All year, we here at InLacrosseWeTrust have chronicled, quite extensively, how incredible the Peterborough Lakers roster looks on paper. Well, after an entire fourteen game MSL season, and three rounds of playoffs, it turns out they’re a pretty good club on the floor as well. As if a 10-4 record in the regular season, including 6-1 on the road, wasn’t enough, the Lakers went on to lose just one playoff game (to the Six Nations Chiefs in the MSL finals) through three rounds. They had to take the long way around, and they played more lacrosse than anyone in the post-season. But they will have had almost two full weeks of rest before competing for the Mann Cup. Oh, did we mention it’ll be on their home floor?
The hardest part of previewing the Mann Cup in the fashion we are is picking ONLY three ways for Peterborough to win this series. At any rate, here they are. Feel free to throw in the countless others you’ve come up with as well.
1) Ride the wave
There are a number of waves to discuss, which we will do over the first few points. First and foremost, as discussed off the top, the Lakers bring an 11-1 playoff streak into the post-season. They were also winners of five of their final six regular season games. Lacrosse is a game of momentum shifts and changes and even before the opening faceoff of the Mann Cup, the Lakers have to feel like they hold all the momentum. However, keep in mind, to start the regular season Peterborough was just 4-3 and this includes two victories over the Ajax Rock, and one over the Kitchener/Waterloo Kodiaks. This team may be good, but they’ve shown they’re human.
1a) The second wave to discuss has to be the crowd that will no doubt pack the Memorial Centre in Peterborough. Despite online forums crying foul over ticket prices, it can be guaranteed the building will be sold out for the duration of the championship series. Consider this is the only team on the season to sell out a regular season game, before even talking about the playoffs. And when the fans show up, they wear their team’s colours. Peterborough is a knowledgeable lacrosse community and they cheer in the right spots, and don’t in other correct places. As if the Lakers needed more motivation to perform, they’ll have it in the form of the 3,500+ fans in their building cheering them on.
2) Share the love
The Peterborough Lakers and Six Nations Chiefs were the only two teams to boast four players in the top ten in regular season scoring. However, the difference came in the fact that Peterborough was the only MSL team to boast eight players with double digit assists (two of whom didn’t even hit double digit games). On a team with as many weapons as the Lakers, it would be easy for them to become selfish with the ball. This has become the case on the odd occasions when Peterborough finds themselves behind the eight ball. However, the rest of the season they’ve used each and every weapon effectively. To succeed in the Mann Cup, this needs to be the same story.
3) Win special teams
Yes, the Lakers had the best penalty killing percentage in the MSL during the regular season (81.4% with ten shorthanded goals). But they were also forced to kill more penalties than everyone else as they were shorthanded eighty-six times (eighteen ahead of second). Most of the penalty killing game is let Mark Steenhuis run around with the ball for two minutes, and it is effective. But the most effective penalty killing strategy is still stay out of the box, something the Lakers have had trouble doing. Meanwhile, when they’ve been given an opportunity, Peterborough converted one third of their chances in the regular season, and that percentage rose to over 35% in the playoffs. The Lakers should have no trouble making the Langley Thunder pay for penalties, but the question is, will they be able to prevent their own?
The goal all season for Peterborough has been the Mann Cup. They’re there, and they won’t let up with the finish line in sight. Consider also history is on the side of the Lakers as a Western team has not won the Mann Cup on the road since 1986. While the stats suggest the story to stay the same, no doubt the Thunder will have something to say. However, if Peterborough can follow these three steps, they’ll be the first to four wins and will achieve their Mann Cup goal.
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