IL Indoor

Mack O'Brien led the Machine to a big win and a big move up the Power Rankings. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

Oshawa makes the big jump in this week’s IL Indoor Canadian Lacrosse League Power Rankings, moving from fifth all the way to second. They allowed the fewest goals in a game in the short history of the league, snuffed out 10 of 11 Durham power play chances, had hat tricks from Brad Levick and Mack O’Brien and solid goaltending from John Chesebrough to win the first Durham Derby. Now the focus shifts to the Brampton Bowl as Peel and Brampton meet for the first time Friday in one of four CLax games this weekend. Kids Go Free was a success in Oshawa and now the same deal is available at the Powerade Centre. An adult buying a $15 ticket to the Brampton Bowl can bring along two kids 13-and-under for free. Alright, it’s actually the free kids bringing along the adult. Either way, three people for 15 bucks to see some excellent lacrosse. After the jump, the CLax Power Rankings and Stars of the Week.

Power Rankings

1 Brampton Inferno (4-0) (Last Week: 1)
Beat Ohsweken 22-15
The Inferno have a slight lead over three other teams in goals against per game for best in CLax, but they are blowing the opposition out of the water when it comes to scoring. They’re averaging 17 goals a game and eight players have at least 4 goals after 4 games.

2 Oshawa Machine (2-1) (LW: 5)
Beat Durham 12-8
Brad Levick is what the Canadian Lacrosse League is all about. The Elmira College star didn’t play summer ball in 2008-10 and was passed over in the 2010 NLL draft. He played Senior B last summer with the Brooklin Merchants, scoring 60 points in 15 games. With the dynamic playmaking and finishing ability he’s shown in compiling 8 goals and 9 assists for the Machine, expect Levick to get a look in MSL this summer and maybe draw some NLL attention down the road.

3 Peel Avengers (2-1) (LW: 4)
Did not play
Don’t be too worried about having the Machine leapfrog your Avengers in the Power Rankings even though you didn’t play last weekend, Peel fans. Your club will have a chance to prove they belong ahead of Oshawa in a head to head matchup at the Powerade Centre this Saturday. Of course, the Avengers have a little matter of the first-ever Brampton Bowl with the league-leading Inferno to deal with Friday night, first.

4 Durham Turfdogs (2-2) (LW: 2)
Lost to Oshawa 12-8
If it wasn’t for Damon Edwards‘ incredible shorthanded hat trick, the loss to the Machine could have been really ugly. The Turfdogs flat out didn’t show up ready to play. They’d better get that addressed before Saturday, because the Inferno could run away and hide on Durham before the end of the first quarter if the Dogs don’t bring a better effort to Brampton.

5 Ohsweken Demons (1-3) (LW: 3)
Lost to Brampton 22-15
Even with the best penalty kill in the league and half a dozen shorthanded goals in four games, you’re not going to win much going on the PK almost 15 times a game. The Demons have shown they can score and Chris Attwood is having a phenomenal start (18g, 10a, 28pts in 4 games), but without improved discipline they can anticipate a long stay in the bottom tier of the rankings.

6 Iroquois Ironmen (0-4) (LW: 6)
Did not play
No game, no chance to get off the schneid for the Ironmen. They’ll be hungry for their first win when they host Oshawa Friday. Their season so far has been almost a mirror image of Brampton’s. Iroquois have scored the fewest goals per game in the league and have given up even more than the Inferno have scored. They have some guys who can put the ball in the net, but they have to spend less time digging it out of their own to have a chance to do much at the other end of the floor.

CLax Stars of the Week

Offense
Brad Favero (Brampton)
Had 5 goals and 3 assists, plus scooped 7 loose balls. Favero’s goals included 3 power play markers and one shortie.
Honourable Mention: Brad Levick (Oshawa) with 3g, 3a…Kyle Isaacs (Ohsweken): 4g, 2a…and a vote for Inferno goalie Jay Preece for scoring a goal in Brampton’s rout of the Demons.

Defense
Mack O’Brien (Oshawa)
O’Brien joked that the Machine saw they were fifth in the Power Rankings and were going to come out and show they belonged higher. Or maybe he wasn’t joking. He set the tone for Oshawa’s win and could have been considered for top transition or offensive player honours as well. Led the penalty kill unit that allowed only 1 PP goal in 11 Turfdogs chances, scored the first two goals of the game, totaled 3g, 2a for 5 points and scooped 8 loose balls.
Honourable Mention: Clay Hill (Ohsweken)…Ben McCullough (Brampton)…Colin Boucher (Durham)

Transition
Damon Edwards (Durham)
Among the many things Edwards did well Friday, perhaps the best was his knack for knowing when to leak out of his own end and race upfloor on the penalty kill. The Turfdogs would gain control on one side of the floor and by the time you looked up he’d be racing past centre and preparing to reel in a pass. That’s how he scored 2 of his 3 shorthanded goals. The other was all about hard work and a skilled crease dive.
Honourable Mention: Clarke Robinson (Oshawa)…Holden Vyse (Ohsweken)…Scott Johnson (Brampton)

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