1. McGill (10-0) Last Week: 1
Coach Tim Murdoch and the McGill Redmen etched their names into the history books as they finished their 2013 regular season off with a perfect 10-0 record, the first undefeated season in program history. The Redmen capped off the regular season with a tough fought 10-9 victory over provincial rival Bishop’s Gaiters. The battle of Quebec was a back and forth affair as neither team lead by more than one goal. The Gaiters jumped ahead 6-4 early in the third quarter but the Redmen answered back to knot the score at 6-6 heading into the final frame. Lehigh grad Kevin Donovan netted a pair of goals in just 30 seconds to give the Redmen a 9-7 at the nine-minute mark, the Gaitors closed the gap to 9-8. With just over five minutes remaining in regulation junior Connor Goodwin found the back of the cage to make the score 10-8 and it would be the eventual game winner. Two minutes after the Gaiters would score one more time but it would not be enough to beat the undefeated Redmen. Donovan lead the way offensively for the Redmen as he tallied five points (4G,1A) while Goodwin added a hat-trick and one helper. Netminder Riley McGillis was credited for the win as he finished with a perfect 7-0 record. Although the CUFLA regular season was over for McGill, work was not over yet for the Redmen as they traveled to the state of New York to take on NCAA Division III program Plattsburgh State. Donovan would once again standout for the Redmen as he would score the double overtime winner to knockoff the Cardinals 13-12. New Westminster,BC native Goodwin filled the scoresheet with eight points. Continuing their preparation for the Baggataway Cup playoffs, the Redmen will host Lydon State, another NCAA team, at Molson Stadium this Thursday(10/24). The Redmen will host the national championship in Montreal,QC at Forbes Field and Molson Stadium. McGill clinched a round to the Final Six after their first place finish in the East division.
2. Brock (11-1) Last Week: 2
The Brock Badgers finished first in the West division for the first time since 2009, the last time they captured the Baggataway Cup. A late fourth quarter surge with three unanswered goals gave the Badgers a 13-12 victory. Junior attackman Greg Davidson had a monster day with five goals, a pair of assists for seven points. Junior midfielder Gage Board found the back of the net once while adding three assists. Fifth year senior netminder Ian Duffy shut the door 15 times on times while capturing his eighth win of the season. The Ajax,ON native finished with a league and career best record of 8-1 while posting a 6.21 goals against average, good enough for second among all CUFLA starting goalies. A pair of Badgers found themselves atop of the CUFLA scoring leaders as senior attackman Kyle Davis was crowned scoring champion with 62 points, while freshmen standout Brandon Slade finished second with 56. Toronto Beaches Jr.A product Davidson lead all CUFLA goal scorers with 38 goals, while Davis finished second with 34. In 41 games played in a Badger uniform, Davis has tallied 142 points heading into his potential last Baggataway Cup playoffs of his Brock Lacrosse career. As the Badgers clinch first in the West division they also claim a birth to the Baggataway Playoff semi-finals on November 2nd in Montreal,QC. The Badgers are one of the heavy favourites to be crowned the national champions and they hope to bring the Baggataway Cup home for the nineteenth time in program history.
3. Western (10-2) Last Week: 3
The Western Mustangs closed out their 2013 regular season campaign with a pair of wins against Laurier and Toronto. The Mustangs outscored their opponents 26-8 in the last regular season road trip. Leading the way for Western was Chestnut Hill College grad Shane Morlock, who tallied five goals and four helpers for nine points. The Whitby,ON native finished his first CUFLA season with 35 points in 12 games, good enough to tie sophomore attackman Ryan McCrory as team leading scorer. Although the Mustangs’ offense was solid this season, like many Western teams of the past the backbone of the squad was defense. Led by four time All-Canadian defender Eric Pitre, the ‘Stangs d-core were stellar once again, only allowing 57 goals in 12 games. Alongside Pitre on the backend are sophomore Matt Spanger, freshman Jake Crans and freshman LSM Patrick McCrory, all who have started and have all been outstanding for the Mustangs. Western’s 10-2 record was good enough to clinch the second seed in the West Division and will host a first round match up against fifth seed Toronto (4-8) on Saturday, October 26 at 1 p.m. in London,ON. With a strong defensive core and solid offense, the Western Mustangs could pose a threat to top seeds Brock and McGill in the later stages of the Baggataway Cup playoffs.
4. Guelph (9-3) Last Week: 4
After a heartbreaking 13-12 loss to Brock, the Guelph Gryphons closed out the 2013 regular season with a 14-8 win over McMaster. After the first quarter, Guelph and McMaster were tied at two a piece, but at half time, the Gryphons would take control of the game and eventually capture the victory. A pair of NLL players lead the way offensively for the Gryphons as Buffalo Bandits’ Jordan Critch and Edmonton Rush’s Curtis Knight each had a pair of goals and three helpers. Rounding out the offense was Pickering,ON native Ryan Serville who found the back of the cage three times while also dishing out an assist for four points. Sophomore netminder Michael Lalani picked up the victory while making 16 stops. Fellow sophomore goaltender Tyler Mackendrick saw 20 minutes of action as he closed out the game. The Gryphons could arguably have one of the most talented offenses in all of CUFLA with Critch, Serville and Knight who have combined for a total of 78 of Guelph’s 153 goals. If Guelph wants to make some noise in the Baggataway Cup playoffs, the defense and netminding will need to support the high powered offense of the Gryphons. The third seed Gryphons will host the fourth seed McMaster Marauders (6-6) on Saturday, October 26 in Guelph,ON.
5. Bishop’s (7-3) Last Week: 5
The Bishop’s Gaiters had a busy finish to their 2013 regular season as they competed in three games in five days. Of the three games, the Gaiters picked up two victories over Concordia and Trent. In the two victories, the offense was led by junior attackman Alex Henderson who tallied 10 points(5G,5A). The Enniskillen,ON native finished his third CUFLA season leading the Gaiters in every major statistical category(22G,30A,52P). After spending last fall at High Point University, sophomore attackman James Malloy returned to Bishop’s and picked up where we left off. The Markham Ironhead Jr.B captain and MVP netted 20 goals, dished out 12 helpers for a solid 32 points in 10 games. The Bishop’s backend has been solid all year as their 72 goals against is good enough for third best of all CUFLA teams. Bishop’s finished second in the East division and will host fifth seed Carleton(2-8) on Saturday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Coulter Field in Lennoxville, Quebec.
