NLL Insider

RMLL, Road to the Minto Cup

Minto Cup Q&A with Tyler Pridham, captain of the Jr. A Mountaineers

Preparing a team to do battle for the top prize in Jr. A lacrosse is hard enough as it is. Factor in the fact that the beernut gallery is under the impression that your team doesn’t belong in the Minto Cup in the first place and the degree of difficulty increases exponentially. Lucky for the Calgary Mountaineers, they’ve got Tyler Pridham at the helm. Easily one of the top defenders in the province and recently voted the hardest-working player in the league, Captain Pridham spent Friday night foiling Victoria’s plans for a blow-out and tonight will go up against the Edmonton Miners in this summer’s biggest battle of Alberta. Before he got down to the business of spoiling some scorer’s night, Pridham took the time to discuss what it’s like to be written off, being born with no natural skill, and what you’re going to be saying about his team by the time this whole thing’s over. READ MORE »

RMLL

Edmonton Miners win Alberta once again

Once again for the Edmonton Miners it didn’t matter that they didn’t finish first in the regular season, it didn’t matter that they were going up against a team that’s looked primed for the Minto Cup all season, and it certainly didn’t matter that they lost game one of the Alberta Jr. A finals. The perennial provincial champs—2005 being the only exception—switched into playoff mode and wiped out the Edmonton Eclipse four games to one to take top spot and earn another trip to the Minto. READ MORE »

RMLL

Fish out of Water: Seasons ending

It’s been a few weeks since my last article and a few things have happened since then. We lost a tough series to the Edmonton Eclipse and watched as they move on to play the Edmonton Miners for the Provincial Championship. I came home to the States to finish off my summer here and now I can look back at my time spent up in the Great White North. READ MORE »

RMLL, Road to the Minto Cup

Miners take 2-1 series lead, Giourmetakis expected back for Game 4

Last night the Edmonton Miners dropped the Edmonton Eclipse 10-4 in Game 3 of their best-of-seven series, also taking a 2-1 series lead in what is turning out to be one of the most heated series in all of this summer’s Junior A post-season.

The Miners were led by Lucas Huyser-Wierenga’s three goals as well as Nate Schmidt’s four helpers, landing Schmidt at the top of Alberta’s playoff scoring race with now 23 points over six post-season games.

Game 3 saw the Eclipse without Co-Head Coach Dave Pym on the bench. Pym had been ejected from Game 2 in the series and was handed a one game suspension, which was served last night. READ MORE »

RMLL

Alberta Jr. A Coaches Poll

Out in Alberta they like to do things a little differently than maybe the rest of us are used to, and their Junior A lacrosse is no exception. Not only do these guys have to spend the summer slugging it out against the boys of Sr. B, but at the end of the year there are no league awards given out to the many deserving players of the RMLL. It may not be quite as good as a cheap plastic trophy with your name spelled incorrectly, but to take a look at who the coaches of Alberta Jr. A would have given those awards to had they existed, keep reading. READ MORE »

RMLL

Eclipse take game one win over Miners in finals

In the defensive battle that took place Thursday night in game one of the Alberta Jr. A finals, it was a last-minute tally from Richard Barnes that allowed the Edmonton Eclipse to edge out the Edmonton Miners 4-3, an ending suitable to the biggest rivalry going in Alberta lacrosse.

The Eclipse took the lead first, with Carlton Schuss scoring his first of two nearly nine minutes into the first period to go up 1-0. Both teams’ offenses would stay quiet until just over eleven minutes into the second when the Miners evened things up on a Nils Thompson marker. The Miners took the lead with just one second left in the second period thanks to Kevin Wallin on a feed from Nate Schmidt. The Eclipse’s Sean Reid struck first in the third to even things up again. The Miners lurched back out in front on another goal from Thompson eight minutes in but that would be the last of their celebrations on the night, as Schuss evened the score with six minutes remaining and Barnes put in the game-winner with 46 seconds left on the clock. Game two will take place tomorrow night, 7:00 PM MST at Sherwood Park Arena.

RMLL

RMLL Playoff Update

With just four teams in the Alberta Junior A league, when it comes to be playoff time these guys get right down to the serious business: semi-finals. Regardless of how hapless their regular season records may have been, each team earns a spot in the post-season and the right to battle it out in a best-of-five for a shot at the finals. And like we’ve already seen in game one of the Eclipse-Raiders series, whatever happened in the regular season can be thrown right out the window come crunch time. With each series already two games in, here’s a look at who’s fighting for their playoff lives, what team was handed their first loss of 2008, and what else we can expect from the boys in Alberta. READ MORE »

RMLL, Road to the Minto Cup

Fish out of Water: Playoffs Arrive!

The playoffs are time when a team develops a new purpose.

