NLL Insider

We’re definitely at the point now where lacrosse-math doesn’t factor into the National Junior A Ranking. Not that we every really relied on that, but with teams like Akwesasne losing to Peterborough and then beating Orangeville, or Burnaby just straight up getting floored by Delta (no Gajic no W), it’s getting tougher and tougher to justify having one team over another. And that’s just provincially.

The ‘Ville’s loss to the Indians and New West’s win over Victoria rocked the rankings this week, but with Coquitlam and Six Nations taking care of Nanaimo and Toronto respectively in their lone games, the top two spots ain’t movin’.

(1) Coqtuitlam Adanacs (BCJALL)   13-2-0
Last Week: 1
Past Week: 8-4 win over Nanaimo

Not a whole ton to report on the top ranked team in the country over the past week. They had the Nanaimo game in the bag partway through the first period with backup Dan Lewis between the pipes. This week things could get interesting though with Burnaby on the docket for a mid-week clash and then Victoria away at Bear Mountain. With a combined five games in-hand on Vic and NW, who sit directly behind them in the standings, a sweep this week could almost all but guarantee a regular season crown for the A’s.

(2) Six Nations Arrows (OLA)   12-1-0
Last Week: 2
Past Week: 13-11 win over Toronto

On the back of Cody Jamieson’s ridiculous seven goal performance, the Arrows barely edged out the Keogh-and-Hosmer-less Beaches, who chased out tender Angus Goodleaf after just 16 shots in the first period. Still, Six Nations’ lone loss has come at the hands of Orangeville, who’ve now dropped their second game in the last two weeks. Six Nations’ consistency still gives ‘em the slight edge over the Northmen, but are the Arrows built for a seven game series against the only team that’s handed them an L? We might get a better idea when they travel to the Bunny Barn this weekend for what should be a classic re-match.

(3) New Westminster Salmonbellies (BCJALL)   13-5-0
Last Week: 5
Past Week: 12-4 win over South Fraser, 7-3 win over Victoria

Rebound much? After dropping that one to Victoria earlier this month, New West’s 7-3 win over the ‘Rocks looks like it might be a pretty defining point in their season. Curtis Manning played his usual solid game, even chipping in twice with a pair of goals as he continues to stake his claim as a favorite for the Junior Player of the Year. Although first place might be a bit of a stretch (would need to likely win out and hope for Coquitlam to have a bit of a slide) the momentum these guys are building heading into the playoffs might be that intangible that makes all the difference as they try to land a gig at the Minto again this year. They don’t dance again for another week when they lock horns with Coquitlam next Wednesday. With two of their last three against the A’s, a sweep might be enough to grab that number one seed.

(4) Orangeville Northmen (OLA)   13-2-0
Last Week: 2
Past Week: 11-6 win over Toronto, 14-3 win over Orillia, 8-6 loss against Akwesasne

Many still consider them the best pound-for-pound team in the country, even though their losses to Brampton and Akwesasne has knocked ‘em down a couple spots in the National Ranking. With Stephen Keogh and Todd Hosmer now wearin’ the black and silver, can anyone in Ontario stop ‘em once the post-season rolls around? They definitely are lookin’ more-and-more like a team built for a serious Minto run, but with Orangeville always known as a team that runs team concept systems on the court, how long will it take for Keogh and Hosmer to gel with the rest of the O? Add in Adam Jones, who’ll be suiting up for Canada shortly at the U19’s, and then whatever ends up happening with Jay Card, who coincidentally will also be in BC for the Worlds, and the Northmen are lookin’ like one scary mutha once all their boys are in place. If they mesh well, then the Minto is their’s to win or lose. If they lack that chemistry past Northmen teams have been known for…

(5) Akwesasne Indians (OLA)   10-4-1
Last Week: 7
Past Week: 7-4 loss to Peterborough, 10-6 win over Toronto, 8-6 win over Orangeville

It looked like it was gonna be a tough week for the Indians after the Peterborough game, but damn did that Orangeville game ever save ‘em some street cred… LARGE. Tender Justin Delormier is always gonna give these guys a chance no matter who they’re playing and although his digits might be a bit behind guys like Nick Rose or even Goodleaf, don’t be surprised to see Delormier get a lotta love at the end of the year when hardware is being handed out. It wasn’t that many years ago he was named the Dennis McIntosh winner in his rook year in Ottawa. Kids a gamer and is gonna be invaluable come playoff time. If he commits to the pros early, he might be the most coveted tender in this year’s draft. And although everyone is droolin’ at Orangeville’s trade deadline day pickups, do not overlook the Indian’s trade for Orillia’s Rick Acorn. Acorn’s scored some big goals for the Rama Kings this year and is definitely a high impact player that should make a difference for the Indians down the stretch. Can they drop Orangeville again? Find out this weekend at Tony Rose.

