The Canadian Lacrosse League’s 2013 regular season is in the books and the first round of the playoffs has been set. As we move into the post season, here are the CLax Power Rankings after week 13.
#1 (last week 1) The Niagara Lock Monsters
The Lock Monsters were idle last week but remain in the number one spot of the Power Rankings. We will not see them in action for yet another week as they have earned bye (for finishing first) and get to advance directly into the final four on April 20th. Niagara has been the best team all year but have zero playoff experience as this is their inaugural season.
#2 (6) The Iroquois Ironmen
This week the Ironmen made the biggest jump in the history of the CLax Power Rankings as they shot from number 6 all the way up to the 2nd spot. They won two back to back games last weekend which earned them their berth into the playoffs. The Ironmen are the hottest team going into the second season and many have them pegged to win it all.
#3 (2) The Brampton inferno
After winning four games in a row the Inferno had their win streak snapped on Friday night in an overtime loss to the Ironmen. Brampton has looked solid over the last few weeks and are heavy favourites to go all the way to the Creator’s Cup final.
#4 (5) The Durham TurfDogs
Durham lost to Iroquois last weekend but it was a meaningless game for them as they knew beforehand they’d be facing the Inferno in the quarter final round. TurfDogs leading scorer Nic Grasby and starting goaltending Kevin Croswell both sat out Saturday to rest up for the playoffs; a smart move by Coach/GM Jonas Derks.
#5 (5) The Ohsweken Demons
The Demons haven’t played since March 29th when they squeaked out a 15-14 win over the Iroquois Ironmen; their opponent this Sunday in the quarter final round. Ohsweken has been extremely inconsistent this season and are not expected to make it past the first round of the playoffs.
#6 (4) The Toronto Shooting Stars
Toronto dressed a full lineup on Sunday but still got pounded in Barrie against the Blizzard. Toronto has not won a game since March 23rd and have been shaky over the last few weeks. They have a lot of big name players and should be dominating this league but they just can’t seem to pull it together for a full sixty minute game. By finishing second overall Toronto has earned a free pass into the final four but they’ll need to yank up their socks if they want to make to the finals on April 21st.
#7 (7) The Barrie Blizzard
The Blizzard are not in the playoffs but they finished their season strong with a convincing 13-9 victory over the second place Shooting Stars at home on Sunday. Barrie has some of the most passionate fans in the league and over a thousand of them were in attendance to watch their hometown heroes close out the season. Not only were these fans treated to a spectacular game but also an autograph session with the entire team afterwards. The Blizzard stuck around in the lobby and signed shirts, hats, posters and anything else that the fans put in front of them; they are a class act organization.
