On Saturday the Iroquois Ironmen will travel to Oshawa to face the Durham TurfDogs in what could be their biggest game of the year. The Ironmen are fighting for a playoff spot and desperately need a win to keep their hopes alive. They also play the night before versus Brampton and if they can win both games they will guarantee themselves a place in the post season. Iroquois has only won two games all year so it is very doubtful they will win two in a row this weekend but when your back is against the wall, anything can happen.
The Ironmen are currently tied with the Barrie Blizzard for the sixth and final playoff spot but with a game in hand, the ball is in their court. The tie breaker will be decided by head to head goal differential so if Barrie and Iroquois remain tied after this weekend; Barrie will squeak their way into the post season by a difference of one goal.
The Ironmen don’t have much fire power and that is the main reason for their struggles this year. Chris Attwood is their leader scorer but with only 49 points he is well off the pace of his 72 point total from last season. The loss of Alex Kedoh Hill to the National Lacrosse League’s Buffalo Bandits put a huge hole in their lineup. He was second in points when he left and the Ironmen were unable to find a suitable replacement; although Josh Johnson has really stepped up and has been their best player down the stretch. Unfortunately for Iroquois they have no depth in their lineup so if either Attwood or Johnson are off their game, there’s nobody else for them to rely on.
Durham on the other hand has already secured a spot in the post season. The only question now is where will they finish in the standings. If they lose on Saturday they will finish 5th but if they win it could create a four way tie for second place with the Brampton Inferno, the Toronto Shooting Stars and the Ohweken Demons; meaning we’ll have to break out the calculators to solve that mess out. First the league will look at the head to head records of all four teams. Most of them split their games this season so then it will go by head to head goal differential and the league might have to hire an accountant to figure things out.
The TurfDogs will be looking for their third straight win on Saturday and have been on a tear ever since they acquired goaltender Kevin Croswell. He was let go three weeks ago by the NLL’s Philadelphia Wings and has been Durham’s starter ever since. The TurfDogs seem to be playing with more confidence as of late and they haven’t had to rely on just one or two players; they are getting contributions from everyone in the lineup. They have a much deeper team than Iroquois and they should come away with a ‘w’ this weekend.
Nic Grasby, Shane Scott and Scott Defrancesco have been consistent all season. The big three have been contributed points in every game this year except one (Defrancesco was held pointless in an 11-7 loss versus Toronto last month). Grasby (51pts) is a wizard with his stick and can beat any defender one on one. Scott (41pts) has one of the hardest shots in the league and can score from anywhere on the floor; you can see the fear in the goalie’s faces when he winds up for a shot. Defrancesco loves cutting to the net and he can usually be found at the side of the crease waiting a pass; he scores lots of goals with his quick stick release.
Saturday’s game could very well be the best lacrosse we’ve seen all year; at any level. It’s an important match for both teams so it should be a battle from start to finish. Game time is 2pm and you can listen to it live on the Lacrosse Radio Network.
