1. Six Nations Chiefs (11-2)
Despite dropping a narrow 14-13 road game to the Peterborough Lakers last Thursday night, the Chiefs continued to roll this week picking up wins over Kitchener-Waterloo on Tuesday night and the Brampton Excelsiors on Thursday. On Tuesday night the Chiefs got off to a great start with Johnny Powless scoring just 59 seconds into the game, however it wasn’t until late in the second period that the Chiefs finally pulled away. The Chiefs actually found themselves down by two goals on three occasions in the second period on Tuesday night, however a late period surge that saw Jeff Shattler score back-to-back goals was the momentum swing Six Nations needed to get them going, rattling off four straight goals in the third period, to take the game by a score of 11-7. Thursday night provided lacrosse fans with a football game like score as the Chiefs defeated the Brampton Excelsiors by a score of 22-14. The Chiefs never trailed in the game, finishing the game off with a seven-goal run. This past week the Chiefs were led by MSL scoring leader Dhane Smith, who rattled off a 13 point performance against the Excelsiors and finished the week with a combined 15 points. Jeff Shattler and Ryan Benesch also stayed hot for the Chiefs picking up 13 and 11 points respectively. The Chiefs have their stars and secondary scorers all on a roll as of late, making them extremely difficult to shut down. If that’s not enough the Chiefs back end has been equally good this season, allowing just 98 goals against in 13 games. The back end is led by elite defenders Brodie Merrill, Dan Coates, Sid Smith and Billy Dee Smith, making them both highly skilled and highly intimidating. Even on nights the Chiefs back end is on their game, the goaltending tandem of Dillion Ward and Brandon Miller have stepped up, showcasing why they are considered two of the best goaltenders in the game today.
2. Peterborough Lakers (10-2)
The Lakers are on a roll as of late, winning five in a row, including a recent 14-13 win over the powerhouse Six Nations Chiefs, whom the Lakers trail in the standings by just two points. The Lakers arguably could hold the top spot in this week’s power rankings, however their 1-2 record against the Chiefs this season is what keeps them second in the rankings. Nonetheless the Lakers are playing their best lacrosse of the season, gelling as a team and getting sound production from every player throughout the lineup. In the past week, the Lakers have shown an ability to win high scoring games, physical games and tight defensive games. With an ability to win in all situations and a roster that continues to stabilize as players make their summer intentions clear, the Lakers have only gotten better. Peaking at the most opportune time will be important for the Lakers, as they’ll hope to unseed the Chiefs as Ontario Champs. The depth of the Lakers offense is rival to that of only Six Nations in the MSL, and possibly only Victoria out west; with the likes of Shawn Evans, Curtis Dickson, Adam Jones, Cory Vitarelli and the recent emergence of youngster Turner Evans, the Lakers are an absolute load up front. Teams know they can’t shut the Lakers down; they can only hope to contain them. The Defense is extremely athletic, tenacious and quick in transition, boasting a quartet of elite defenders in Brad Self, Brock Sorensen, Mike Kirk and Scott Self. The “older guys” are joined by young up and coming defenders Nick Weiss, Robert Hope, Wenster Green and Mark Farthing to become one of the most versatile defensive units in Major lacrosse across both Ontario and BC. With that all said, goaltending may be the Lakers’ best quality right now, as Evan Kirk is making a case for league MVP, sporting a 7-1 record with a 7.00 goals against average and a .802 save percentage. It’s really becoming a two horse race in Ontario right now as we all look forward to a hard fought seven game series between Six Nations and Peterborough for the Ontario Crown.
3. Oakville Rock (4-8)
For weeks we have been saying the Oakville Rock are much better than their record shows, and finally they are showing fans and critics alike what they’re all about, rattling off four wins in their last five games, with their lone loss coming against the powerhouse Peterborough Lakers. The Rock have been getting things done on the defensive side of the ball, with goaltender Nick Rose deserving full credit for his play as of late. The Rock allowed just 14 goals in their last three games, and have not allowed an opposition to reach double digits in scoring since Brooklin defeated them 10-9 on June 17. While Rose deserves a boat load of praise for his play, the Rock defense has been solid all season, and are finally getting some recognition of their own as the wins start piling up. Led by young elite defenders Jason Noble, Alex Crepinsek and Damon Edwards, the Rock back end is quick, tenacious and sound in transition as they really push the pace, creating a ton of odd man opportunities off the rush. Rookies Brier Jonathan and Bryan Cole have been excellent for the Rock this season, while Dan Lomas has made the biggest impact of any rookie, tallying 25 points in 12 games thus far. Offensively the Rock have dealt with players coming and going as Rob Hellyer, Kevin Ross, Jeremy Noble, Stephan Leblanc and Wes Berg have all missed four or more games this season. When the Rock get all the aforementioned players in the lineup at the same time, and get contributions from depth guys Brenden Thenhaus, Jordan Critch and Dan Lomas they could become very difficult to handle offensively. Throw in the much anticipated return of Brett Hickey to the lineup at some point this season, and the Rock should be able to produce offense at the same rate as the Chiefs and Lakers.
