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The Beat

Friday night playoff results

The Peterborough Lakers and Six Nations Arrows are now tied 2-2 in the series, after the Arrows triumphed 11-8 on Thursday and the Lakers bounced back to take the 12-9 win last night. Kyle Clancy and Mike Thomas had three goals apiece last night for the Lakers, while Josh Gillam had two goals and four helpers and Ryan Masters made 43 saves. As usual, Cody Jamieson led the Arrows with four goals and one assist. Game five will take place Sunday night at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena, 7:00 pm EST. READ MORE »

The Beat

Playoffs, Dietrich and the other John Grant

• With the playoffs nearly upon us, the Orillia Rama-Hammond Kings are on the outiside looking in: Orillia Packet
• Possibly getting ready to watch the Arrows vs. Lakers series: Brantford Expositor
• Or maybe the Northmen vs. Excelsiors: Georgetown Independent
• Over in BC Jr. A the Nanaimo Timbermen may be facing an uphill battle against the Salmonbellies, but they’ve got their climbing boots on: Nanaimo Daily News
• If you thought Steve Dietrich was getting lazy by only playing in the NLL, GMing the KW Kodiaks and practicing with the Owen Sound Woodsmen, never fear—he got into the net last night: Owen Sound Sun Times
• And that other John Grant, if you’ve heard of him, is headed for the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame: Sudbury Star

The Beat

South Fraser, Buck Stobart, and the best-selling t-shirts

• Can you believe it, the Stickmen are leaving South Fraser on a losing note: Surrey Now
• But not quite in time to make it to the Wiles brothers lacrosse camp: Orillia Packet
• For the Iroquois Nationals, there’s much more to lacrosse than just a game: The Province
• And there’s much more to Buck Stobart than an awesome name: Victoria Times

The Beat

Weekend news

• At this most wonderful time of the year in Junior A lacrosse we’ve got teams that are surging: Burlington Post
• Teams that are skidding: Orillia Packet
• And a young team armed with nothing but a sling shot: Mississauga News
• This article doesn’t say exactly what Homer did to help New West’s Cliff Smith find his scoring touch but it’s probably more entertaining that way: BC Local News
• And oh man you guys Mr. Kloepfer knows what you’re saying on the internet: National Post

The Beat

What to Watch: Saturday and Sunday

We told you yesterday that we’re in for a big weekend in lacrosse, and with last night’s featured games ending in a narrow 5-4 win for Orangeville over Brampton and an 11-10 OT victory for Burnaby over Victoria these games are looking like they’re everything they’ve been hyped up to be. The great thing about summer ball? There’s always more where that came from.

RMLL

Calgary Jr A Mountaineers @ Edmonton Eclipse
Saturday July 5, 4:00 pm MST
Alberta’s finest go head to head for their second matchup in less than two weeks. The Eclipse stole one on the road from the Mountaineers, 7-6, on June 22. It may be a rematch but both teams will have two completely different looks—in goal, that is. READ MORE »

The Beat

What to Watch: Friday Edition

With playoffs approaching and each league heading into crunch time, this weekend is definitely what you’d call crucial. We’ll be previewing the one game from each league you won’t want to miss, and two of those games? They fall on our man Friday.

Ontario Jr. A

Orangeville Northmen @ Brampton Excelsiors
Friday July 4, 8:00 pm EST, Memorial Arena
The 16-2 and first place Northmen haven’t had many downsides to their 2008 campaign. But if they had to choose one, it would likely be their devastating 7-5 come-from-behind loss to the eighth place Excelsiors on June 15. READ MORE »

The Beat

The first of the dispersal dealings

In order to address their scoring woes, the Edmonton Rush first added Andy Secore and then swapped defender Troy Bonterre for Rochester Knighthawks’ dispersal pick-ups Lindsay Plunkett and Matt Brown, all of which are much better ideas than sneaking a second ball onto the floor. (Feel free to ignore my letters Mr. Hamley.)

In MSL news, been wondering why the Six Nations Chiefs were so thoroughly hammered by the St. Regis Indians Saturday night? Turns out a large chunk of the team came down with the Akwesasne Flu, symptoms of which include not wanting to go to Akwesasne. As a frequent sufferer of the My Best Friend’s Softball Game Flu, I would just like to say that I understand and wish everyone a speedy recovery. (Note: I have since been informed that many players were with good friend and teammate Roger Vyse at his stag and doe, and I think a lot of you will agree that an impending marriage is a good enough reason to miss a game and if not then maybe don’t tell your wife you feel that way. Congrats to Mr. Vyse.)

The Beat

Nanaimo’s Drew Dickie traded to Calgary Mountaineers

Looks like Marc Nano isn’t the only goalie headed to Alberta in preparation for the Minto. The Nanaimo Timbermen have shipped goaltender Drew Dickie to Cup hosts Calgary Jr. A Mountaineers for future considerations.

In other B.C. Junior A news, with two wins this weekend including an 11-5 drubbing of the Coquitlam Adanacs, the Victoria Shamrocks have climbed into sole possession of first place.

