Lakeshores Ready For Thunder
By Dan Charuk:Barrie Examiner Wednesday July 27, 2005 BARRIE -- Glenn Clark, captain of the Barrie Lakeshores, is a veteran of the playoff wars, having won a National Lacrosse League championship with the Toronto Rock this past winter. Now he is going to put that experience to the test as he leads the Lakeshores into battle with the Akwasasne Thunder in Game 1 of their best-of-five Major Series Lacrosse playoff series tonight at the Molson Centre. “It’s going to be a good challenge for us,” said Clark, at practice earlier this week. “They have one of the best players in the game in John Tavares (the all-time leading scorer in Canadian lacrosse) and they have a good work ethic. We’re ready, though. We’ve been building all regular season and been putting the pieces in place, so we feel good.” Barrie coach Lindsay Sanderson is also feeling optimistic about his club’s chances heading into the series. He said with the strong showing the Lakeshores had in the regular season, they are ready for post-season play. “We’re confident,” he said. “If we play hard against anybody in this league, we’re going to be very competitive with them. Whether it’s Peterborough, Brampton or Akwasasne, it doesn’t matter to us. I’m sure they’re going to come in with the renewed excitement playoffs bring, so it’s going to be a fun game (tonight).” The two teams were separated by 12 points in the regular season standings. The Lakeshores finished with an 11-7 record, while Akwasasne had a dismal 5-12 mark. Even with that kind of disparity between the two teams, Clark said he isn’t taking the Thunder lightly. “I think it’s going to be fairly even,” he said. “They have a strong offensive team and we have got a pretty good defensive team. I think we might have a bit of a speed advantage on them coming out of the back end, but it’ll be close.” The key for Barrie will be shutting down Tavares and the Thunder’s power play. Sanderson said a lot of the pressure is going to fall on the shoulders of goaltenders Rob Blasdell and Mike Miron, but he feels they are up to the challenge. “We are strong from the goal on out and that’s the key to any series,” he said. “Anytime you have a John Tavares in the lineup, you have to be concerned. He loves playing in big games and that’s what he’s known for. We have to be very cautious and prepared to take care of Mr. Tavares.” Barrie won the season series with Akwasasne 2-1 with both of its wins coming on home floor. Regular season success against a team means little come playoff time, though, said Clark. He’s sure both teams will be ready to battle right from tonight’s opening faceoff. “Staying out of the box and being efficient in what we do are going to be important,” he said. “We have to avoid mistakes in all aspects of our game and stay systematic.” As an expansion franchise, the Lakeshores will be leaning heavily on Clark for his experience in dealing with the pressures of playing in a big game, but many of them have been there before. Clark said it’s going to be a matter of sticking to the same routines and coming to the rink focused and ready to play hard every shift. “The playoffs are a grind and how you win is you wear teams down with consistency,” he said. “We want to employ all the strategies we’ve been working on all year and be like a machine and grind them up and wear them down as the game, and the series, goes on.” The one difference from the NLL playoffs to the MSL playoffs is the format. The NLL playoffs are a one-game winner take all, while the opening round of the MSL is a best-of-five format. Clark said it makes no difference to him. In fact, he feels a best-of type series plays right into Barrie’s hands. “I think in a series you truly do get the best team winning,” he said. “You can upset a team in one game, but it’s hard to upset them three times. The one good thing is the best team usually comes out on top in a series.” The Lakeshores will have the chance to prove whether or not they are the best team in the series starting tonight at 8:00 PM.

