Just because the Champion’s Cup winners have been crowned doesn’t mean we’ve seen the end of indoor lacrosse until next winter. The boys of summer have already started slugging it out, none more so than the 26 teams of Ontario Jr. B who are knee-deep in their season and battling it out for a trip to Alberta in August to compete for the Founders Cup.

Will the Six Nations Rebels continue to dominate the regular season, playoffs, and Founders? Elora’s topped them once, can they do it when it really counts? And will the Welland Warlords keep from reverting back to their non-winning ways? A team-by-team look at where the Western Conference is at after the jump. It’s 14 teams. Get comfy.

MID-WEST

ELORA MOHAWKS

2008: edged out in the Western finals by the eventual Founders Cup champion Six Nations Rebels
Currently: 4-2-2
Wins over: Hamilton, Welland, Owen Sound, and Six Nations. The 8-6 OT win over Six Nations ended the Rebels’ 34-game regular season winning streak.
Losses to: Orangeville and Windsor
Tied: Guelph (2)
Who they’ve lost from last year: Goaltender Tom Watkins, Ben Piluk, Jason Bauer, Bill Terpstra, Mark Love, Jarrett Denny, Blaine Syme, Kenny Coulson, Matt Driscoll, Conar Love, and Matt Quinton
Key gains: Former Guelph Regals defenders Scott Cook and Jake Quarrie as well as Kyle Dobbie who has 17 points including one game-winning goal.
Who to watch: Where goes defender Quarrie so goes the game’s action as the younger Quarrie brother has already tallied up 43 minutes in the penalty box. On the offensive end, Brady Heseltine has stepped up and through just seven games is only five points away from tying his entire 2008 season point total of 30. Also look for Justin Gibson to build on last year’s success, while Mark Pfohl will double his playing time and more than double his points.
In the net: Thus far the Mohawks look to be splitting games between last year’s stalwart Dan Weadick and rookie Dan Humphrey, with the elder owning a record of 3-1 with a 5.61 GAA while the first-year has lost to Windsor, beaten Welland, and tied Guelph.
Bottom line: Two words: young and hungry.

ORANGEVILLE NORTHMEN

2008: Bowed out in the Western semi-finals three games to none vs. the Elora Mohawks
Currently: 4-3-1
Wins over: Owen Sound (2), Elora, and Niagara
Losses to: Guelph, Six Nations and St. Catharines
Tied: Welland
Who to watch: Caravello brothers Dustin and Niall are both near the top of the Orangeville scoring charts, with Dustin’s ten points leading the team and Niall’s eight sitting him in sixth. A total of four Northmen have each contributed nine points so far this season, one of which is Andrew Stoner, whose seven goals has him leading the team in that category. The team will likely see a big scoring bump once Cornell recruit Jake Thompson joins the line-up after his season with the Western Reserve Academy Pioneers comes to a close.
In the net: While Scot Robinson’s current totals of four wins, zero losses and a GAA of 1.82 have him looking like the second coming of Ken Montour, three of his four wins have come against the struggling Niagara Thunderhawks and Owen Sound NorthStars. Meanwhile, Curtis Rydall has taken his lumps against Welland, Guelph and Six Nations so while his GAA of 6.96 is astronomical next to Robinson’s, he’ll likely be the go-to down the stretch.
Bottom line: Benefiting from one of the best minor systems in the province, Orangeville has a steady stream of quality players coming up that has created one of the most well-rounded teams in Ontario Jr. B. In addition to their wide-range of offensive weapons, Orangeville boasts a defense that has held opposing teams to just 30 goals in seven games. Only Clarington, Newmarket, Halton Hills, Oakville and St. Catharines have allowed fewer, and of those teams, only Orangeville has played as many as seven games. Like their Jr. A counterparts, the Northmen are always a threat come playoff time.

OWEN SOUND NORTHSTARS

2008: 11-8-1, defeated in the Western quarter-finals
Currently: 4-5
Wins over: Niagara, Guelph, Wallaceburg, and Oakville
Losses to: Hamilton, Orangeville (2), Windsor, and Elora
Who they’ve lost from last year: Travis Gibbons and Branden McMillen
Key gains: Robbie Hellyer, whose 27 points have him second in scoring on the team
Who to watch: Anyone mourning the moving-on of Branden McMillen can dry their eyes and take a look at younger brother Jordan, whose sharp skill-set has tallied up 25 points for the NorthStars. Nathan Barfoot leads the team with 16 goals and 13 assists.
In the net: Ryan Oldrieve is 3-2 with a 7.52 GAA. Josh Raney has one win and two losses as the back-up.
Bottom line: When asked for comment, the team is quick to tout its big, strong, aggressive defense.