And over in Massachusetts, Boston Blazers head coach and NLLinsider’s own Tom Ryan got a little recognition for spending a Saturday teaching lacrosse skills to kids. That look on his face is the free and easy expression of someone who has the highly appealing option of selecting Dan Dawson in today’s dispersal draft, 2:00 PM EST.

Weekend Results: READ MORE »

The Beat

Using lacrosse to bridge the gaps

The legal wrangling is over land, 13,000 acres to be precise, but there are specific spots of land off-limits to any kind of court proceedings. And that, is the box.

There’s a fantastic story in the Utica Observer Dispatch of central New York that mentions the lawsuits between the Oneida Nation and the U.S. Government, but those differences aren’t getting in the way of Natives and non-Natives enjoying box lacrosse. “For years, we’ve had indifference with the outside community,” Nation member Ron Patterson told the newspaper. “Everyone puts all that aside to be at a lacrosse game.” Chalk it up as just one more reason to love the game as Natives share their game with kids who visit the Nation, where the historical, spiritual and cultural aspects of the game are more important than simple Xs and Os.

The Beat

Look out, world

First the Peterborough Lakers get the go-ahead to replace their patchwork, war-torn lacrosse carpet, and now Alberta Jr. A lacrosse looks like they’re soon going to have an updated and fully-functioning website. If anyone spots the third and fourth horsemen of the apocalypse, let me know.

The Beat

What to Watch: Sunday Edition

Lazy Sunday? Not exactly. With two of the top teams out west facing off for the second consecutive weekend, a possible preview of Alberta’s Minto contenders, and the number one Northmen trying to stay on top after news of their major trade deadline deal, if you’re looking for excitement today, lacrosse has you covered. Read on for the whats, whens and wheres of the biggest games going. READ MORE »

The Beat

Fan bans, NHL draft picks, and the Gildersleeve Cup

Mid-week we started hearing the news out of Winnipeg that in order to curb abuse of officials the Red River Lacrosse Association had banned fans. Referees had had enough. They were sick of being threatened and followed to their cars. They weren’t going to keep reffing if the league didn’t do something. So the league did: they instituted a ban on spectators…for all of 24 hours. The ban was lifted after the league received a huge backlash from parents, who apparently did not enjoy being disrespected.

A big congratulations goes out to Steve Stamkos, Zach Bogosian, and all of this weekend’s NHL draft picks that once contributed their notable skills to the great game of lacrosse. (Bonus: Bogosian’s picture in that article looks like something out of a 1980’s SNL parody commercial.)

And over in the Peterborough Examiner, Elwood Jones takes us on a horse and buggy ride down memory lane, back to a time when the Gildersleeve Cup was the most sought-after trophy in Ontario lacrosse.

The Beat

A slightly belated Kyle Miller update

After winning one World Lacrosse Championship in 2006, Kyle Miller is understandably anxious to win a second. But with the next World Field Lacrosse Championship not taking place until 2010, for now he’ll have to settle for adding Olympic torch runner to his list of accomplishments.

On May 23rd, Kyle carried the torch for a half-mile route in and around Shanghai.

Kyle was selected as a torch runner thanks to an essay written by his older brother Josh Johnston. In it, Johnston had written that by fighting bone cancer and undergoing surgery to have his knee joint replaced and a titanium rod inserted in his leg and then returning to the lacrosse field, Kyle was “giving hope back to people who may have lost it by being a living example that with hope and determination, anything can be overcome.”

“It was awesome,” said Kyle. “I think for us as a family, and just everything that I’ve gone through, he never really told me how proud he was of me or anything like that. So just to read what he wrote, it was pretty cool.”

“It is an honor and a privilege to represent my country in front of the entire world. Carrying the torch in China was one of the proudest moments of my life.”

The Beat

What to Watch this Weekend

Even though games up here in the Great White North are played all through the week, we wanna hook ya up with the games on the weekend that you mighta wanna checkout if you’re in and around the area. The BCJALL has their top dawgs locking horns again this weekend. Some pretty big dances in Ontario junior too.

Anyways, here’s a rundown of this weekend’s top games, and why you should get up off your ass and go check ‘em out… READ MORE »

The Beat

Eat some pancakes for a good cause

One of the great things about lacrosse is the brotherhood. Go just about anywhere in the country and you see a lacrosse sticker on a car window, some fella sporting lacrosse threads, and you’ve got yourself an instant connection.

Here in western New York, we see a lot of lacrosse and the community is pretty tight. That’s a big part of the reason this brotherhood is so cool to be a part of because when someone in the family needs something, everyone rallies around the need. That’s just what’s happening in Brighton, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester. The coach of the Brighton boys varsity team, Mark MacMillan, welcomed a son into this world on April 5. Connor MacMillan’s had a rough entry to this world, though, and has required a lot of medical care since his birth. In order to help, the Brighton Lacrosse Boosters are hosting a “Flapjack Breakfast for Connor MacMillan” to raise funds to cover medical expenses.

The breakfast is scheduled for Sunday, June 22, at the Applebee’s on Winton Road South. Tickets are $5 and the breakfast runs from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tickets can be purchased through members of the boys and girls teams at Brighton, or you can call Charlotte Haag at (585) 242-5007. If ya can’t make it to the breakfast — and who doesn’t like pancakes? — clink on the above link anyway to find out how you can donate.