Lakers Enjoy Respite By Mike Lacey: myKawartha.com Wednesday July 27, 2005 PETERBOROUGH -- For the first time in 24 years, a Peterborough Laker has won the league's scoring title. Scott Evans finished the Major Series Lacrosse regular season as the loop's leading scorer. His 96 total points and 46 goals were both tops in the league this year. The last time a Laker brought home the scoring title was 1981 when Jim Johnston netted 55 goals and 110 points. The achievement ties in nicely with the Kawartha Chrysler Lakers first overall finish this season with a record of 14 wins and four losses. The top spot ranking has earned the club a bye in the first round of the league playoffs. Evans couldn't be reached for comment but Lakers coach and general manager Jamie Batley says the achievement is very good news for both the team and the city as a whole. "(Evans) plays very hard," adds Batley. While Evans has improved his skills in various areas of his game, Batley notes, at his core, he is a pure goal scorer. Lakers' Dan Carey was also in the league's top 10 in scoring with 30 goals and 66 points. In the first round of playoffs, fifth-place St.Catharines takes on fourth-place Six Nations in a best-of-five series while third-place Barrie battles sixth-place Akwesasne. The winners from both those series will take on the first-place Lakers and second-place Brampton in the semi-finals. Batley says the respite will help his club. "We'll get a chance to heal our wounds," he says. adding a broken thumb suffered by Jason Clarke could well be healed in time for semi-finals. Lakers' playoff tickets went on sale today (Wednesday). Fans can purchase their tickets in person or over the telephone. Tickets will be sold in four-game packages. Refunds will be given for any games not played. Tickets are $12 adults, $8 seniors and students, and $3 children.

Fight To The Finish Gaels and Akwesasne To Play 5th & Deciding Game By Brad Kelly: durham.com Wednesday July 27, 2005 CORNWALL ISLAND - The battle will continue. In a series that has had just about everything one could imagine through four games, there will be a fifth and deciding game to determine who advances in the East Conference semifinal series between the Clarington Green Gaels and Akwesasne Lightning. Akwesasne ensured as much Monday night on their home floor, prevailing 15-14 in double overtime to force Game 5, Thursday at 8 p.m. in Bowmanville at the Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex. "(Akwesasne) was very well prepared and we didn't step off the bus very well," said general manager Doug Luey of how things unfolded Monday night in a replay of Game 2 of the series that the Green Gaels protested, and won, over a botched call on goaltender Joel Weber's equipment. But that sluggishness described by Luey only applied early on, as the Green Gaels fell behind 7-0 before scoring late in the first to finish the period down 7-1. From that point on, though the Green Gaels appeared headed for a certain loss, they rebounded and twice scored in the dying seconds of a period to prolong the game. "There is no way I can be critical of the players. There are some games that are character building wins, but this was a character building loss. They came back time after time and it seemed for a while that it was destiny and we were not going to lose," said Luey. After clawing their way back into the game during a dominating second period in which they outscored Akwesasne 7-2 to trail by one at 9-8, the Green Gaels needed a Steve Hutchins goal with just six seconds remaining in regulation time to square the game at 11-11 after three periods. More heroics would follow in the first overtime period, played to a full 10 minutes, as Justin Fox knotted the game at 14-14 with just three seconds left to play, sending the game into a sudden-death second overtime. After both teams had a couple of chances to close the game out, Akwesasne's Andrew Lazore potted his fourth goal of the night just over four minutes in to end the marathon, tying the best-of-five series at two games apiece. The goal helped Akwesasne avoid elimination, setting the stage for Thursday's winner-take-all showdown, where Luey is hopeful home floor advantage will provide an edge. "It's hard for anyone to sit on a bus for four hours and then go out and run for two," he said of making the long trek from near Cornwall. "The attitude on the bus ride home was good. Nobody was sulking," added Luey of his team's upbeat mindset after the loss. "They could have folded down 7-0 but didn't and came back. The mood wasn't sombre by any means." THE SCOOP - The leading scorer for the Green Gaels on Monday was Shane Sargent, who scored once and added seven helpers. Steve Hutchins, Phil McIlhone and Justin Fox had three goals each...The game was a relatively tame affair, with Akwesasne tagged for 22 penalty minutes and the Green Gaels just 14...Brandon McFarlane, obtained late in the season from Sarnia, is questionable for Thursday's game, injured during Friday's game in Bowmanville...The winner gets the Oakville Buzz in the East conference final.