(6) Victoria Shamrocks (BCJALL)   13-4-0
Last Week: 4
Past Week: 12-4 win over PoCo, 7-3 loss against New West

They definitely coulda done without that New West loss on the weekend, and without the slew of penalties they racked up too, resulting in three Bellies’ power-play goals and ultimately the W. It was also the first game that Mike Pires got stoned for zero on the game sheet. And although he’s, as usual, getting lit up on the forums, keeper Matt Flindel posted a pretty respectable game, considering Vic got out-shot and had Matt dancin’ short handed a lot of the time too. Although that definitely wasn’t the best we’ve seen from the Shamrocks this year, with all the high profile games the top four teams in the league are playing against one another to close out the year, these just-before-playoff clashes hold a lot of weight when it comes to seperatin’ the men from the boys. Can Vic topple Coquitlam at home on Saturday night? It should be this weekend’s most anticipated junior showdown anywhere in BC.

(7) St. Catharines Athletics (OLA)   9-4-2
Last Week: 6
Past Week: 11-9 win over Orillia, 10-2 win over Mississauga, 8-6 win over Burlington

Kinda sucks that the A’s went an impressive 3-0 this past week and we dropped ‘em in the rundown, but with the movement we’ve seen in the first half of the rankings and some team’s throwing up some pretty impressive high profile wins, we’ll have to wait to see what St. Kitts does in their two against Peterborough over the next week before they crack the top five. Corey Small keeps impressin’ the hell out of people, posting 10 goals during the A’s 3-0 week, two of which were game winners. Make sure to check back tomorrow to see where the the kid NLL GM’s are already figuring out how they can land in 2009, drops in The Money Ballers. The A’s are riding a pretty impressive six game unbeaten run that has them tied for fourth with Peterborough right now. A series sweep for either St. Catharines or Peterborough this week might dictate home floor advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

(8) Peterborough Lakers (OLA)   9-5-2
Last Week: 10
Past Week: 7-4 win over Akwesasne, 6-4 win over Brampton

Now we’re startin’ to see how consistent and good this year’s Lakers can be. Although they’ve really only faced one team ranked within the top eight over the past couple weeks, that one team was Akwesasne, and that one game against them was a pretty slick 7-4 owning of ‘em. Great D and a clutch third period from tender Kalvin Thomas was the clincher as the Lakers posted their most impressive win of the summer. Still kinda concerning that Brock Sorenson and Kyle Clancy will be outta town for the U19’s, especially considering how vital they’ve been of late, but if the Lakers can keep it in check and have guys steppin’ up while those two are gone, it could be a monster character build for a team finally starting to turn some heads. Just like we mentioned above, this St. Kitts double this week will be crucial in figuring out where they end up in the standings. A sweep would mean the world to ‘em.

(9) Edmonton Eclipse (RMLL)   8-0-1
Last Week: 9
Past Week: 12-3 win over Sr. Mounties, 7-6 win over Jr. Mounties

What a sh** kicking the Eclipse handed the Sr. Mounties over the weekend. Like I’m talkin’ puttin’ them over their knee and just goin’ to town on their ass and then kickin’ ‘em to the curb to get recycled into something that might have had a better chance against Alberta’s most impressive junior club this year. The Eclipse out-shot them 67-15 and had it not been for some stellar tending from Jordan Pavelich in the Calgary net, things coulda been even uglier than the 12-3 scoreline that the game ended in. The Eclipse went onto edge out the Jr. Mounties 7-6 later during the weekend to keep their record pretty squeeky clean. How can the Eclipse move up the ladder? Blow it up on July 2.

On a bright note for Calgary fans, the Minto logo was revealed recently and looks pretty decent.

(10) KW Braves (OLA)   8-8-0
Last Week: unranked
Past Week: 11-3 win over Whitby, 11-7 win over Burlington

With Burnaby kinda tailing off here during gut check time, which included an outta left field loss to Delta, we had to find someone else to crack the top ten this week. The most deserving team? The KW Braves. KW has been kinda running hot and cold for most of the year, dropping a game against a team they probably shoulda had in the bag but then a few days later posting wins against someone like Peterborough, St. Catharines or even Akwesasne. That up-and-down play doesn’t really bode well for ‘em in the playoffs, if they hold onto one of those last spots, but with some impressive wins of late, plus giving Six Nations and Orangeville all they could handle, the Braves might be a dark horse come mid-July. Forward Scott Tinning has been beyond impressive this year. Evan Kirk has been mentioned by many as one of this year’s best tenders anywhere in the country. And American import defender Mike O’Brien has not only been one of this year’s least talked about impact players, but could also be one of this year’s best pure D guys (see Josh Funk in 2007). Are they gonna win the Minto? Not sure many have their money on ‘em. Can they be giant killers in ‘08? Just call ‘em the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Check back next Tuesday for our brand spankin’ new spot for the National Junior A Rankings.

Rate This Story:

(13 votes, average: 3.62 out of 5)

 Loading ...