan O'Connor scored on the first attempt midway through the third quarter while Wings goaltender Dallas Eliuk would foil Gill late in the fourth quarter to maintain the 17-14 lead.

"You put your best guy out on the floor and you give him a chance to put the ball in the net," said Dal Monte. "It would have been a big one for us to pull within two and then have a legitimate chance with two possessions to score."

Eliuk stopped 33 shots for the Wings, while Dwight Maetche made 18 saves in the loss.