Northmen Inch Closer To Ultimate Goal By MIKE RAWN: Orangeville Banner Tuesday July 26, 2005 ORANGEVILLE -- When Bob Clevely took over as general manager of the Orangeville Jr."B" Northmen prior to the 2004 season, he expressed the desire to have Northmen teams win Founders and Minto Cups in the same year. Of course, Clevely isn't alone in this wish -- as every Northmen coach, player and fan is well aware of how lofty an accomplishment this would be. Especially for a town of our modest size. While this is a noble ambition, it's one that I've always felt would be too difficult to attain. The major obstacle lies with the 'B' team, who have to compete against much larger centres without the services of our town's top 25 players, who suit up for the 'A' squad. Lately, though, I've been having a change of heart. The playoffs couldn't have begun any better for the Rayburn Construction Junior "A" Northmen. A sweep of the Toronto Beaches have them rested and awaiting a second round opponent -- either Peterborough or Kitchener-Waterloo, teams that the Northmen defeated twice each in the regular season. The best news may be that the Six Nations Arrows -- who swept the Northmen out of the playoffs a year ago and are responsible for two of Orangeville's three regular season defeats -- struggled in the opening round before finally defeating the expansion Ottawa Titans in six games. Meanwhile the Jr. "B" Northmen, who barely escaped the opening round of the playoffs with a narrow game five victory over Niagara, rolled past Six Nations in the Western Conference semi-finals. While the Northmen have had a full week off to get healthy, Elora and Spartan played a tough five game series (game five goes tonight) to earn the right to meet Orangeville. The Northmen would probably rather see Elora -- a team they defeated in three out of four regular season games -- than top seeded Spartan. Riding the hot play of goalie Nick Rose, the Western Conference Rookie of the Year, and James Reid, who ranks fifth in playoff scoring with 27 points in eight games, the Northmen believe that they can compete with anyone. Another obstacle both teams may have to overcome is competing in Western Canada (the Founders Cup begins Aug. 23 in Saskatoon; the Minto Aug. 26 in Edmonton). Travel and hometown refereeing make winning a monumental task; in fact, the last road team to win a Minto Cup was the Northmen in 1996. So even if it doesn't happen this year, this playoff run may well lay the groundwork for next summer. The Junior Bs -- who have fielded their most talented team since reentering the league in 2001 -- should be even deeper next year. The Junior As will return the majority of their key players in 2006, when the national championships will be played on Ontario soil (the Founders Cup will be held in Windsor; the Minto Cup in Six Nations). Of course, the Northmen still have a long way to go before they can celebrate provincial titles this summer. But they've made a believer out of me, and you can bet that the rest of the lacrosse world is taking notice, too.

A Leader To The End Rama Kings Captain Chad Thompson Parlays Jr. "A" Success Into Shot At Majors By Toby Gorman: Packet & Times Tuesday July 26, 2005 MNJIKANING -- It was a gesture that isn’t seen much these days. When it was clear the 2005 Rama Hammond Kings’ ship had sunk and the team wasn’t going to make the playoffs, head coach Brad MacArthur sat his captain down and asked if he wanted to be traded to a team that had a crack at the title. Chad Thompson had earned it, after all. He had spent seven years with the Kings, a team that is perennially overwhelmed by much stronger lacrosse centres that can lure tougher and older players. In the last three years, Thompson had found himself surrounded by young players on a team with little hope of reaching the playoffs. In Thompson’s final year of Junior A lacrosse, MacArthur wanted to know if his reliable and hard-working captain was desperate for some kind of reward. He wasn’t. “I just told him I’ve been a King my whole career and I was going to stay a King,” said Thompson. “I grew up in the Orillia minor lacrosse system and have played here all my life. “In the time I’ve been here, I’ve seen guys come up and, when it looked like they didn’t have a chance at winning, they’d leave, and that always frustrated me. I didn’t want to be like that.” It’s a refreshing perspective when so many athletes have realized there may be no “I” in team, but there is an “M” and an “E.” It’s especially important when one understands how many times Thompson came off the floor, his face red with frustration because his team had lapsed for a minute and lost by a goal or two, hoping his teammates would pick up on his passion. And that passion didn’t quit. Not even in the Kings’ last game of the season against Orangeville, with the Northmen just minutes away from a shutout. You could tell Thompson was not going out like that. No. 12 stepped out the back door, clobbered two Northmen in the high slot and took a breakaway pass to score his last Junior A goal with just three minutes left in the game. That competitive fire earned Thompson, who scored 54 points this year, the John McCauley Memorial award, presented to the Junior A loop’s most outstanding defensive player award. “I saw the dedication in him and I saw the commitment,” said MacArthur. “He was our captain for a reason. But I suspect this season was frustrating for him. “He never said anything and he never complained once, and he never put himself before the team. You could see he wanted to get the most out of his team and, on many nights, it just wasn’t happening.” As the Kings disappeared off the edge of the Junior A regular schedule, Thompson, along with teammates Brock Boynton and Greg Elvins, were reassigned to the Kings’ Junior B affiliate, the Barrie Tornados. Already having said goodbye to his Ontario Hockey League career earlier this season, joining the Tornados gave Thompson an opportunity to slip through the last door in his athletic career just before it slammed shut. As a result of joining the Tornados, Thompson found a spot on the Barrie Lakeshores in the Major loop alongside MacArthur just before the playoffs. And he has already shown he belongs with the best players in the country. Barrie, which finished third in the league with a 10-7 record, will likely begin the playoffs against Akwesasne this week. Thompson’s time with the Lakeshores will be a good opportunity for him to crack open some doors that may have appeared to be closing just a few weeks ago. With the National Lacrosse League draft just around the corner, Thompson, 21, will likely attract some attention. “I don’t think teams looking for a pure goal scorer will look his way, but, if I were a team with the five to 10 pick, I think Chad would be a huge asset,” added MacArthur. “Any team likes a guy that plays with an edge. He’s got a bright future and he’ll find himself somewhere.” At the very least, he’ll find himself enrolled at Brock University in the fall, tackling a social science degree and playing for the school’s hockey team. “It’s been a crazy year,” said Thompson. “But, after everything has settled, realistically, there is more opportunity for me in lacrosse. This is where the path has gone.”

