Week 5 of the Clax season kicks off on Friday night as the Iroquois Ironmen take on the Brampton Inferno. The Ironmen come into this season 0-3 after losing to the Durham TurfDogs 14-13 in week 4. While Brampton sits at 1-2 after losing to Niagara in their last game.
For the Ironmen their problem all year so far has been defense but in their last game against the TurfDogs they looked better as they finally held a team to under 20 goals. The Ironmen will need to be tight on defense as the Inferno have multiple offensive threats that are capable of scoring. For the Ironmen Chris Atwood has met all expectations as he has 9 goals and 10 assists in three games and leads the team in points. The problem though for the Ironmen is his next closest teammate Josh Johnson only has 12 points. The Ironmen’s offense has struggled as Atwood has had to carry the load but the Ironmen need to get their secondary scoring going as you can expect Atwood to be under heavy defensive coverage. In net the Ironmen have been a mess trying four different goalies with Jake Lazore having the best Goal against average at 14.15. Whoever starts in net for the Ironmen needs to step up and make the big saves and cannot allow their team to fall into an early deficit.
The Brampton Inferno have shown greatness this year as they were able to complete a great comeback against Oshweken and were competitive against Niagara. For the Inferno their biggest strength has been offense as Ryan Cambell, John McClure and Scott Tining have led a three pronged attack. In their last game against Niagara the Inferno proved they can score but their defense allowed to many odd men rushes and left their goalie out to hang. The Inferno penalty kill has also been dreadful. In net Jay Preece has looked to be the team’s best option but he will need to step up his game if the Inferno hope to win.
The key to victory for the Inferno in this game is to run and gun against the Ironmen. The Ironmen have been susceptible to fast paced offenses so far this season so if Brampton can move the ball efficiently they will open up the Iroquois defense and score some easy goals. Brampton will want to pressure whoever starts in net for the Ironmen as all their goalies have been shaky so if Brampton can crack them early it will be an easy win.
The key to victory for the Ironmen will be to play defense. This team needs to find away to stop the oppositions offensive attack. If the Ironmen cannot play defense they will lose this game plain and simple since their own offense is weak. The Ironmen’s offense has looked powerless at times and really is a one man show with Chris Atwood. For victory to come to the Ironmen they need to prevent getting down early and play a tight defensive game.
In the end Brampton will prove to be too much for the Ironmen as Brampton’s three pronged passing attack will open up the Ironmen’s defense and lead to an easy Brampton win.
