IL Indoor

Alberta Junior A, IL Indoor

Alberta Notebook: Jr. Mountaineers, Sr. Knights set the pace in respective leagues

Danny Farmer (17) and the Senior Raiders gave the Senior Knights a run for their money. (Photo: Remy Greer)

At first glance it appears that predicting which teams will represent Alberta at the Minto and President’s Cup shouldn’t be that difficult. The Calgary Junior A Mountaineers sit atop Alberta Junior A Lacrosse League with an 8-1-0 record and are on a 5-game winning streak while the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League Senior B division’s standings suggest that last year’s champion, the Rockyview Knights of Airdrie, are the odds on favorites to repeat in 2013 and make the trip to Kahnawake in August. The Junior A Mountaineers, who are defending provincial champions, have been incredibly dominant in that 5-game run, outscoring their opponent by an average of 15.2 to 6.2. They deserve to be an early favorite at the halfway point of the Alberta Junior A Lacrosse League season, but the Okotoks Raiders can’t be excluded from the conversation about which team will be Alberta’s entry at Queens Park Arena this August. READ MORE »

IL Indoor, National Lacrosse League, Rochester Knighthawks

Video: Champions celebrate in Rochester

Check out this recap of a full day of celebration in Rochester as the Knighthawks celebrate their second straight National Lacrosse League championship. From the round of golf for the players to the parade through Rochester to the fan celebration in the evening, the Knighthawks catch the action along with a few thoughts from those who made it all happen.

IL Indoor, Ontario Junior A, Road to the Minto Cup

OLA Jr A Power Rankings: Arrows affirm grip on top spot, Northmen climb

It's fun to be an Arrow these days. (Photo: Ward Laforme, Jr.)

There’s plenty of change and loads of surprises to be found in this year’s OLA Jr A series. One thing that hasn’t changed as much as many people thought it would, though, is the strength of some of last year’s top teams. Remember how Orangeville was supposed to really struggle this year because 13 players graduated from last year’s Minto Cup champions? Well, the Northmen are 10-3 and sitting in first place. This week they’ll play a home and home with the Whitby Warriors, Ontario’s other Minto rep last year and another team that lost a bunch of players but is still not to be taken lightly. The Six Nations Arrows, meanwhile, are 9-3 and seem to have righted the ship after a surprising three-game losing streak. READ MORE »

IL Indoor, WLA

WLA 3 Stars: Small emerges with big numbers for Victoria to grab top honors

Corey Small

It was no small feat. Then again, it was. Yeah, bad play on words and we’re sure Corey Small has never ever heard that before. So it may be a bad play on words but the play itself of Small had nothing bad about it this past week as he answered the bell for Victoria and played a very big role in a very important win. Scoring 10 points in almost any game is impressive enough, but when you consider the context of Victoria’s win, Small’s effort in the lone Victoria game for the week is even more commendable. So there’s the praise for this week’s top gun, but Small isn’t the only name on the list. Let’s check the rest of it for this week’s edition of the WLA 3 Stars. READ MORE »

Brampton Excelsiors, Brooklin Redmen, IL Indoor, MSL, Peterborough Lakers

Week 4 MSL Player of the Week Awards

Brooklin Redmen's Shawn Williams named Offensive Player of the Week (Photo: Tim Prothero)

There were seven games in Week 4 of Major Series Lacrosse action. The Peterborough Lakers (6-3) soared into first winning all three games they played last week.  Right behind the Lakers sit the Brooklin Redmen (5-1-1) and Six Nations Chiefs (5-1-1) , both of which won games they played early last week then played each other to a rare tie on Saturday evening.  Next are the Brampton Excelsiors (2-6) who went 1-2 last week.  Rounding out the group are the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks (2-5) and the Oakville Rock (1-5); both teams lost the 2 games they played last week.

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B.C. Junior A, IL Indoor

BCJALL 3 Stars: Coquitlam’s Wes Berg makes quite the splash in his return

Wes Berg

Saying there’s a new kid on the block wouldn’t be entirely accurate. But when a fella makes his season debut in the middle of June and rolls foes for 18 points in 3 games, guess who’s getting ILIndoor’s BCJALL First Star for this week? Yeah, Coquitlam’s Wes Berg has had the type of game for years now that no one can afford to ignore, and this week certainly is no different. So here he is, Mr. Berg as our First Star of the week. He’s joined by a Coquitlam teammate and Victoria also has a name on the list with its first rep since having 2 of the 3 Stars back in the week of May 20. So beyond knowing that Berg is on the list, there are 2 other names we’ve got to discuss. Who are they? Turn the page to find out. READ MORE »

IL Indoor

Last Night: Barrie tops Toronto to match franchise record for wins in a season

Goalie Nicholas Meigs is a big part of an improved defense for the Barrie Lakeshores. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

It was a pretty quiet night for lacrosse across this great land with just 3 games played; 2 Junior A tilts and 1 Junior B. But the game we’re looking at is Barrie’s 10-7 win over Toronto. On the surface, there really isn’t all that much to read into the game. Daniel Craig, Joel Tinney and Mike Mawdsley each scored 2 goals for the winners and goalie Brett Kloepfer was solid in making 31 saves. But if you’re a fan of the Lakeshores, you are more than likely getting the sense that something special is brewing this season. Last night’s win gives the Lakeshores an 8-5 record, which not only is almost as many wins as their last 2 seasons combined, but it pushes the franchise closer to its first playoff berth. READ MORE »

IL Indoor, Ontario Junior B

Video: Green Gaels tune up for Halton Hills with Saturday’s win over Newmarket

If you’re wondering how the Green Gaels are 14-1-1 at this point of the season, this video highlight package of Saturday’s win over Newmarket gives you a pretty good idea. But it may not be so free-flowing later this week as the Green Gaels get set for their rematch with Halton Hills, which also boasts a fine mark at 13-1-1. Thursday’s rematch will try to produce a winner this time, as the teams tied, 14-14, back on June 8.

IL Indoor, Ontario Junior A

OLA Junior A 3 Stars: Smith, O’Connor and Whitlow draw top honors for the week

Barrie's Kyle Whitlow (19) gets some love for the offensive work he's doing with the Lakeshores. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

We were getting accustomed to seeing some regulars here with the 3 Stars for Ontario’s Junior A loop, but some new names emerged this week. Well, maybe not new, but at least they’re names we haven’t seen in a while. The thing about the 3 names that we’ve got for you this week is that their teams didn’t necessarily get the results they wanted in the games they played, but the numbers for the 3 Stars were numbers that simply could not be ignored. So without further ado, ILIndoor brings you its latest installment of the 3 Stars for the work they did this past week. READ MORE »

IL Indoor, Ontario Junior A, Ontario Junior B

OLA Juniors Notebook: O’Connor displays steady presence as Whitby Warriors leader

Reilly O'Connor

The hockey world’s loss is the lacrosse world’s gain. We’ve heard that before, haven’t we? The latest we hear that about is Reilly O’Connor, and the Whitby Warriors and Georgetown Hoyas have no complaints. O’Connor’s dream of OHL hockey went unrealized when he wasn’t drafted, that shifted his focus to lacrosse. And his talent there is undeniable, to the point that Georgetown offered him a scholarship to play there solely on the recommendation of his coaches at The Hill Academy. “They never saw me play, told me to come down for a visit,” O’Connor told DurhamRegion.com. “I went down, loved it. They gave me an offer and I accepted right away. I didn’t check anywhere else out.” But if you’re a Whitby Warriors fan, you’ve probably seen O’Connor play and you can understand why Georgetown did what it did. READ MORE »