Last night's game between the New Westminster Salmonbellies and the Edmonton Miners ended round robin play and helped shape the playoff picture. Edmonton could not come up with a win and is therefore, out of the tournament with a disappointing 0-3 record (identical to their record in the 2006 tournament). With the win, New Westminster goes to 2-1 and claims the second spot while Six Nations Arrows grab up third place with a 1-2 record. The Burnaby Lakers finished first with a 3-0 record to advance directly to the championship on Sunday afternoon.
Tonight the second half of the championship game matchup will be decided as Six Nations will try to upset the Salmonbellies to return to the championship game. The Six Nations Arrows lost to the Peterborough Lakers 9-5 in the final game of the 2006 Minto Cup. New Westminster looks to have the advantage going into this game as they beat Six Nations 10-7 last Saturday. The Salmonbellies, I'm sure, are looking to avenge their earlier loss to Burnaby too when they saw their early four goal lead evaporate into a 7-6 loss. Both playoff games are looking to be good ones and I am looking froward to seeing the final live on Sportsnet.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Minto Cup Day 6 Preview
Five days have passed in the Minto Cup tournament and that means five games have been played. The Burnaby Lakers have won all three of their games, two of them quite handily, and will get a bye into the championship game Saturday at 4:00 PM Pacific time. Six Nations finished their round robin play at 1-2, are still in the playoff picture, and are awaiting the results from tonight's game.
Tonight's game features the 1-1 New Westminster Salmonbellies against the 0-2 Edmonton Miners. If New Westminster wins tonight, they will go to 2-1 while Edmonton will fall to 0-3. This will mean the Ontario champion Six Nations Arrows make it to the semi-final game against New Westminster (who beat Six Nations 10-7 in round robin play). If Edmonton wins, then the three teams will be in a tie and I don't know who would go on. I assume it goes to either head-to-head competition or goals for and against but tournament organizers can be very creative when breaking ties. If anyone knows how ties are broken in this tournament please let me know.
I would also like to thank Barb at the Lacrosse Blog for showing me where I could find up to date scores; muchly appreciated.
Tonight's game features the 1-1 New Westminster Salmonbellies against the 0-2 Edmonton Miners. If New Westminster wins tonight, they will go to 2-1 while Edmonton will fall to 0-3. This will mean the Ontario champion Six Nations Arrows make it to the semi-final game against New Westminster (who beat Six Nations 10-7 in round robin play). If Edmonton wins, then the three teams will be in a tie and I don't know who would go on. I assume it goes to either head-to-head competition or goals for and against but tournament organizers can be very creative when breaking ties. If anyone knows how ties are broken in this tournament please let me know.
I would also like to thank Barb at the Lacrosse Blog for showing me where I could find up to date scores; muchly appreciated.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Minto Cup Update
Now that the 2007 President's Cup has been awarded to Canada's top Senior 'B' lacrosse team, the Sherwood Park Outlaws, the lacrosse focus turns to the Minto Cup, Canada's Junior 'A' lacrosse championship.
The Minto Cup is halfway over, with four of the six round robin games completed (there are two playoff games to make a total of eight games). The tournament opened on Friday night as the British Columbia champion Burnaby Lakers defeated the Alberta champion Edmonton Miners 17-8. The second game saw the Ontario champion Six Nations Arrow Express lose to the host New Westminster Salmonbellies 10-7 in a fairly close game. On day three (Sunday), the Burnaby Lakers fell behind early but eventually came out 7-6 winners over the Salmonbellies. The score for last night's game (Six Nations vs. Edmonton) has yet to be posted.
The current standings (omitting last nights game) is as follows: Burnaby Lakers are on top with a perfect 2-0 record; second place is New Westminster Salmonbellies at 1-1; tied for third is Edmonton Miners and Six Nations Arrows at 0-1. For game summaries visit the Minto Cup website.
The Minto Cup is halfway over, with four of the six round robin games completed (there are two playoff games to make a total of eight games). The tournament opened on Friday night as the British Columbia champion Burnaby Lakers defeated the Alberta champion Edmonton Miners 17-8. The second game saw the Ontario champion Six Nations Arrow Express lose to the host New Westminster Salmonbellies 10-7 in a fairly close game. On day three (Sunday), the Burnaby Lakers fell behind early but eventually came out 7-6 winners over the Salmonbellies. The score for last night's game (Six Nations vs. Edmonton) has yet to be posted.
