The regular season is beginning to wrap up and Provincial Championships are fast approaching. As the season comes to a conclusion, there are many different ways that the last few games can go before the season ends. There are some teams who play much more disciplined as they do not want to inhibit a suspension that would carry over into the Provincial Championships.
There are other teams who are only worried about seeking revenge on opponents in what may be the last time they see them in action that season. As a referee there are a number of possible outcomes and no way to predict which method the team will choose to use for that game.
I had an exciting weekend working the first of two ‘A’ Qualifier weekends this past weekend in Whitby, ON. It was a weekend of intense and exciting lacrosse, as these two weekends act as playoffs to determine who advances to the Final 8. The lower seeds played against the higher seeds this weekend, which made for some difficult games to officiate due to the difference in skill level of some teams. For example the #16 seed plays their first game against the #1 seed, which in most cases was a very one-sided match. During these games it is crucial to maintain control, as these games have a tendency to get out of control once the goal differential becomes higher.
As the regular season comes to an end, there is much to look forward to with Provincial Championships, Nationals and the Final 8 all coming up in the next month. There will be plenty of intense and exciting lacrosse to referee before it is all said and done.
