With the Mann Cup final set as the Six Nations Chiefs travel to Victoria to face the WLA champions the Victoria Shamrocks. Both teams beat the best teams in their respective leagues to reach the Mann Cup and it is no fluke that these two teams will go head to head.
The Chiefs had one of the most dynamic offenses in the MSL this year as they had five players with forty plus points. The Chiefs were led by Colin Doyle and Craig Point. Doyle notched 76 points while Point put up 71 point of his own. The Chiefs also had one of the best goalies in the MSL as Evan Kirk posted a 13-2 record along with a 7.62 G.A.A. The Chiefs look to be evenly matched up with the Shamrocks and will need to find a way to beat all star goalie Matt Vinc who will be in net for the Shamrocks. Vinc won the NLL Championship this year and will not be a pushover. The Chiefs will want to try to get off to a quick start in games and force Victoria to work from behind because Victoria proved against Langley that they can play shut down defense once they have a lead.
The Shamrocks are very similar to the Chiefs on paper as they had five players with more than forty points. The Shamrocks were led by Cory Conway and Corey Small. Unfortunately for the Shamrocks they will be without the services of Corey Small who tore his ACL and will not return for the Mann Cup. Conway posted 87 points this season and was a key reason for the Shamrocks success. The Shamrocks like to spread the ball amongst their forwards as Scott Ranger, Jeff Shattler, and Mitch Jones are some of the best sharp shooters in lacrosse. The Shamrocks did a good job shutting down Langley’s offense which was the best in the WLA. The Shamrocks will need to do the same thing against Six Nations and control Colin Doyle and Craig Point because if they gain space they could be a thorn in the Shamrocks side. The Shamrocks will want to play solid defensive lacrosse because if they can force Six Nations to make mistakes they can score on the counter attack.
In the end I would give the slight edge to Victoria as they are a slightly stronger team and arguably knocked off the best team in Canadian lacrosse in Langley.