The current standings (omitting last nights game) is as follows: Burnaby Lakers are on top with a perfect 2-0 record; second place is New Westminster Salmonbellies at 1-1; tied for third is Edmonton Miners and Six Nations Arrows at 0-1. For game summaries visit the Minto Cup website.
President’s Cup Wrap Up
The week long tournament wrapped up Saturday when the Sherwood Park Outlaws defeated the Ajax-Pickering Rock 8-6. Every player (and maybe even coaches, not too sure on this one) was given a chance to vote for who they thought was the MVP and also the best players of the tournament. This year Jim Veltman of the Ajax-Pickering Rock was voted the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. The results of the voting for the two All-Star teams are below:
First Team All-Stars
Grant McLeod (G) - Sherwood Park Outlaws
Brandon Sanderson - Owen Sound Woodsmen
Jeff Pringle - Ladner Pioneers
Jim Veltman - Ajax-Pickering Rock
Chad Norton - LaSalle Brasseurs
Jimmy Quinlan - Sherwood Park Outlaws
Second Team All-Stars
Steve Dietrich (G) - Ajax-Pickering Rock
Mike Benedict Jr. - Island Redmen
Eddy Dickson - LaSalle Brasseurs
Shawn Summerfield - Ajax-Pickering Rock
Ben Green - LaSalle Brasseurs
Darcy Powless - Six Nations Sting
Next year the tournament will be played in the province of Alberta.
First Team All-Stars
Grant McLeod (G) - Sherwood Park Outlaws
Brandon Sanderson - Owen Sound Woodsmen
Jeff Pringle - Ladner Pioneers
Jim Veltman - Ajax-Pickering Rock
Chad Norton - LaSalle Brasseurs
Jimmy Quinlan - Sherwood Park Outlaws
Second Team All-Stars
Steve Dietrich (G) - Ajax-Pickering Rock
Mike Benedict Jr. - Island Redmen
Eddy Dickson - LaSalle Brasseurs
Shawn Summerfield - Ajax-Pickering Rock
Ben Green - LaSalle Brasseurs
Darcy Powless - Six Nations Sting
Next year the tournament will be played in the province of Alberta.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
President's Cup Medal Games
Sherwood Park Outlaws, champions of Alberta, are now also the 2007 President's Cup Champions.
After a hard fought first period where Sherwood Park was down one goal at 4-3, the Outlaws came alive in the second period to post another three goals while allowing only one to take the lead for good and retain their perfect record for the tournament. Mike Miron came into to the game, replacing Steve Dietrich in the Ajax-Pickering net after the sixth goal, and allowed only two goals in just over a period to keep the Rock in the game. Unfortunately for the Rock, Grant McLeod found his groove and allowed only one goal in both the second and third periods, making several big saves in between, leading the Sherwood Park team to victory. Final score was 8-6.
In the Bronze medal game, Owen Sound was determined not to let the home fans down too much and jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. That lead was reduced to 5-2 by the end of the first period but on this day, unlike the first day of competition when Owen Sound had a 6-1 lead over the same team at the end of the first period before Ladner fought back and won 11-9, the lead was too much for Ladner to overcome. Owen Sound increased the lead to 8-4 heading into the thrid period and looked to be in control of the game but Ladner fought hard until the end, forcing the Woodsmen to stay sharp, and made the last period interesting. Owen Sound held on to win this contest 9-7 and earned the Bronze medal.
I was lucky enough to see the two medal games as the local Rogers television aired both games. Of course, the Bronze medal game did not come on until the score was already 5-1 Owen Sound so I missed almost hlaf of the scoring and a controversial 'phantom goal'. The camera person also had trouble following the play but I cannot complain too much because they still broadcast the games, which I would not have seen if Rogers did not show them. I must thank Rogers for their efforts in bringing the medal games to live television. Although I would have much rathered being there in person, it was quite a treat for me to see some lacrosse action.
After a hard fought first period where Sherwood Park was down one goal at 4-3, the Outlaws came alive in the second period to post another three goals while allowing only one to take the lead for good and retain their perfect record for the tournament. Mike Miron came into to the game, replacing Steve Dietrich in the Ajax-Pickering net after the sixth goal, and allowed only two goals in just over a period to keep the Rock in the game. Unfortunately for the Rock, Grant McLeod found his groove and allowed only one goal in both the second and third periods, making several big saves in between, leading the Sherwood Park team to victory. Final score was 8-6.In the Bronze medal game, Owen Sound was determined not to let the home fans down too much and jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. That lead was reduced to 5-2 by the end of the first period but on this day, unlike the first day of competition when Owen Sound had a 6-1 lead over the same team at the end of the first period before Ladner fought back and won 11-9, the lead was too much for Ladner to overcome. Owen Sound increased the lead to 8-4 heading into the thrid period and looked to be in control of the game but Ladner fought hard until the end, forcing the Woodsmen to stay sharp, and made the last period interesting. Owen Sound held on to win this contest 9-7 and earned the Bronze medal.
