The Langley Thunder surprised many when they made the Mann Cup last year. They silenced those critics this year by not only finishing as the top seed in the Western Lacrosse Association, but also winning the league losing just two games throughout the playoffs for a total of ten all season. They face the unenviable task of having to fly to Ontario to face the Peterborough Lakers at the Memorial Centre for a second straight crack at the Mann Cup. If they expect to win, they’ll have to follow these three steps:
1) The NLL’s Garrett Billings shows up.
Garrett Billings is having quite a year. Not only did he break the NLL record for assists in a season with the Toronto Rock, he is now on his way to the Mann Cup. The numbers for Billings in the summer season are deceiving, however. On the Thunder roster, Billings can be found sixth on the team in points, with thirty, and fourth on the team in assists with twenty-three. Keep in mind, however, these points came in just six regular season games. Over the course of the WLA’s eighteen game season, that is on pace to score ninety points. Consider the WLA leading scorer, Scott Ranger of Nanaimo, won with ninety-two points, Garrett Billings has proven he’s one of the best in the summer game. He’ll be key for Langley as across the floor, there are a number of guys who can hurt Langley if Billings is shut down.
2) Brodie MacDonald outplays Tyler Carlson
In the WLA finals, everything came down to the men between the pipes. For the Coquitlam Adanacs it was WLA MVP Nick Rose. Rose played over seven-hundred minutes in the post-season posting a 5-6 record, a 7.75 goals against average and a 0.843 save percentage. MacDonald not only matched the MVP, he outplayed him letting in forty less goals (although playing nearly two-hundred minutes less) on route to a 6.00 goals against average and a 0.853 save percentage. Make on mistake, Brodie MacDonald is a solid starting goaltending option when there is a team in front of him. But he also seems to thrive when the man almost two-hundred feet away is one of the best. Tyler Carlson is a great goaltender and with the offensive lineup of the Lakers, MacDonald will have to outplay Carlson for Langley to win.
3) Everyone pulls their weight
As much as the numbers point to Billings and MacDonald carrying this team, there is also Lewis Ratcliff and Athan Iannucci to consider. These are the clear leaders on the Langley Thunder but this next series is for Canadian lacrosse supremacy, and Peterborough won’t give it up lightly. In just ten playoff games to get to this point, the Thunder saw just three players reach double digits in goals (Ratcliff – 23, Iannucci – 14, Shayne Jackson – 10). Yes, the Lakers played two extra games, but they boast an offensive line where seven different players scored double digit goals in the post-season. Guys like Joel McCready, Alex Turner and Kerry Susheski will be called upon to step up on the offense, or the transition will have to get into the act. The Lakers’ defence is too talented and will focus on two players to shut down the offense if others can’t step up. The entire Langley Thunder team needs to come to Ontario to play.
No one will argue that the Langley Thunder enter the Mann Cup as underdogs to the Peterborough Lakers, especially having to travel into foreign territory to do battle. However, lacrosse is a funny game. It’s a game where even the mightiest can fall. To say the veteran lineup of the Peterborough Lakers will when they are four wins from glory is a long shot. But also four wins from glory are the Langley Thunder, and if that fall comes for Peterborough, they can use these three steps to ensure they’re in a position to capitalize when the opportunity presents itself. The most important key to victory: believe you can win!
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