In their inaugural season, the Barrie Blizzard were just one win away from clinching the final playoff spot. The 2013 Creator’s Cup champions Iroquois Ironmen only tallied four wins all season yet squeezed into the playoffs, leaving one question, “could the Barrie Blizzard won the Creator’s Cup?” Maybe, probably not. But a Canadian Lacrosse League championship could be in the future in Barrie.
The Blizzard have major potential for years to come with young offensive talent lead by 2013 Rookie of the Year Caleb Wiles. The 24-year-old Orillia,ON native finished second in goal (35) and fifth in points (63) among all CLax runners. Wiles also collected ten power player markers and a league leading seven short handed goals.
Alongside Wiles offensively are Mike Teeter and Jason Mainer. The duo supported Wiles with a combined tally of 81 points in 14 games this season for the Blizzard.
In between the pipes for the Blizzard was Scotty Komer. Although Komer was at the bottom for goals against average (15.06) and save percentage (.740), he also made the third most saves (384) among all CLax goaltenders. The numbers do not show the type of goaltender that Komer truly is.
Another bright spot for the Blizzard franchise is how quickly the outstanding fan base was built in Barrie. Barrie had the highest average of attendance with 575. In total, the Blizzard had 4,028 fans attend their home games, the most in all of CLax. The best attended game for the Blizzards and the entire league was the Blizzard’s season finale against the Toronto Shooting Stars. In the 13-9 victory the Blizzard, the Molson Center was packed with 1,000 fans.
Despite an ugly 3-11 record in their first season, the Barrie Blizzard have a lot to look forward to in the future. The Blizzard hope their inaugural season of learning will one day bring a Creator’s Cup to the blue turf of the Molson Centre.
