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This summer we’ve been steadily tracking the happenings of Ontario Jr. B lacrosse, and while there’s never any shortage of action in the Ontario loop, there’s a whole wide world of B ball out there with plenty of teams gearing up for the Founders Cup that we would be remiss to go without mentioning. Without further placeholder introduction, we’ll take a look at the Alberta Jr. B lacrosse South Division.

1st: Jr. Mounties

Record: 16-1
Interdivisional record: 8-0
Pros: Between the 16 wins, the nine players who have notched 20+ points, the division-leading Destin Seguin and Matt Besplug with their 35 apiece, and the formidable Tanner Serwatkewich in net behind a strong team defense giving his team a goals for-goals against difference of 110, something appears to be going right for the Jr. Mounties, but it’s hard to pick one aspect to point at.
Cons: One loss on the season is hardly enough to criticize, but the Mounties haven’t given me much else to work with here now have they. The only time they faced the Edmonton Warriors – one of the terrors of the north – the Mounties were thumped down 9-6. They’ve been killing their opponents all season with a consistent, unyielding effort, but that one loss is what happened when the other team got an early jump.
Outlook: A loss or not, the Mounties are obviously a force to be reckoned with, and not in that condescending yeah they’re good, for Alberta kind of way. The big three in Alberta Jr. B – the Jr. Mounties, SWAT, and Warriors – stack right up with the best the rest of Canada has to offer and don’t be shocked to see the scoring-at-will Mounties leading the charge to prove it.

2nd: Calgary Shamrocks

Record: 12-7-1
Interdivisional record: 6-4
Pros: The majority of the time, when they win, they win big. Five of their 12 wins have come with a four goal or more margin with another three coming in with a difference of three. Nod your congratulations towards feeder extraordinaire Brian George and his 24 helpers and 33 points. And what would George be without Brendan Tackaberry, Cody Chassels and Mitch Bowden.
Cons: For the Shamrocks’ every action, there is a very nearly equal and opposite reaction, and four of their seven losses have been of the spectacular variety – bombed by four or more including a 15-3 drubbing at the hands of the Mounties.
Outlook: The Shamrocks haven’t been shy about keeping their fans guessing all season, but if they want to hang with the top teams heading into the playoffs they’re going to need to tell Mr. Hyde to take a hike. The talent is obviously there, it’s just a matter of seeing it all come together at the same time.

3rd: Calgary Chill

Record: 4-10-2
Interdivisional record: 1-6-1
Pros: For a sub .500 team, Calgary definitely made sure plenty of full seats went wasted as spectators were planted on the edge watching the Chill narrowly miss another W in five one-goal losses. The big three up front are Ian Janzen, Alexander Saks and Darren Andre while Matt Pryor and the defense keep things as stingy as possible in the other end.
Cons: Almost only counts in horseshoes and NLLinsider deadlines. Plant a clutch scorer like Welland’s Jordy Daradick on the front end and see if things don’t look a little sunnier.
Outlook: Positive change doesn’t happen overnight in Jr. A lacrosse and it doesn’t often happen in just one season, so while we may not see the Chill go on a tear to end out ’09, there are plenty of reasons the team will be ready to take that slight step forward in 2010 after being the bridesmaid so many times this season.

4th: Silvertips

Record: 3-13-4
Interdivisional record: 1-7-1
Pros: Lucky number 13 Dustin Taylor tops the Silvertips’ scoring and sits sixth in the division with his 29 points. Factor in the five or so low-scoring games and all eyes should also be on goaltender Zach Hillier.
Cons: When a team struggles it’s so easy to fall into the rough stuff, and the Silvertips have certainly been guilty of it in 2009. This offense can score on par with almost every team in the division, so a little more time spent at full-strength could give some breathing room where it’s really needed.
Outlook: Wave away their record for a second and appreciate the fact that the Silvertips played every game hard and didn’t let up even at the very end, finishing out the regular season with a tie and two near-misses. There’s certainly room for a hard-nosed team in Alberta Jr. B lacrosse akin to the Edmonton Eclipse of Jr. A, there’s just a bit of a balance waiting to be struck by the Silvertips.

Please note that I originally incorrectly identified the Silvertips number one goaltender as Matt Watson when it is, of course, the outstanding Zach Hillier.

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