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Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

CLax: All-Star teams

First-Team All-Star Ben McCullough pins All-Rookie Team member John St. John to the boards. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Canadian Lacrosse League has announced the 1st and 2nd Team All-Stars for the 2013 season. Niagara Lock Monsters rookie goaltender Connor Danko and teammate Andrew Potter both earned CLax first team honours. In nine regular season games, Danko posted a 7-1 record tying the Clax single season wins record. He also finished second in the league in both goals against average (10.20 GAA) and save percentage (.809). After being selected first overall in the 2013 Clax entry draft, Potter finished second in league scoring registering 31 goals and 48 assists for 79 points. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Niagara Lock Monsters

CLax: Caleb Wiles named Rookie of the Year and heads All-Rookie team

Caleb Wiles scoring one of the goals of the year in CLax. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

The Canadian Lacrosse League is pleased to announce Barrie Blizzard forward Caleb Wiles as the 2013 CLax Rookie of the Year. ”As a newcomer to CLax, Caleb proved to be one of the most dynamic and prolific scorers in our game,” said CLax Deputy Commissioner Jim Veltman. “Game in and game out he would produce highlight reel goals made of magic.”

In his first season, Wiles finished fifth in league scoring registering 63 points including 35 goals and 28 assists in 12 regular season games. He collected 10 power play goals and led the league with seven shorthanded markers. His 35 goals was also tied for the second highest in CLax history.

Wiles played his Junior A career with Orillia and has been a member of the Major Series Brooklin Redmen the past two seasons. The league also announced the 2013 All Rookie Team. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen

CLax Players of the Week: Blizzard’s Wiles and Boucher, plus Saunders and Printup

Colin Boucher

The final weekend of the Canadian Lacrosse League regular season saw three games, all of which had the potential for playoff implications coming into the week.

The Iroquois Ironmen seem to be peaking at the right time as they won on back-to-back days clinching the final playoff spot. Their win over Brampton on Friday night also gave the Toronto Shooting Stars second overall positioning in the standings. Unfortunately it meant a game played for pride on Sunday in Barrie, but the Blizzard had their best game of the year in front of one of the loudest crowds in CLax history.

After the dust settled on the regular season, league officials combined with team coaches and general managers voted and selected the following as the Surge Apparel Players of the Week for week thirteen.

Offensive Player of the Week
Pat Saunders – Brampton Inferno
In Friday night’s loss to the Ironmen, Brampton found themselves clawing back all night long. It was often Pat Saunders scoring momentum-changing goals as he had five on the night to add to two assists. This is Saunders’ second weekly award. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, Behind the Scenes, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

Blizzard debut blue turf in CLax season finale, beat Shooting Stars

Caleb Wiles, who, amazingly, scored on this play, and the Barrie Blizzard are 1-0 on their new blue turf. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Canadian Lacrosse League is preparing for the playoffs that start this Friday night when the Brampton Inferno play host to the Durham Turfdogs in the first quarter-final. The other quarter-final is a rematch of last year’s Creators Cup championship game when the Ohsweken Demons and Iroquois Ironmen meet at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena Sunday. Before the regular season passed into the rearview mirror, though, the final game held a new twist that CLax is excited about for next year. The Barrie Blizzard unveiled their new blue turf as they won their final game of the season, downing the second-place Toronto Shooting Stars behind a 6-point performance from Caleb Wiles (3g, 3a). The Blizzard, who finished last and will miss the playoffs, none the less played before an enthusiastic crowd reported to be 1,000 strong. The league will sport three of the blue turf floors in 2014, when it returns for its third season. First, of course, there’s the matter of crowning a 2013 champion. The semi-finals will be held Saturday April 20 at the ILA followed by the Creators Cup final the next day at the same venue. Niagara and Toronto, the top two regular season teams, will face the quarter-final winners on the Saturday.

Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

CLax: Iroquois Ironmen pull out 14-13 overtime win to bolster playoff hopes

Jerome Thompson was instrumental in the Iroquois Ironmen's 14-13 overtime win Friday night. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Iroquois Ironmen made the Canadian Lacrosse League playoff race a lot more interesting last night by downing the Brampton Inferno 14-13 in overtime. Iroquois leapfrogged the Barrie Blizzard for the sixth and final playoff spot in CLax with the win, but both teams have one game to play. Iroquois can lock up the postseason berth by beating the Durham Turfdogs at 2 pm today in a game that can be seen live via JVI Video webcast. If they don’t, then the Blizzard can snag the berth back by beating the Toronto Shooting Stars at home on Sunday.