GUELPH REGALS

2008: missed the regular season playoffs and then hosted the Founders Cup, losing in the finals to perennial powerhouse Six Nations Rebels by a score of 8-7
Currently: 3-3-2
Wins over: Hamilton, Orangeville and Niagara
Losses to: Owen Sound, Oakville and Six Nations
Tied: Elora (2)
Who they’ve lost from last year: John Quarrie and Joe Pikul, two of the top three Regals Founders studs, as well as Jake Quarrie, Adam LeRoy, David Hallett, Jeff O’Sullivan, Scott Cook, Andrew Zadorsky and name-of-the-year contender Palmer Funkenhauser
Key gains: Lucas Vanderwilp, who is currently leading Regal scoring with 15 points on 10 g and 5 a in six games.
Who to watch: after a rumour-filled offseason, look for the upcoming return of Founder’s MVP Andrew Marcoux. Others to keep an eye on are Mike Cazzola, not only for his scoring but also for his in-game antics which have so far racked up 20 PIM, Braden Artem, who has played three games and scored five points since returning to the team at the beginning of May, and Jordan Godin, who not only sits in second for scoring with fourteen points in only four games, but in that time has scored two game-winning goals.
In the net: Richard McGarr is back backstopping the Regals while Riley Hunt has one win over Niagara. 08’s back-up Jeremy Snider is also still in the picture.
Bottom line: With Marcoux back in the picture and Godin playing like the first three letters in his last name, look for the Guelph offense to start taking a little more pressure off of McGarr and his depleted defense and don’t be surprised to see Guelph go on a run as they get deeper into the season.

SOUTH-WEST

SIX NATIONS REBELS

2008: went undefeated in the regular season and cruised to the Founders Cup where they defeated the Guelph Regals to take the title for the second year in a row
Currently: 7-1
Wins over: Wallaceburg, Welland, Niagara, Orangeville, Guelph, St. Catharines and Six Nations
Loss to: Elora, who snapped the Rebels’ regular season winning streak at 34 games
Who they’ve lost from last year: Darryl Hill, Andy Jamieson, Russell Longboat, James Mt. Pleasant, Mike Miller, Stu Hill, and Randy Johnson
Key gains: Vaughn Harris, Danny Vyse, Warren Hill, Assistant Captain Kenny Aaron, and Jesse Staats.
Who to watch: Tough-as-nails offensive trio Torrey VanEvery, Marty Hill, and Alex Kedoh Hill.
In the net: Cody VanEvery, with a 5.23 GAA in 320 minutes played
Bottom line: No surprises here. The Six Nations Rebels start out strong and only get more dangerous as the season progresses. They’ve been so dominant these past few years that a Founders tourney without the Rebels would be like a weekend without sunshine.

WELLAND WARLORDS

2008: 10-10, dropped in the Western quarter-finals to the Elora Mohawks
Currently: 6-2-1
Wins over: Hamilton (2), Niagara (2), Sarnia, and Wallaceburg
Losses to: Six Nations and Elora
Tied: Orangeville
Who they’ve lost from last year: lead scorer Steve McIlwrath has recently made the jump to the St. Catharines Jr. A Athletics. Ira Sowden, Matt Zaruk, James McCready, Johnny Storm, Jason Pundyk, Joe Wormald, Trevor Hall, Brad McConnery, Jeff Borgatti are also gone and goaltender Brennor Jacobs is now with the London Blue Devils
Key gains: Forward Joey Summerfield and defenders Ryan Dakin and Jace Sowden.
Who to watch: with McIlwrath gone, look for Kevin Floris to flourish in his new leadership role while the return of Tyler Tanguay will help out the Warlord powerplay and Jordy Daradick will look to improve on his ’08 progress. Young goaltender Graeme Kirkness recently turned heads with 58 saves in an 11-7 win over Sarnia.
In the net: Last year’s ROTY Connor Danko has an impressive 4.55 GAA –- the best in the league amongst number ones — and three wins zero losses through 303 minutes of play, while the aforementioned Kirkness is holding his own with a 7.52 in 185 minutes.
Bottom line: After going winless in ’06 and ’07, the Welland of 2008 looked like an entirely new team and they look to be continuing down that track this season. Though Welland has benefited a bit from an easy schedule in the early-going, they’ve also been on the road for six out of eight games. The next few weeks will show us what this much-shuffled team is really made of.

