BLAZERS GO Big Time

Historic Boston Garden is not even half-filled by the time the players step out of the tunnels. The upper balcony is deserted. Only diehard fans have made the effort to show. You would almost swear Boston College and Northeastern were meeting in the meaningless Beanpot consolation match.

But then there's the green artificial playing surface spread over the ice. And the fans are quietly tense as the visiting players are introduced.

Suddenly, a huge burst of applause. Sixspandexclad cheerleaders step onto the field,jumping up and down with their mascot: anoversized Coors Light beer can.

This is Major Indoor Lacrosse, Boston's newestbig time professional sport. Imported fromWorcester, the New England Blazers have traded thecavernous Centrum for the decrepit Garden.

And yes, they brought the Silver Bullet Girlswith them, and that famous monster truck voice.Despite the new city and new setting, the indoorlacrosse game has not changed: it's still fast,furious, extremely violent--and served with lostof cheese.

Up in the press box, a few Boston reportingveterans are just learning about the new sport intown. Paul Harber, a Globe writer, is trying hisbest to look uninterested. Red Sox baseball,Northeastern hockey, high school golf--anythingwould have been better than indoor lacrosse. Leavethis stuff to the Herald.

Not surprisingly, his hefty Herald counterpart,Dan Ventura, already loves the sport.

"People told me: `Don't knock it until you go,"Ventura explains. "And believe me, even hockey'sgot nothing on this game when it comes totoughness."

Ventura cuts off the discussion inmid-sentence. Down below, the crowd explodes.There has already been one near-brawl, and theBlazers have fallen behind and pulled theirstarting goaltender. But now they have a bigchance.

A Thunder forward falls flat on the turf aftera collision. A Blazer jumps on his back, steppingon the visitor to keep him prone, and scoops upthe ball. One quick shot later, and the Blazershave narrowed the gap. No replays in the pressbox, though. This is the only Garden sports eventwhere the complimentary TVs are kept locked up.

After the goal, Ventura points to the mostrespected and experience Blazer reporter: P.J.McNealy of the Fitchburg-Leominster Sentinel andEnterprise. Apparently, fans west of Boston missthe Worcester Boys and still watch for reports.

McNealy thinks that the Blazers will succeed inBoston with support from college students. Andwhile he enjoys lacrosse more than the show, heunderstands the reasoning behind the team'smarketing approach.

"They've got the Blazer women because sexsells," McNealy says. "They've got sex, beer, andit's vicious. Wrestling's the same thing."

While it may be too soon to predict success forthe Boston Blazers, McNealy points to the crowd asan indication.

"In Worcester, you used to get people comingout of the woods in blue jeans or overalls,yelling `shucks," McNealy says. "It's differenthere, but it's still crazy."

It's hard to argue with McNealy on this score.Where the Worcester fans were rural males, theBoston fans are urban males. TheyB-12Michael F. KoehlerThe Blazers work to stop the powerfulThunder attack.