4. Kitchener-Wateloo Kodiaks (4-8-1)
The Kodiaks had been winless in seven straight games entering Wednesday night’s encounter with the Brooklin Redmen. In what was a crucial game for both teams, as far as securing the final playoff position goes, the Kodiaks rallied from down 5-3 after 40 minutes of play to defeat the Redmen by a score of 11-7, outscoring the Redmen 8-2 in the final 20 minutes. The Kodiaks find themselves in a heated battle with the Oakville Rock, Brampton Excelsiors and Brooklin Redmen for the final two playoffs spots, however with the run the Rock are currently on, it’s more like a three team race for the final two spots. The win over the Redmen helps, although a 9-6 loss to Brampton last Sunday allowed the Excelsiors to keep pace with the Kodiaks in the standings. The Kodiaks play each Brampton and Oakville twice in their next five games, the final results undoubtedly will have a huge impact on the final standings. If the Kodiaks can sweep one of Brampton or Oakville it should secure them a playoff spot. Offensively the Kodiaks struggle with consistency at times, as the majority of their offense comes in transition, with captain Joey Cupido leading the way. Corey Fowler and Luke Laszkiewicz are the Kodiaks offensive leaders with 35 and 30 points respectively, while transition star Cupido sits third. After those three players the offense gets thin, as Alex Kedoh Hill and Aaron Wilson who were brought in through trades have played just three and six games respectively. Scott DeFrancesco who played a minor roll with the Six Nations Chiefs in back to back Mann Cup wins, was also brought in to help aid the offensive attack, however he’s been running out the back door for the Kodiaks recently. Defensively the Kodiaks are tenacious and love to push the pace, however that leads them to leave the zone early, which has hurt them on more then occasion. Rookies Derek Searle and Eric Guiltinan have provided solid “D” for the Kodiaks this season, while Mitch Wilde and Joey Cupido have been solid at both ends of the floor. David DiRuscio has quietly gone about his business in goal, and while his record might not be sparkling, the Kodiaks would be in much rougher shape if not for his superb goaltending this season. DiRuscio is one of the best young goaltenders out there, and it wouldn’t shock me if an NLL team with needs in net seek out his services in a trade.
5. Brampton Excelsiors (4-7)
The Excelsiors are a team who are on the cusp of being very very good, with a stable of young elite prospects and a top junior team just waiting to feed the senior club more talent. However it’s looking more and more likely that this season won’t be the year the Excelsiors return to the playoffs, as issues in goal and inconsistencies up front continue to haunt the Excelsiors. Tye Belanger was great for the Excelsiors while he was with them, but he’s out west with Burnaby now. Tyler Carlson has been fantastic when he’s tended goal for the Excelsiors, however in games where the aforementioned goaltenders haven’t played the Excelsiors have struggled. With such an elite defense, boasting the likes of Kyle Rubisch, Chris Corbeil and Sandy Chapman you’d think keeping the ball out of the net would be the least of the Excelsiors worries. Complicating things for Brampton is their inability to consistently produce offensively. Tyler Ferriera has been hot lately, Joe Resetarits has been great when he’s in the lineup, however following Ferriera and Resetarits only Mike Melnychenko and Mike Burke have reached the 20-plus point plateau. The Excelsiors need transition guys like Matt Bennett, Connor Sellars and Jayson Crawford to add some offense, while the emergence of Mike Mawdsley and Brandon Benn would also enhance the Excelsiors chances at claiming the final playoff spot in the MSL. The future is bright in Brampton, and with five of their remaining seven games against teams they’re within two points of in the standings, they still control their own destiny.
6. Brooklin Redmen (3-9-1)
The Redmen are currently on a four game losing streak, after last picking up a win on June 25 when they defeated the Brampton Excelsiors 14-8. On paper it’s not surprising to see the Redmen toiling in the basement of the MSL standings as, simply put, they have the weakest roster. However the Redmen continue to compete and give their opponents fits, as they are in every game. Brooklin’s biggest issue right now is their inability to score. The Redmen struggle to create offense, relying on odd man rushes in transition and man advantage opportunities. With Reilly O’Connor returning to Georgetown University for the next couple of weeks the Redmen offense takes yet another blow. Shawn Williams and Mike Teeter have been effective for the Redmen, however teams are able to key on Williams, and Teeter can be shut down as his lack of size can be exploited. Kyle Whitlow and T.J Sanders have been bright spots on the Redmen offense, however they to have been inconsistent this season. The return of Dan Lintner has provided the offense with a spark, as his willingness to crash and bang despite his size, coupled with his elite hands have given the Redmen a sound inside presence on five-on-five and a strong crease threat on the power play. Defensively the Redmen combine veterans with raw youngsters, which at times leads to let downs on the defensive end, something that cannot happen against the potent offenses of Six Nations, Peterborough and Oakville. Derek Suddons, Sheldon Burns, Graeme Hossack and Dan Ball have been excellent for the Redmen this year, bright spots on a team with not many positives to date. In goal is where the Redmen are at their strongest, as Mike Poulin and Zack Higgins have been excellent this season, keeping the Redmen in games and almost single handedly willing them to victory. If the Redmen can get more games out of Kiel Matisz, Kevin Brownell, Kyle Aquin and Jordan Houtby they can challenge for a playoff spot. The expected return of Curtis Knight would only add to the Redmen’s chances of securing the final playoff spot.
