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As we saw last week, things are shaping up to be quite interesting entering the playoffs. Out in BC, seedings have already been decided and play gets underway this weekend. In Ontario and Alberta, there is one more weekend of lacrosse before seeds are set and teams can begin to focus their attention on the postseason. Things have been tight all year in each Province and these last few games could have a huge impact on where teams finish and what seeds they snag.

Let’s take a look:

New Westminster Salmonbellies vs. Nanaimo Timbermen

With the Burnaby-Delta series already underway (Burnaby up 1-0), the Salmonbellies and the Timbermen gear up for the second series in BC Provincial playoffs.

New West had somewhat of a quiet season. With a lot of buzz surrounding the play of Coquitlam and Victoria, the ‘Bellies flew somewhere under the Jr. A radar but are now ready to make some serious noise in the postseason. The big name for New West all year has been #1 Money Baller Tyler Digby. Although his 61 points did not lead the team, he was scoring when it counted. Digby and the ‘Bellies both hope that his timely scoring will continue throughout the playoffs. But Digby is not the only guy on the roster who can put the ball in the back of the net. Kevin Crowley (Stony Brook) led the team with 76 points in the regular season and closely following him was Curtis Dickson (Delaware) who dropped 69 points. Although Coquitlam repped the two top scorers in Robert Church and Trevor Moore, New West ranked first in goals scored on the year (262). Guys like Eric Lewthwaite (55) and Mark Negrin (45) were able to contribute a lot to the first ranked offense. Not only was the offense stellar but the defense ranked second in goals allowed (188). Goalie Neil Tyacke was huge in net for New West. He ranked first in mintues (972), shots (699), and saves (545). Those are huge numbers for a guy who’s team finished in third. He will need to keep producing these same type of numbers in order for New West to make a push for a birth to the Minto Cup.

Unlike the ‘Bellies who comfortably sat in third all year, the Timbermen had to fight for their playoff spot. With a crazy weekend going down last weekend, the Timbermen walked away with a huge win over PoCo and snatched the final playoff spot away from them. Colton Clark (Bellarmine) has done a whole lot for this team this summer. After a breakout year last summer in which he put up 61 points, many people weren’t sure what kind of numbers he would put up this year. But he showed a lot of people why he is the real deal. This year, he has put up 69 points. But he’s also gettin’ some help ‘08 Rookie of the Year Cody Bremner (55) and another breakout player Jonathon Diplock (63). These guys have combined to help Nanaimo slide into their third playoff appearance in a row. Goalies Scott Bannister and Rob Pierson have held down the defense as both are putting up solid numbers. Bannister is registering at just under 10 goals per and Pierson at just under 11. Both have helped the Timbermen get to where they are. This year they hope to make some noise in the playoffs. If Nanaimo can play consistently on both sides of the ball, the could give New West a good run for their money.

Toronto Beaches @ Whitby Warriors (Sat., July 11)

This may seem like an odd matchup to be the game of the week in Ontario. But since most of the top seeds have been basically locked up, the last remaining seeds still remain to be determined. If KW, Barrie, and Akwesasne lose their remaining couple games, which are against some of the top teams in the OLA, then Whitby can jump up and snag the 7th seed heading into the playoffs.
After the Beaches traded their two top players in Stephen Keogh and Todd Hosmer to Orangeville last year, the team has not seemed to produce much. With a lot of young and developing talent, the Beaches have struggled and ended up towards the bottom of the league this year. Led by Hartford attackman Carter Bender’s 39 points, Toronto has lacked scoring.  Daniel Hamlett and Chris Nash have put up 38 and 36 points respectively, but that is not enough to chalk up big wins in this league. Even though the Beaches have had disappointing season, they can really throw a wrench in the mix of things if they pull off this win. Goalies Shaun Palmer and Steve Bourget have split time all season. They have struggled to keep their team in games as each are registering about 13 goals per game. This number will certainly have to decrease if the Beaches expect to upset Whitby. If they pull this win off, they could change the bottom of the playoff seedings. This game may not seem important, but to a few teams, this game could mean their season.

With stud player Zack Greer being a few years removed, the Warriors have had to turn to some younger players to put points on the board this year and last year. Virginia-bound Mark Cockerton has stepped into that role. Last year he put up 54 points and this year he has followed up with 69 points on the season. But he is also getting some big help from other players. Mark Matthews put up 64 points last season and his 52 points this year are still a big help. Goalie Jesse Gill seemed to have a bit of trouble stopping the ball at the beginning of the season. But tendy Alexis Buque stepped up and started putting up some solid numbers. His almost 82% save percentage and 7.5 goals per game have helped the Warriors win some games, he owns more than half their wins. If Buque can keep his solid play up and guys like Dan Lintner and Coady Adamson can put up some numbers to help out Matthews and Cockerton, Whitby will pull off a huge win and push themselves higher in the playoff seedings.
Calgary Jr. Mountaineers vs. Edmonton Eclipse (Sat., July 11)

There is a lot going down in Alberta right now. As the season comes to a close, three teams are looking to nab the top seed going into the playoffs. The Raiders, Mounties, and Eclipse are all looking for that top seed but only one team will be able to lock it down. This weekend has some key games which will play a huge part in deciding who comes out on top.

The Jr. Mounties have surprised a lot of people this year. With only 4 wins last season, the Mounties have tripled that number and currently sit second in the league with 12 wins. The Mounties have faced the Eclipse three times already this year winning 2 out 3 meetings. Calgary has three big names which headline their offense. Big lefty Tyler Melnyk, Mars Hill All-American Danny Farmer, and BC import Kiel Donahue are the “go-to” players on the offensive end. Melnyk’s 45 points are good for tops on the team but offense is not the key to this team. The Mounties are last in the league in goals scored with 158. Where they put most of their efforts is on the defensive end. Calgary ranks second in goals allowed with 140, only behind their Calgary counterpart, the Raiders. Goalies Mitch Anders and Andrew Houghton have been one of the main reasons for the increase in wins for the Mounties. Both are posting just under 80% save percentages and allowing under 9 goals per game. A win here against the Eclipse would be huge for this Mounties team.

Unlike the Mounties, the Eclipse’s main focus is offense. Big name Simon Giourmetakis (Canisius) has nearly doubled his point total from last year as he sits at 70 on the season. But he is not the only player putting up big numbers. Sean Reid, Carson Barton, and Shane Lopatynski all have increased their scoring output from last year. While most teams do not even have the luxury of 4 players increasing the output, the Eclipse have more than the guys just named. Eric Ransom and Greg Bourett have also increased their numbers since last year. Most of these guys have either doubled or even tripled their scoring numbers since last year, which is the main reason the Eclipse offense is so deadly. But while much of the talk surrounding the Eclipse has been about their offense, goalie Marc Nano has been stellar between the pipes. His 82% save percentage and 7.5 goals allowed per game rank third in the league. The Ontario native was shipped in last year when the Eclipse made a run at the Minto. Falling short, Nano returned for another season and is looking to lead the Eclipse. The Eclipse need a win here in order to have any shot at grabbing the first seed.

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