The Beat

Myles Kenny is a great faceoff guy, but let’s talk timing

Question: what happens when you fully intend to write an article about the Victoria Jr. Shamrocks’ Myles Kenny and his dominance in the faceoff circle, and then he goes and gets schooled by Coquitlam’s Matt Wilson?

Answer: This article.

Awwwkwaaaaaaard.

Oh well, at least the Shamrocks apparently went on to beat the Burnaby Lakers 4-0 in a rare lacrosse shutout. So rare you won’t even be able to find it in the game results.

The Beat

Pardon me Mr. Mann-ers

If the NLL forums have taught us anything lately, it’s that just because you think it doesn’t mean you should type it we love a good trophy controversy. And now to join the prestigious company of the Champion’s Cup and its Talladega Nights twin and the only reason anyone will ever remember that the Spokane Chiefs won the Memorial Cup, I present to you: the Mann Cup sitting on a plastic chair.

Yes, the defending Mann Cup Champion Peterborough Lakers held a Mann Cup ceremony and placed the prestigious (replica) trophy on a plastic chair in the middle of the floor. Oh well, better on a chair than in a bonfire, am I right?

You better believe they’ve got video.

Anyway, it’s a little humorous and easy to poke fun at but the record was set straight today and as you can imagine that isn’t how the organization wanted the ceremony to go. Turns out, they were just trying to help out the lone Mountie who otherwise would’ve been stuck holding the trophy by himself for the entire proceedings.

In other news:

• Jason Wulder is the Chateau Margaux of the Coquitlam Adanacs: The Province

The Beat

Sunday and Monday scores

B.C. Junior A

SUNDAY, JUNE 8th
Victoria Shamrocks 9 Burnaby Lakers 1 Apparently the Saturday loss to the Coquitlam Adanacs did not sit well with the Victoria Shamrocks, as they turned around and obliterated Burnaby, holding the Lakers to the lowest score they’ve seen in years. Recent returnee Michael Pires led the assault with another three goals and three assists, while the Victoria defense held the Lakers to 27 shots, 26 of which were turned away by Matt Flindell.

New Westminster Salmonbellies 7 Nanaimo Timbermen 4 New West joined the Adanacs and Shamrocks in the ten-win club Sunday with their win over the Timbermen. Each of New West’s seven goals were scored by a different player, with markers coming from Jesse Fehr, Jarrett Toll, Ben Davies, Ben Johnson, Max Gallant, Eric Lewthwaite, and Alex Turner.

Ontario Junior A

READ MORE »

The Beat

NLL approves new ownership for Rochester Knighthawks

The word out of the National Lacrosse League office this afternoon is that the league has approved the sale of the Rochester Knighthawks to new majority owner Curt Styres.

According to the NLL, the sale price to Styres was $5.75 million dollars, the highest price for a franchise in league history. In 1999, the club was purchased for $250,000. There’s some ironing to do, though. The approval of the sale is conditional on the club securing a lease with the cit of Rochester at Blue Cross Arena, which is in downtown Rochester. That’s where the team has played since its inception in 1995, but the recent talks of a lease between the club and the city have hit rough patches over the last few months. Still, it’s nothing that appears to be insurmountable and there is plenty of reason to remain optimistic.

“The history of our sport is very rich in the culture and traditions of the Native North American people, and it gives us great pride to have the first Native North American owner of a major pro sports franchise here in the NLL. Curt is a great man and a very successful businessman, and we are excited to have him as an owner in our league,” NLL commissioner Jim Jennings said in a statement.

The Beat

Best NLL title game of all time?

If ya didn’t see it, you’ve at least heard about it by now and we’ve gotta ask: Which National Lacrosse League title game is the best of them all?

Whatever your answer is, 2008’s gotta get some love. The mad scramble in the final seconds with six Portland shooters who tried and tried but couldn’t get anything past Mike “Money” Thompson makes Buffalo’s 14-13 victory an instant classic. Maybe some of you old-school fans have a soft spot for the 1987 game between the Baltimore Thunder and Washington Wave, just because it’s the first title tilt. Of course, there’s Philly’s 1994 win over the Bandits, where Gary Gait scored eight freakin’ goals and who can forget Toronto’s 2000 win over the Knighthawks, when Kaleb Toth scored the winning goal with 1.1 seconds left? I’m pretty sure Knighthawks fan remembers that one, but doesn’t want to. Buffalo’s back to back wins in 1992 and 1993 were pretty solid with the ‘92 game going to OT and the ‘93 matchup decided by a single goal. John Tavares was MVP in both of those games.

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This list isn’t definitive. It’s just a start to get you thinking long and hard about your vote. And if ya have second thoughts after you voted, swing on over to WingsZone where you can not only vote again, but you can add your 2 cents.

• Bandits schedule victory rally for Thursday: Bandits.com
• “Play Lacrosse” launched by NLL, Reebok: NLL.com
• It’s a lacrosse invasion: Boston Herald
• Vote for Crystal or Megan today: NLLInsider.com