OAKVILLE BUZZ

2008: 17-3 for first place in the East; lost in the semis
Currently: 4-3 in the West
Wins over: Niagara, Sarnia, Guelph, St. Catharines
Losses to: Owen Sound, London and Six Nations
Who they’ve lost from last year: Josh Ruys, Joel Zalesky, Mike Bentivegna, and Harry Hrstopolous
Key gains: Mike Dawson, a ten-point player with only three games under his belt, and Brad Galante, a gritty forward who’s not afraid to get in the middle of something messy with 30 PIM to his name
Who to watch: Mark White, assistant captain Braden Gallant and goaltender Cam Watts
In the net: Watts is sitting pretty with four wins, one loss, and a GAA of 4.60 through 300 minutes of play.
Bottom line: The team says they’ll be relying on being big, fast and athletic at the defensive end which will help make the most of their strong goaltending.

ST. CATHARINES SPARTANS

2008: 11-9 in the regular season for sixth place in the OJBLL West, bowed out in the Western quarter-finals
Currently: 5-2
Wins over: Sarnia, Wallaceburg, Hamilton, London and Orangeville
Losses to: Oakville and Six Nations
Key gains: With major turnover on the defensive end look for newbies Shane Dunkley, Ryan Cavanagh, TJ Buck, Brody Slacer, and Adam Dickson
Who to watch: the big three up front are Chris Attwood and his 22 points, Sean Frankland and his 12, and Dillon Hendsbee and his ten goals and seven helpers, including five powerplay markers and two GWGs.
In the net: Mike Cox and Nate Barlow are neck and neck in nearly every category with two wins and one loss each, about 180 minutes played, and a GAA of 4.67 for Cox and 4.74 for Barlow.
Bottom line: With this year’s addition of Oakville to the South-West, the Spartans have a steeper hill to climb with both Welland and Six Nations currently out in front in the standings. They appear to have the defense and goaltending locked down, so we’ll see what this offense can do in the near future.

HAMILTON BENGALS

2008: 8-12, did not qualify for playoffs
Currently: 4-5
Wins over: Owen Sound, Niagara, Sarnia and London
Losses to: Welland (2), Guelph, Elora and St. Catharines,
Who they’ve lost from last year: Ryan Dilks, former Captain, signed with Six Nations Arrows for the 2009 Season
Key Gains: Patrick Root, a Hamilton midget player drafted by the Six Nations Arrows in 2009, and defenders Harley Ferrell and Korey Davis
Who to watch: Captain Joey Cupido, who has 25 points through eight games, Zach Hill who’s good for a steady four points per game, and the aforementioned Ferrell who is described by Bengals President and GM Andre Gaudet as one of the hardest-hitting Jr. B players for his size.
In the net: John McNamara has been shouldering the brunt of the Bengals games, guiding the team to their last two wins over London and Sarnia.
Bottom line: “Team tough is what Head Coach Tim Scott is looking for with these young men. When you’re done playing Hamilton, win or lose, you’ll know you’ve been in a game,” says Gaudet. “As we head into the playoffs, should we get there, we look to provide a hard hitting, fast paced, explosive offence, with solid tenders and tough D.”

NIAGARA THUNDERHAWKS

2008: 6-14, 12th in the West
Currently: 1-8
Wins over: Sarnia
Losses to: Oakville, Owen Sound, Six Nations, Welland (2), Hamilton, Guelph, and Orangeville
Who they’ve lost from last year: Elijah Printup, Zac Reid, and Jordan Williams
Key gains: James Rickard, Brendon Johnston, and a pair of last names familiar to lacrosse fans: Josh Kilgour and Jake McCready
Who to watch: Marcus Lagerstrom, a strong transitional player, Corey Fowler, the offensive set-up man with nine assists so far this season, gritty defender Bryn Jones, and all-around talented player Lloyd Chrysler
In the net: Julian Fauzey and Cory Henry are the resilient Niagara goaltending duo, with Fauzey earning the team’s first win of the season 8-7 over Sarnia
Bottom line: “Our aspirations are realistic: we are a young team in a rebuilding phase. Our goal is to improve our overall team offense and continue rebuilding our defensive core. We are a team that will work hard for a full 60 minutes.” – Al Janzen, GM