I was lucky enough to see the two medal games as the local Rogers television aired both games. Of course, the Bronze medal game did not come on until the score was already 5-1 Owen Sound so I missed almost hlaf of the scoring and a controversial 'phantom goal'. The camera person also had trouble following the play but I cannot complain too much because they still broadcast the games, which I would not have seen if Rogers did not show them. I must thank Rogers for their efforts in bringing the medal games to live television. Although I would have much rathered being there in person, it was quite a treat for me to see some lacrosse action.
President's Cup: Semi-Final Results
In a repeat of one night earlier, Owen Sound lost 10-9 to Sherwood Park last night in the second semi-final matchup. With the loss, the Woodsmen can only win the Bronze medal while they arte forced to watch Sherwood Park face off for the President's Cup. To make the feeling worse for the Woodsmen, the team they beat for the Ontario title, the Ajax-Pickering Rock, was able to defeat Ladner 9-4 and earn a chance to play for the President's Cup.
The Bronze medal game will be played at 3:30 PM and will put the host Woodsmen against Ladner while the championship game will be played at 7:00 PM and will have the A-P Rock facing Sherwwod Park. In round robin play both the Ontario teams lost to their respective opponents in close games; Owen Sound lost 11-9 to Ladner while A-P Rock lost 9-8 to Sherwood Park. Both games should be close and should provide the fans with some entertaining lacrosse.
The Bronze medal game will be played at 3:30 PM and will put the host Woodsmen against Ladner while the championship game will be played at 7:00 PM and will have the A-P Rock facing Sherwwod Park. In round robin play both the Ontario teams lost to their respective opponents in close games; Owen Sound lost 11-9 to Ladner while A-P Rock lost 9-8 to Sherwood Park. Both games should be close and should provide the fans with some entertaining lacrosse.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Minto Cup Begins
The Minto Cup, Canada's Junior 'A' lacrosse championship, begins today when the Edmonton Miners (Alberta provincial champions) take on the Burnaby Lakers (British Columbia provincial champions) at 7:30 PM Pacific Time. This tournament is being hosted by the New Westminister Salmonbellies (British Columbia) and features the two teams noted above along with the Ontario provincial champion Six Nations Arrow Express. This tournament begins with a round robin where all teams play each other once. The top team after the round robin gets a spot in the championship game while the third place team battles the second place team for a berth in the championship game.
President's Cup Semi-Final Preview
In the first of the two semi-final games, Ajax-Pickering Rock will face Ladner Pioneers and in the second game, Sherwood Park Outlaws will take on the host Owen Sound Woodsmen. Both games are rematches from earlier in the week. On Tuesday, the A-P Rock beat Ladner 12-6 while yesterday, Sherwood Park defeated Owen Sound 10-9.
Ladner, which had 121 minutes in penalties in the round robin will need to stay out fo the penalty box against the top scoring A-P Rock if they hope to win. As well, they will need to take advantage of all their scoring chances as they are facing the top defensive team in the tournament. In the other game, Sherwood Park is the only team to bring a perfect record into the playoffs. They beat their semi-final opponent in the last game of the round robin and as long as they do not get over-confident they have a good chance to win the game. They do need to stay out of penalty trouble as they had the second most penalty minutes during the round robin with 100. Owen Sound will have the home crowd on their side and should use that to add to their motivation. Owen Sound's goal-tending and defence need to be sharp and both teams will need to take advantage of their scoring chances as this will be a tough game.
The first semi-final game, at first glance, does not seem like it will be much of a contest as A-P Rock defeated Ladner handily in the round robin but playoffs have a way of allowing for the unexpected. The second the the two semi-final games, at least from the outset, looks to be the more entertaining of the two games and fans should not be disappointed. These games should be available on webcast.
Ladner, which had 121 minutes in penalties in the round robin will need to stay out fo the penalty box against the top scoring A-P Rock if they hope to win. As well, they will need to take advantage of all their scoring chances as they are facing the top defensive team in the tournament. In the other game, Sherwood Park is the only team to bring a perfect record into the playoffs. They beat their semi-final opponent in the last game of the round robin and as long as they do not get over-confident they have a good chance to win the game. They do need to stay out of penalty trouble as they had the second most penalty minutes during the round robin with 100. Owen Sound will have the home crowd on their side and should use that to add to their motivation. Owen Sound's goal-tending and defence need to be sharp and both teams will need to take advantage of their scoring chances as this will be a tough game.
