The Brooklin Redmen find themselves in first place heading into a Wednesday night match-up with the Peterborough Lakers. The youth of the Redmen has been critical to Brooklin’s hot start. This young crop includes several graduates of the Whitby Warriors Jr. A Club, most notably the high-scoring trio of Shayne Jackson, Dan Litner, and Curtis Knight, who sit first, second, and third in team scoring, respectively. The three have combined for 61 points in just five games this season.
A high scoring 14-12 victory versus Kitchener-Waterloo saw Jackson put forth a seven point (3 G, 4 A) effort, while Knight added a hat-trick along with one assist and Litner chipped in with three points. In Brooklin’s 8-6 win over Six Nations, Litner led all Redmen scorers with five points (2 G, 3 A).
Jackson’s 26 points (12 G, 14 A) in five games has the Minnesota Swarm star tied with former NLL teammate Ryan Benesch for the league-lead, while Litner trails closely behind with 22 points (10 G, 12 A).
Benesch has been on an offensive tear as of late, racking up 18 points (7 G, 11 A) over K-W’s past three games. Benesch had seven points versus Brooklin in a losing effort, before helping the Kodiaks earn back-to-back wins over Brampton (3 G, 3 A) and Oakville (2 G, 3 A).
While Benesch has stood out offensively for K-W, the lefty has not been without assistance as fellow Buffalo Bandits Dhane Smith and Jamie Rooney have also posted impressive numbers. After logging huge minutes in transition during the loss to Brooklin, Smith racked up 10 points in K-W’s bounce back wins including two consecutive hat-tricks.
Another notable performance for K-W comes from Canadian Lacrosse League (CLax) product Corey Fowler, who had 10 points (4 G, 6 A) in K-W’s wins over Brampton and Oakville bringing his total to 12 in three games.
Oakville Rock rookie Patrick Corbett burst on to the MSL scene during Week 3, notching 12 points (7 G, 5 A) in his first three games. The Burlington Chiefs alum was most impressive in his debut, with three goals and three assists in Oakville’s pivotal early season win over Six Nations. Corbett has made an immediate impact in the league along with a group of young Rock players who are inexperienced at the senior level, including Shayne Adams whose eight points in the past two games give the St. Catharines’ native 11 (5 G, 6 A) in five games.
The Rock recently added the presence of another highly touted up-and-comer in a loss to K-W, as former Orangeville Northmen Jeremy Noble registered four assists in his MSL debut.
