ALL: Top two teams clinch playoff spots

Two playoff spots were determined in week 12 of Arena Lacrosse League play with the St. Catharines ShockWave and Peterborough Timbermen wrapping up first and second place, respectively. Two weekends of play are left for the remaining five teams to claim their own positions.

 

Toronto Monarchs 10 @ Peterborough Timbermen 14

It was another huge comeback win for the Timbermen over the Monarchs, echoing last week’s matchup at the TRAC. A big second half propelled Peterborough to the 14-10 win after being down 8-4 at halftime.

“We really played well as a unit,” defenseman Doug Utting said. “We got some great goaltending and guys were laying their body on the line, doing whatever it took to make sure the ball stayed out of our net.”

Blake Kenny (4G/5A), Ty Thompson (4G/3A) and Fred Hartley (4G/1A) led the Timbermen attack. Captain Mark Vradenburg added a pair of goals and three assists. Joe Wasson and Tim Bergin each tallied six assists. Ethan Woods played well in goal for the win. Tyler Ferriera (3G/4A), Sam Postma (2G/3A) and Dan Lomas (2G/3A), recently returned from the Vancouver Warriors, led the Monarchs.

It was the third win in a row for the Timbermen.

 

Six Nations Snipers 17 @ Paris RiverWolves 16

The Six Nations Snipers stole a game from the Paris RiverWolves on Saturday night at Syl Apps Community Centre. It was just the Snipers’ fourth win of the season and moves them two points ahead of Whitby for seventh place.

Coming out of the half tied at eight, the RiverWolves took an 11-10 lead at the end of the third. Twelve goals were then scored in a wild fourth quarter with Paris moving ahead three times only for Six Nations to keep tying it up. Travis Longboat capped a three-goal run for the Snipers with the winning goal with 4:02 remaining.

Longboat led the Snipers with five goals and four assists. Vern Hill added three goals and three helpers. Jake Lazore got the win. Dan Keane’s 10 points (7G/3A) led the RiverWolves.

 

Whitby Steelhawks 10 @ St. Catharines ShockWave 12

The St. Catharines ShockWave wrapped up first place with a 12-10 win over the Whitby Steelhawks at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena on Sunday. The game was the ShockWave’s 11th win of the season; they remain undefeated with three games left in their regular season schedule.

The weaker Steelhawks kept pace with the ShockWave through the second period, only down by a single goal at halftime. Despite their league stature, St. Catharines out-chanced and outplayed Whitby by just enough to get them to an empty net insurance marker with a second left.

Luke Pilcher and Chad Culp each contributed four goals and four assists for the Steelhawks. Lukas Coote played well in goal despite the loss. The ShockWave depended on a more balanced effort, and were led by Layne Smith’s two goals and two assists. Five different players each contributed a pair of goals.