Toronto clinched second place and a first-round bye when the Inferno lost yesterday, meaning the playoff picture is almost set. The first-place Niagara Lock Monsters and the Shooting Stars receive a bye to the semi-finals, to be held April 20 at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The Creators Cup final is also there the following day. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Niagara Lock Monsters

Niagara Locks Monsters keep setting records left and right

Dylan Llord and the Lock Monsters filled the Barrie net all game in a 21-9 win over the Blizzard. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

It’s no surprise that the Niagara Lock Monsters now boast the two highest-scoring players in the short history of the Canadian Lacrosse League. The Lock Monsters hit the 20-goal mark for the fifth time this season as they dumped the Barrie Blizzard 21-9 Saturday for their eleventh win, also the top total CLax has seen. They’re the only team to have scored 20 or more this year [Editor's note: correction. Ohsweken beat Barrie 20-7 on March 10] after three teams managed the feat once each in CLax’s first season in 2012 (Brampton, Ohsweken and Iroquois)  The big scoring totals have been fuelled largely by lefty Andrew Potter and righty Corey Fowler, who sit one-two atop the league’s all-time single-season scoring chart now after they scored 16 points between them yesterday. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen, Niagara Lock Monsters, Ohsweken Demons, Toronto Shooting Stars

CLax playoff positions slowly taking shape, Creators Cup schedule set

Could this goal by Caleb Wiles (Barrie's last in a 14-9 win) wind up putting the Blizzard into the playoffs? (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The playoff race is heating up in the Canadian Lacrosse League and the playoff schedule has been announced. Six of CLax’s seven teams will make the post-season with the top two receiving first-round byes. The Niagara Lock Monsters are very close to ensuring that they are one of those top two teams. In fact, they would have to lose at least their remaining three games—and have Toronto win out or Brampton win out and beat them by more than 5 goals—to finish lower than first. There is, actually, a scenario in which Niagara, Toronto, Brampton and Ohsweken could all finish tied for first at 9-5, but we won’t get into that unless it is still possible in a couple of weeks. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, Iroquois Ironmen

Inferno down Turfdogs after taking early lead in CLax action

Mark Tinning goes airborne for a shot on Durham goalie Kalvin Thomas in Brampton's 12-7 win. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Brampton Inferno took advantage of a discombobulated Durham Turfdogs club to score an 11-7 win and take sole possession of fourth place in the Canadian Lacrosse League Saturday. The Turfdogs, reeling from the mid-week dismissal of Head Coach Jason Crosbie, lost their second straight game after falling to the Ohsweken Demons Friday night. With Crosbie gone and Jonas Derks having to miss the game because of another commitment, Brad MacArthur stepped in to fill the top role for the day. He said his team fell behind not because of a lack of energy early but because that energy was misplaced. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, Brampton Inferno, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League

Barrie Blizzard win first game ever, edge Brampton Inferno 9-8

The Brampton Inferno had an opportunity to jump into first place with a win on Friday night but couldn’t capitalize as they were downed by Toronto. With Toronto, Niagara and Ohsweken all jammed atop the standings going into Saturday afternoon, a Brampton win paired with a Durham Turfdogs victory over the Lock Monsters would force a virtual five-way tie for first overall. For Brampton to win, they’d have to defeat the winless Barrie Blizzard.

Brampton’s Tinning brothers, Scott and Mark, connected in the first minute to put Brampton on the board but a natural hat-trick from Caleb Wiles over slightly more than four minutes would hand the Blizzard a 3-1 lead after one. Eric Benesch would continue the run scoring his first of two, and the only Blizzard goals in the second, just over a minute in. Brampton would spread four goals around the two by Benesch to tie the game 5-5 heading to the halftime break. READ MORE »

Barrie Blizzard, CLax, Canadian Lacrosse League, Durham Turfdogs, IL Indoor

Durham Turfdogs beat Barrie Blizzard to create virtual 5-way tie for first in CLax

Neil Mayerhoffer pair of goals wasn't nearly enough to keep the Blizzard from falling to the Turfdogs. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Barrie Blizzard were able to make a game of it for the first half, but once the teams came out from the break it was al Durham as the Turfdogs ran away to a 15-7 win that created a five-team logjam atop the Canadian Lacrosse League standings. The win moved the Turfdogs (4-2) into a dead heat with the Niagara Lock Monsters and Brampton Inferno. The Toronto Shooting Stars and Ohsweken Demons also have four wins each, but the Shooting Stars have lost only once while the Demons have suffered three defeats.Shane Scott posted a hat trick for the Turfdogs and three other players scored twice each. Russell Poulton added 2 assists to his 2 goals while Nic Grasby and Tyler Tanguay scored twice with no assists. Zack Higgins was once again excellent in the Durham net; Barrie actually outshot the Turfdogs 45-44 but could not beat him often, including only twice in the second half. READ MORE »