Throughout the season, it’s tough to have the playoffs come into perspective, until they are on top of you. It is now the end of the year and the playoffs are about to be in full swing. Playoffs beards and mohawks can be seen on almost every sideline as teams across the country fight for a berth to their respective Cup tournaments. With the playoffs going haywire in B.C. and in Ontario, things are about to get interesting in Alberta. With only four teams in the province, everyone plays for a Minto Cup birth, and with the Jr. Mounties hosting this year, it leaves three teams playing for that birth.
READ MORE »

RMLL

Fish out of Water: The regular season wraps up

This past week was the last full week of lacrosse for the Jr. A Raiders. Another three games have come and gone, tough contests against other Jr. A teams that brought us to the end of our season.

With only one game left this coming Wednesday, it is turning into playoff time for the Raiders. Playoffs brings a different kind of feeling to a lacrosse game and it is beginning to enter the back of everyone’s mind. Teams in our league have been hot with the trades in the past couple weeks in hopes their team will be playing for the Minto Cup in Calgary in a couple weeks; playoffs make everything that much more interesting.
READ MORE »

RMLL

Fish out of Water: First Win

The past week has been a long one. With three games and two practices in seven days, my life has been full of lacrosse. But it has paid off as this past Wednesday we finally got our first win. It took half the season but our team was finally able to put together a full 60 minute game.

This may sound a little pathetic to some but it was a big step for our team. With the amount of talent in Canada it can be tough to win games. Each and every team has good players; their wins and loses are determined by how the team puts each game together. We finally overcame the lack of our team to put together a full game as we came out on top 9-4 over the Jr. A Mountaineers. READ MORE »

RMLL

Carlton Schuss to join Eclipse

The Edmonton Eclipse have worked a little more trade deadline magic, this time adding Delta Islanders tough guy Carlton Schuss.

“Carlton is all heart,” said Eclipse coach Dave Pym. “A character kid willing to lay it on the line game in and game out. He has a good shot to go along with the tremendous competitive intangibles we love in a player.”

With his 141 penalty minutes this season, Schuss should have no problem fitting in with the rough and tough Eclipse roster as they continue their push for a Minto berth. When not in the box Schuss has managed to rack up 27 points on 11 goals and 16 assists so far this season with the Islanders, good enough for second in scoring on the team. Schuss joins former Mississauga goaltender Marc Nano as the second big-name Edmonton Eclipse import. The Eclipse and their revamped roster take on the Edmonton Miners tomorrow night at 8 pm MST.

RMLL

Fish out of water No. 3: Almost there

The Calgary Stampede is right around the corner. For those of you who do not know, which included me until I traveled up here, it is basically one massive party. For ten days in the beginning of July, the whole city of Calgary basically shuts down. People travel from all over the world to attend this city-wide outdoor country western festival. Country concerts, rodeos, chuckwagon races, rides and games, cowboys boots and cowboys hats fill downtown Calgary for “the best time of your life”, so I’ve heard. But before I can start celebrating Stampede there is still lacrosse to be played.

As I wrote about last week, it has been a tough season for the Jr. A Raiders lacrosse team. We have not won a game but we have lost a few very close ones. It has been two weeks since our last game and we were gearing up for a game against the best Jr. A team in Alberta so far, the Edmonton Eclipse. This looked as if it was playing out to be a very tough game and this proved to be very true.
READ MORE »

RMLL

Edmonton Eclipse gearing up for Minto run, add Marc Nano to roster

When it comes to be trade deadline time in Jr. A lacrosse it isn’t unusual to hear of Ontario players heading West for a Minto Cup run. But heading to Alberta? That’s a little different. After nearly a month of negotiations the Edmonton Eclipse–the only undefeated team left in Jr. A lacrosse–have worked out a deal to put Mississauga Tomahawks goaltender Marc Nano between their pipes.

Eclipse coach Dave Pym has indicated that Nano will arrive in Edmonton Monday, join the team for practice Tuesday, and be in the line-up Wednesday to take on the Edmonton Miners and get his first glimpse of the fiercest rivalry going in Alberta Jr. A. The addition of a consistent number one goaltender is expected to further solidify the first-place Eclipse roster, and all indications are that this Edmonton team is making a serious march towards the Minto. READ MORE »

RMLL

Fish out of water No. 2: Keeping your head up

A lacrosse season is always difficult yet always the same. Almost every player comes to that first day of practice so ready for lacrosse to begin but each season ends in a big sigh of relief. A season can take a grueling toll on the players and the coaches. Each season comes with its ups and downs which affect everyone in different ways. The downs are mostly the losses the team goes through during the year which can be very detrimental to the team as a whole.

Although I have only been here for a few weeks, the Jr. Raiders are halfway through the schedule and without a win. Players begin to get down on each other picking out the mistakes in one another’s game, the coaches begin to scratch their heads but one things still remains the same: we are still a team together. READ MORE »

RMLL, Road to the Minto Cup

Fish Out of Water: Comparing box and field lacrosse

A lacrosse team is much like a quilt. Players from all over, patched together, all with the same goal in mind: win. Each player brings their own characteristics, their own skill and ability to the table in an attempt to mesh together for a greater purpose. Each player has different tendencies and different styles of play. This shows as each player takes the floor at their respective positions. Just like in field lacrosse each player molds to their position and, in turn, each position embodies a certain type of player. In the box, it is the same thing. Offense, transition, defense and goalie all have groups of players who follow stereotypes and fit their positions. READ MORE »

RMLL, Road to the Minto Cup

Fish Out of Water: The First Fight

Field lacrosse is a game of instinct. It combines a player’s skill with their determination and ability to read situations and react to then. Box lacrosse is different, but not in the sense of determination or skill. There is no time to think, to read and react; there can be no hesitation. If there is, that split-second window of opportunity a player sees could either turn into a goal or a turnover. The different style of play and quicker pace make for a more interesting and physical game of lacrosse.