FAR-WEST

WINDSOR AKO FRATMEN

2008: 11-8-1 in the regular season for fourth in the West; lost in the Western semis
Currently: 5-0
Wins over: London, Owen Sound, Wallaceburg, Elora, Sarnia
Who they’ve lost from last year: Andrew Ryckman, Andrew Soulliere, Andrew Sokolowski and Drew St. Louis were all lost to graduation. Though the team stresses that these four players were a big part of the 2008 team, with great veteran leadership and a team first attitude, they also note that the DREW factor is gone, and there is less confusion on the bench
Key gains: The return of Steve Hinek who was a stand-out rookie in 2007, but sat out the 2008 season should make a big impact with the Fratmen, especially on the power play. Also joining the Fratmen in 2009 are Bryce Penney and Ken Greer, both Windsor Warlock graduates. Jeff Rivait, who played for the Ontario Midget team, and goalie Erik McLaren were both Midgets last season and should prove to be impact players.
Who to watch: Who not to watch? The 2009 Fratmen pride themselves on their balanced scoring attack, led by Brett Hickey and his 17 points, Devin Humphrey and Jeff Rivait with fifteen apiece while Mike Rivait has fourteen
In the net: The team has two legitimate starting goalies in Brendan Stevenson and rookie McLaren, and the two will challenge each other all season.
Bottom line: “This team will hang their hat on work ethic every shift of every game. If a team out-works us we will lose. The off-season conditioning must be apparent on the floor, and the time spent in the gym should make this team with average talent an above average competitor. The team’s motto going into 2009 is that hard work beats talent when talent won’t work hard.” -quote from the team.

LONDON BLUE DEVILS

2008: 2-17-1, did not squeak into the playoffs
Currently: 2-6
Wins over: Oakville and Wallaceburg
Losses to: Windsor, Wallaceburg, St. Catharines, Sarnia (2), and Hamilton
Who to watch: Not only is Winter Dockstader leading the team in goals with ten, but he’s quickly asserting himself as a man-up monster, with half of his goals coming on the powerplay. Look for Ian King and Kyle Childerhose on the set-ups. JD Beavis is currently second in the league in PIM.
In the net: a pretty busy Shawn Snow has actually kept his GAA down at 6.65 through one win and three losses in 225 minutes of play. Former Welland keep Brennor Jacobs has one win as well and has shouldered two losses.
Bottom line: The good news is they’re tied for second in the Far West. The bad news is that with the exception of the undefeated Windsor AKO Fratmen, the entire division is still struggling to find their footing. Another finisher to work alongside Dockstader would do wonders for the O.

SARNIA PACERS

2008: 5-14-1, no playoffs
Currently: 2-7
Wins over: London (2)
Losses to: St. Catharines, Welland, Oakville, Niagara, Hamilton, Windsor and Wallaceburg
Who to watch: If a game against Sarnia is supposed to be a sure win, then someone forgot to tell Riley Thompson and his 12 goals 11 assists.
In the net: Justin Matthews is the man responsible for two wins vs. London.
Bottom line: The bottom three teams in the Far West are nothing if not unpredictable. Even if worse comes to worse for the Pacers, they still have another two games against London this season. Second best O in the Far West, but by far the worst numbers on D.

WALLACEBURG RED DEVILS

2008: 10-10, peaced out in the quarter-finals
Currently: 2-6
Wins over: London and Sarnia
Losses to: Six Nations, St. Catharines, Welland, Windsor, Owen Sound, London
Who to watch: Chad Murphy sets ‘em up, Rob Pollock puts ‘em in
In the net: Iron Man Tye Belanger has put in a total of 360 minutes so far this season, second only to Guelph’s McGarr and his 365.
Bottom line: currently sitting in the 18th position out of 24 for goals for, the Red Devils might start seeing a little more success if their special teams start to click anytime soon. Out of 38 goals, only one has been scored on the powerplay.

Look for an Eastern Conference breakdown in the near future, approximately sometime after I get back from my vacation.

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