The first semi-final game, at first glance, does not seem like it will be much of a contest as A-P Rock defeated Ladner handily in the round robin but playoffs have a way of allowing for the unexpected. The second the the two semi-final games, at least from the outset, looks to be the more entertaining of the two games and fans should not be disappointed. These games should be available on webcast.
President's Cup Round Robin Wrap-up
The round robin of the President's Cup concluded yesterday, deciding the final spots for the playoff rounds. Sherwood Park retained their perfect reocrd by defeating the Owen Sound Woodsmen 10-9 to finish first in group 2 while Ajax-Pickering Rock had no trouble beating up on the Six Nations Sting 13-2 to claim first place in group 1. With the Six Nations loss, Ladner was assured a playoff berth, however, they took care of their own business earlier in the day defeating the Island Redmen 15-7 to earn second place in group 2. The Redmen's loss was their fourth of the tournament, leaving them with a 0-4 record.
Ajax-Pickering Rock lead the first round with 52 goals scored and only 17 goals against. Fittingly enough, Sherwood Park, the other first place team, finished second in goals scored with 46, one ahead of Owen Sound, and 23 goals against. Owen Sound allowed 29 goals against them, good for third. The Island Redmen were by far the worst team in the tournament as they scored a measly 16 goals and allowed a tournament worst 62 goals against, eleven more than the next team.
The semi-final games go today starting at 3:30 PM. The second of the semi-final games will go at 7:00 PM.
Ajax-Pickering Rock lead the first round with 52 goals scored and only 17 goals against. Fittingly enough, Sherwood Park, the other first place team, finished second in goals scored with 46, one ahead of Owen Sound, and 23 goals against. Owen Sound allowed 29 goals against them, good for third. The Island Redmen were by far the worst team in the tournament as they scored a measly 16 goals and allowed a tournament worst 62 goals against, eleven more than the next team.
The semi-final games go today starting at 3:30 PM. The second of the semi-final games will go at 7:00 PM.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
President's Cup: Day 3
Day three of the President’s Cup saw the first shutout of the tournament and saw a team remain perfect. Ajax-Pickering Rock blanked the Island Redmen 19-0 to go to 2-1 while Sherwood Park Outlaws beat the same Redmen team (16-1) earlier in the day to remain undefeated with a 3-0 record.
In other action, the host Woodsmen improved their record to 2-1 to keep pace with their Ontario counterparts by defeating six nations in a relatively low scoring affair at 9-5. This low score dropped Owen Sound to second in goals scored (tied with Sherwood Park) while Ajax-Pickering’s huge offensive outpouring vaulted them into first for goals scored and tops in the goals for/against differential. On the other side of the coin, the Island Redmen are worst in the tournament with only 9 goals scored but their 47 goals against is second worst to LaSalle Brasseurs’ 51 goals against. The fourth game saw Ladner Pioneers beat the team from Quebec, 12-5, to end LaSalle’s chances to advance and keep their own alive.
As the round robin portion of the tournament is set to wrap up today, the playoff picture began to take shape yesterday. In Group 1, the two Ontario teams, with their identical 2-1 record, will be moving on to the next round as LaSalle’s record is 1-3 and the Island Redmen (0-3) have yet to win a game. LaSalle has completed all their round robin games while the Redmen have one game remaining today. Group 2 is a little more open, other than Sherwood Park clinching a playoff berth. Ladner, at 2-1, should advance to the playoffs as they open play today against the 0-3 Redmen. Six Nations (1-2) will have a tough game against the Ajax-Pickering team in the second game today while Sherwood Park looks to remain perfect as they face Owen Sound in the late game today.
In other action, the host Woodsmen improved their record to 2-1 to keep pace with their Ontario counterparts by defeating six nations in a relatively low scoring affair at 9-5. This low score dropped Owen Sound to second in goals scored (tied with Sherwood Park) while Ajax-Pickering’s huge offensive outpouring vaulted them into first for goals scored and tops in the goals for/against differential. On the other side of the coin, the Island Redmen are worst in the tournament with only 9 goals scored but their 47 goals against is second worst to LaSalle Brasseurs’ 51 goals against. The fourth game saw Ladner Pioneers beat the team from Quebec, 12-5, to end LaSalle’s chances to advance and keep their own alive.