READ MORE »

Ontario Junior A, RMLL

Six Nations and Whitby get wins, Eclipse and Miners tie

The Six Nations Arrows got back to winning last night, bouncing back from the loss to Orangeville to slap the Peterborough Lakers 9-4. Cody Jamieson led the Arrows with three goals and four assists while Wayne Vanevery added a pair of markers and Angus Goodleaf made 44 saves. Jesse Guerin and Matt Evans had one goal and two helpers in the loss. The win was the the Arrows’ tenth on the season.

Elsewhere in Ontario Junior A it was Justin Fox’s third goal of the game with under three minutes remaining that locked up the 7-6 Whitby Warriors win over the Rama-Hammond Kings. In addition to Fox’s efforts, the Warriors got a big game from Coady Adamson with two goals and two assists. Please note that Adamson’s points were originally and mistakenly attributed to Matt Cockerton. Jesse Gill stopped 26.

Over in Alberta the Edmonton Eclipse and Edmonton Miners fanned the flames of their rivalry, scrapping their way to a 7-7 tie. The Eclipse — who were missing their Captain and main scoring threat Simon Giourmetakis — dug themselves out of penalty trouble to earn the tie, getting a big game from transition player Shane Lopantynski with one goal and one assist. Captain Mike Lutes led the Miners, not only with his goal but also by managing to stay out of the penalty box in a game where 108 minutes were handed out.

RMLL

Canada’s National Summer Sport becoming more ‘National’

With box lacrosse in Canada, two Provinces immediately jump to mind in the British Columbia Lacrosse Association (BCLA) – with it’s Junior ‘A’ programs and Senior ‘A’ Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) – and the Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA) – with it’s Junior ‘A’ clubs and Senior ‘A’ Major Series Lacrosse (MSL).

But they aren’t the only Provinces with structured box lacrosse leagues in Canada. This year will see a Midget National Championships return to the highest level of minor lacrosse since the mid-eighties. Several Associations have indicated interest in the event that will feature championship teams from across Canada in the 15 and 16 year old age category.

That Midget National Championships will be hosted in Alberta, a Province that is quickly growing and becoming a more prominent figure in the Canadian box lacrosse scene. This year not only will Alberta host the Midget Nationals, they will also put on the Junior ‘A’ Minto Cup and Senior ‘B’ National Championship.

This post attempts to bring you up to speed in Alberta with a short Q&A from Duane Bratt, President of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL).

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B.C. Junior A, RMLL, WLA

B.C. and Alberta results

The Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs moved into sole possession of first place in B.C. Junior A last night with a 7-6 win over the Victoria Shamrocks. Outscoring Victoria 7-4 through the first two periods paid off for the Adanacs, as the Shamrocks were the only team to hit the back of the net in the third. Garrett McIntosh, Jordan Weir and Scott DeFrancesco each scored twice in the win. In his first game back with the Shamrocks, Michael Pires had three goals and three assists.

The New Westminster Jr. Salmonbellies found their ninth win of the season last night, tripping up the Delta Islanders 9-4. Kyle Belton led the Bellies with three goals and one assist, while Jesse Fehr chipped in with one goal and two helpers. Sean Tessarolo stopped 25 of 29. Dane Stevens had one goal and one assist for the Islanders.

In Senior A the Coquitlam Adanacs turned a 3-0 lead in the first into an 8-5 final as they topped the Victoria Shamrocks to slip into second place with a record of 6-1. Jason Wulder and rookie Dane Dobbie put in two goals and two assists each to lead the Adanacs while Ryder Bateman had one goal and two helpers for the Shamrocks. Chris Levis made 36 saves for the win.

A little further east the Edmonton Eclipse kept their perfect record intact, moving to 5-0 on the season after eking out a 5-4 win over the Calgary Jr. Raiders. Kyle Kowalchuk put in a big performance between the pipes to earn the win, while Sean Reid and Eric Ransome scored two each and Derek Draper added the fifth.

RMLL

Jr. A Raiders and Miners each battle to a tie with Sr. B teams

There were two games in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League last night, both featuring a Jr. A team vs. a Sr. B, and both ending in a hard-fought tie.

The Edmonton Miners capitalized on a few late powerplay opportunities to mount a comeback against the Spruce Grove Slash and even things up for a final of 6-6. Miners goaltender Trevor VanBavel faced a firing squad and turned away 58 shots to keep things close for his team.

In other Alberta action, the Calgary Jr. Raiders tied the Airdrie Knights 7-7.