OJBLL Playoff Update: Goaltenders Stealing the Show in Conference Finals

The road to the 2014 Founders Cup continues as the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League (OJBLL) conference finals began this past week.

The Halton Hills Bulldogs have a 2-0 stranglehold on the Akwesasne Indians after a pair of convincing wins, outscoring their opponents 27-11 this past weekend at Gordon Alcott Arena in Georgetown.

Seth Laidlaw and Adam Charalambides led the way for the Bulldogs, each netting 11 points in the two Halton Hills victories. The 18-year-old Charalambides’ leads all OJBLL Playoff scorers with 51. 2010 Founders Cup Champion Laidlaw sits third with 47 points and second in goals with 19.

Fellow 2010 Founders Cup Champion Dustin Hanzelka was stellar between the pipes for the Bulldogs, stopping 62 shots on 73 attempts in the two victories.

The series will now shift to Akwesasne as the Bulldogs will look to close out the series this Friday at 8 p.m for Game 3. If necessary, Games 4 and 5 will also be played at the Turtle Dome this Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. respectively.

On the Westside, the three time defending Six Nations Rebels downed the Orangeville Northmen 7-3 in a low scoring affair to take the 1-0 lead in the West Conference Finals.

Six Nations netminder Chase Martin was phenomenal in Game 1 shutting the door 41 times on 44 shots en route to the Rebels victory.

Martin’s counterpart, Daniel Tanner also put on a show in between the pipes, making an impressive 45 saves, keeping the Northmen in the game for 60 minutes.

Leading the way for the Rebels was Mitch Green, who netted two goals and two assists, bringing his playoff points total to 26 points(11G,15A).

The series continues with the Northmen looking to even the score on home floor this Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. for Game 2. Game 3 will head back to the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena(ILA) at 8:00 p.m. this Friday. If necessary, Game 4 will be in Orangeville on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. and Game 5 at the ILA at 8:00 p.m.

Check back to ILWT for the best coverage of the OJBLL’s road to the 2014 Founders Cup.