With week two of the WLA season over. Here are this week’s power rankings:
1. Victoria Shamrocks – The Shamrocks have lived up to their pre season hype as they are a perfect 3-0 and have dominated all their opposition so far. The Shamrocks have four players in the top ten in scoring and Matt Flindell sits second in the league WITH A 7.00 G.A.A. The Shamrocks seem poised to make the championship this year.
2. Langley Thunder- The Thunder are undefeated on the season and sit at 2-0. The Thunder have not missed a step and seem to once again be ready for another shot at the Mann Cup. The Thunder have one of the deepest offenses in the league led by Athan Ianucci. The Thunder have also seen a turnaround in Brodie MacDonald who is the top goalie in the league at the moment. Expect the Thunder to keep rolling.
3. Maple Ridge Burrards- The Burrards are so far the surprise team of the year as they have knocked out Coquitlam and New Westminster along with hanging in tough against Langley. Maple Ridge has been led by Curtis Dickson who leads the WLA in scoring with 23 points in three games. Maple Ridge has also had Jarrett Davis and Joel Dalgarno step up on offense. If the Burrards can keep their momentum going they may see themselves back in the playoffs this year.
4. New Westminster Salmon Bellies- New Westminster despite being 1-2 hold this position as they have already knocked off Nanaimo this season. The Salmon Bellies have had success due to the fact Jordan McBride, Tom Johnson, and Alex Gajic have been a strong offensive trio this year. Expect the Salmon Bellies to be contending with the top teams in the league all season.
5. Nanaimo Timbermen- The Timbermen have shown great resolve this season as they lost two of their top scorers from last year in the form of Scott Ranger and Cory Conway. Nanaimo has played tough in both their games and fell just short against New Westminster. So far Nanaimo has seen success due to the strong play of Blake Kenney and Mike Berekoff. Expect the Timbermen to be one of the scrappiest teams this year and to put up a good fight against any team in the league.
6. Coquitlam Adanacs- Despite being 0-3 the Adanacs sit here based on their team’s potential. The Adanacs are coming off a season where they fell just short of reaching the Mann Cup. The Adanacs have one of the best defenses in the league but their team has been hit by the injury bug. With Dane Dobbie having nine points in his debut this season expect Coquitlam to get back on the winning track soon especially with Adam Shute stepping up in the absence of Nick Rose. Expect the Adanacs to be back at the top of the standings soon.
7. Burnaby Lakers- The Lakers are a team that has underperformed this year. The Lakers need their offense to step up as they cannot expect to win when their top three players have a combined 16 points. As good as Matt Beers in on defense he cannot hold the Lakers in the game if they cannot score. The other worry for the Lakers is the struggles of starting goalie Dan Lewis who was one of the best goalies last year has a 10.64 G.A.A and needs to step up if Burnaby does not want to remain in the bottom of the standings.