As the round robin portion of the tournament is set to wrap up today, the playoff picture began to take shape yesterday. In Group 1, the two Ontario teams, with their identical 2-1 record, will be moving on to the next round as LaSalle’s record is 1-3 and the Island Redmen (0-3) have yet to win a game. LaSalle has completed all their round robin games while the Redmen have one game remaining today. Group 2 is a little more open, other than Sherwood Park clinching a playoff berth. Ladner, at 2-1, should advance to the playoffs as they open play today against the 0-3 Redmen. Six Nations (1-2) will have a tough game against the Ajax-Pickering team in the second game today while Sherwood Park looks to remain perfect as they face Owen Sound in the late game today.
I will not be able to see the final games on Saturday but I am still uncertain of my plans for tomorrow so I may be able to see the semi-final games. Either way I may not post again until the tournament is over. Visit the website for web casts if you are interested. They are $9.95 plus taxes per game.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
President's Cup Day 2
The second day of the President's Cup was more successful for the Ontario teams as they both won their lone game. Ajax-Pickering Rock defeated Ladner Pioneers 12-6 while the host Woodsmen spanked LaSalle Brasseurs 18-3. The schedule does not seem to favour LaSalle or the Island Redmen teams as hey each play two games in one day. LaSalle played twice yesterday losing both games and falling to 1-2 while the Island Redmen opened yesterday with a loss and will play two games today.
The standings now sit with the two Ontario teams on top of Group 1 with 1-1 records each while in the second group Sherwood Park top the group with a perfect 2-0 record. Sherwood Park look to continue their perfect ways this morning when they play the Island Redmen and they finish facing the host Owen Sound Woodsmen tomorrow evening. Owen Sound has scored the most goals scored and has the best point differential thus far in the tourney but there are still lots of games left so anything can happen.
The standings now sit with the two Ontario teams on top of Group 1 with 1-1 records each while in the second group Sherwood Park top the group with a perfect 2-0 record. Sherwood Park look to continue their perfect ways this morning when they play the Island Redmen and they finish facing the host Owen Sound Woodsmen tomorrow evening. Owen Sound has scored the most goals scored and has the best point differential thus far in the tourney but there are still lots of games left so anything can happen.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
President's Cup Update
Unfortunately, I am not attending this tournament but there is still hope I can make it to the semi finals and finals. Until then I will rely on the website for my information. By the way, there is a live webcast link on the website as well for all who are interested.During the first day of competition, both Ontario teams failed to win their games. The Ajax-Pickering Rock, the Ontario finalists, lost 9-8 to the Sherwood Park Outlaws from Alberta while the host team and Ontario champion Owen Sound Woodsmen were defeated 11-9 by the team from British Columbia, Ladner Pioneers. In the third game yesterday, the team from Quebec, LaSalle Brasseurs, beat up on the Six Nations Sting, the champions of the Can-Am league.
This tournament is setting up to be a good one and I really hope I can make it to the finals but we shall see what happens. I will try to update every day on the scores as well and if I make it to the finals I will post when I return from Owen Sound.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
A Sigh of Relief
Prior to the SF/SD baseball game this evening, the camera inevitably stopped on Barry Bonds while the announcers were setting up the game. And man, did Bonds look tired and very tense. This evening Bonds was hitting fourth in the line-up and after the Giants went one, two and three in the top of the first, I had made the decision to stay up and watch the entire game (being in the Eastern Standard Time zone, the game would not end until after the day ended).
Lucky for me, Bonds lead off the top of the second inning with a monster shot the opposite way to tie Henry “Hank” Aaron for Major League Baseball’s all-time lead in home runs. After the ball finally landed and the cameras returned their focus to Bonds, there was nothing but relief on Bonds face. Okay, there might have been a smile too but his relief took centre stage.
Congratulations Barry! I look forward to seeing number 756 (hopefully tonight). On the down side, once Barry does reach the magic number, the extra baseball games Rogers Sportsnet is showing will cease. Nothing can be perfect I guess.
Lucky for me, Bonds lead off the top of the second inning with a monster shot the opposite way to tie Henry “Hank” Aaron for Major League Baseball’s all-time lead in home runs. After the ball finally landed and the cameras returned their focus to Bonds, there was nothing but relief on Bonds face. Okay, there might have been a smile too but his relief took centre stage.
Congratulations Barry! I look forward to seeing number 756 (hopefully tonight). On the down side, once Barry does reach the magic number, the extra baseball games Rogers Sportsnet is showing will cease. Nothing can be perfect I guess.
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