Player Spotlight


Player Spotlight highlights the finer details and elements while supplying insight to the fans on what a player's thought process may be pertaining to a certain play, game or situation. It brings the intensity, passion, and inner most thoughts of the individual player that otherwise may not be felt or heard.

In Player Spotlight this week is Paul Cantabene of the Pittsburg Crossefire

The Pittsburgh CrosseFire won their inaugural home opener 16-15 against the Philadelphia Wings in an up and down scoring battle that went right down to the last minute of play. The CrosseFire improved their record to 2-2 and now sit third in the league standings. PLPA correspondent Paul Zeise caught up with Pittsburgh CrosseFire veteran Paul Cantabene after the game to share his thoughts in the PLPA Player Spotlight.

PLPA correspondent Paul Zeise interviewed Cantabene after the game.

Question Talk a little bit about the game-winner by Kip, was that the play John (Tucker) called in the huddle at the time-out?
Answer Well, what a way to start things up here in Pittsburgh? I mean, that is the kind of excitement that will generate an interest in what we are doing. It was a little too close for comfort, but we pulled it out and that's what counts. All we were trying to do is run the clock down and get a good shot. We wanted the last shot and Kip got a good look. This was a fun game and it is even sweeter since we won.


Question Your team was 1-2 coming into tonight's game. What did you guys feel you needed to do to end the two-game losing streak?
Answer Our focus was getting back to 2-2 and starting the season over again. Now we're even, just like being 0-0 and it is time to get it in gear. We knew that if we fell to 1-3 it would have been a difficult road to make the playoffs with very little, if any, margin for error. We wanted to set the tone early and play a lot more physical tonight and really take it to those guys (the Wings). That is why there were so many penalties and penalty minutes, but sometimes you have to get back to the basics to move forward. We knew it would be a close game and the way we won it shows some character.


Question You guys blew a big lead tonight twice and have allowed to teams to make runs at you all season. What happens during those runs and why have you guys had such a tough time stopping them so far this season?
Answer Well, when we were up 9-4 tonight, we got a little lazy I think and relaxed for some reason. You have to give Philly credit, they are a great team who have won a lot of championships in this league, so we should have done a better job of keeping the pressure on. But when we needed to make a run at the end we did, and that is what championship caliber teams do. I think we need to play more focused when we do get a lead and put the pressure on the other team by scoring more goals and putting the game out of reach.


Question Talk about the goalie change in the fourth quarter and what that meant for your team?
Answer Well it gave us a spark because Erik (Miller) was fresh and he was able to stop the bleeding so our offense could take over. Sometimes, a change is not made because one guy is playing poorly because that wasn't the case. Devin played a great game but he was running out of gas and Erik picked him up.


Question You only had two points tonight but you did a great job of winning face-offs and battling for loose balls. Is that what you will bring every night?
Answer Well I do anything they (the coaches) ask me to do. I'll play left-handed, right-handed, defense, forward, whatever. Just put me in and tell me what you need. I don't need to score on this team because there are a lot of scorers so I do a lot of scrapping and banging and help the team win anyway I can. It's how I have always been, that's my style.


Question You've always been a great face-off guy. What are the qualities of someone who can win a lot of face-offs and why is that so important to the game?
Answer You have to be a guy that never gives up. You have to be willing to battle for the ball and continue to battle even in the late stages of the game when you might be fatigued. I think the most important thing about winning those face-offs is that once you win the ball, you can give your team more possessions and start a scoring run. Every time you win a face off, you take away a possession from the other team and give your team a chance to score. You look tonight, they only had one guy taking their face-offs and we had three and he really wore down at the end of the game. Because we were able to keep winning the ball, we were able to come from behind and win.


Question How has the game changed since you first entered the league in 1994?
Answer Well, it has changed a whole lot since those days. I mean, it used to be you were able to jack up anybody anytime you wanted to and there were very few rules. It was a much rougher game with a lot more violence. People used to just get pummeled by the defenders and there were far more wicked hits and your body took a lot more punishment. Now it is a much more wide open game that is cleaner and really, a lot more fun for both the players and the fans. It is more exciting, there is more action and it is more of a sport since they cleaned it up. They tightening of the rules helped weed out most of the goons and it is now dominated by athletes and skill players. To be honest, the product is much more exciting to watch because guys like Gary Gait can do their thing more without getting mauled.


Question You've been playing professionally for seven seasons. What keeps you going?
Answer Well, I love it. I love playing this game. I love coaching this game. I am an assistant coach in the offseason at Towson State University and it is a lot of fun. I've always played this sport and I plan on playing for a long time. This is the greatest experience I could ask for. I mean, I get to play in places like Maple Leaf Garden in Toronto, here in Pittsburgh, out at the Spectrum (Philadelphia) - - those are experiences I can tell my kids about. There are only eight teams playing this sport at this level and only 25 guys on each team so this is an elite group of guys and I am one of them. That's special.


Question What do you anticipate in next week's game versus Toronto?
Answer Well they are more physical and defensive minded while we like to play finesse and score a lot of points. Last year they beat us up there, 16-15, and it was a game we felt we should have won. They won the NLL Championship last season because they are a smart team who doesn't make mistakes. We will have to play the best game of our season so far in order to win. It will be a great game and should come down to the end before it is decided.


Question What are your thoughts about Pittsburgh thus far?
Answer Oh this has been a great experience for us. It used to be that when we played Philly, the Wings fans would fill our arena in Baltimore. Here, the fans not only booed the Wings and their fans, but cheered us very loudly. They were great and this town will support us once they start to learn more about us. It is great to play home games in front of a crowd that is full of our fans. Last year, we didn't have that luxury. We are very happy to be here and this was a great way to start.


PLPA Correspondent

Paul Zeise is currently a full-time sports reporter for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette covering the Pittsburgh Cross-Fire. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in communications in 1993 at Point Park College in Pittsburgh and his Master's in Journalism at Temple University in 1997. During his first year at Temple, he worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer as a correspondent covering high school sports. He then moved on to a full-time position with the Daily Journal in Vineland, New Jersey and covered high school sports as well the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. In June 1998, Zeise moved on to a position with the NBA where he served as a staff writer for Hoop magazine, Inside Stuff Magazine and both NBA.Com and WNBA.Com. He worked with the NBA until he accepted his current position in November, 1999.