2005 OLA Junior "A" Award Winners
THE JOHN 'GUS' McCAULEY MEMORIAL AWARD Outstanding Defensive Player- Chad Thompson, Orillia Rama Kings

THE JOEY NIEUWENDYK AWARD Rookie of the Year- Justin Delormier, Ottawa Titans

THE GAYLORD POWLESS MEMORIAL AWARD Most Sportsmanlike Player- Corey Small, St.Catharines Athletics

THE GREEN GAEL AWARD, IN MEMORY OF DENNIS McINTOSH Most Valuable Player- Justin Delormier, Ottawa Titans

THE JIM VELTMAN AWARD Outsatnding Player- Shawn Evans, Peterborough Lakers

THE BOBBY ALLAN AWARD Scoring Champion- Daryl Veltman, Orangeville Northmen

THE ROBERT MELVILLE MEMORIAL AWARD Goaltending, Fewest Goals Against, Mike Poulin & Andy Sumka, Orangeville Northmen

THE JACK BIONDA MEMORIAL AWARD All Star Game MVP- Mitch Nanticoke, Six Nations Arrows

THE JIM BISHOP MEMORIAL AWARD Coaching Staff of the Year- Peter Vipond & staff, Ottawa Titans

Titans' Bench Named As OLA Coaching Staff of the Year Saturday July 23, 2005 OTTAWA -— The Ottawa Titans are pleased to announce that the Ontario Lacrosse Association has honoured the Titans coaching staff with the Jim Bishop Memorial Award. This award is presented annually to the Ontario Junior “A” lacrosse Coaching Staff of the Year. The 2005 season has been a remarkable year for Junior “A” lacrosse in Ottawa. The Titans started their inaugural season in early May with few expectations, but incredibly, Pete Vipond and his coaching staff delivered a regular season that was beyond initial expectations. The Titans began the year with two road victories and finished the regular season with 9 wins and 13 losses, sufficient for an eighth-place finish and a playoff position in the twelve-team OLA Junior “A” league. The Ottawa Titans have continued to provide more than their share of surprises and thrills in the 2005 post-season. Not only are the Titans winning games, but they are also playing an exciting brand of lacrosse. The coaches include Pete Vipond, Chad Fairfoull, Andre Leduc, Joe Phillips, Greg Kent and Mike Jamieson. The Titans coaching staff have a tremendous amount of experience at all levels of lacrosse including the National Lacrosse League, the OLA Major Series, OLA Junior , and minor lacrosse. Congratulations to all six coaches for the great job you have done with the Ottawa Titans this year. Ted Montour Media Relations Co-ordinator Ottawa Titans Junior Lacrosse Club (613) 240-2037

Woodies Face Their Equals By Bill Walker: Sun Times Saturday July 23, 2005 OWEN SOUND -- It’s not really a battle of strength-versus-strength for the Owen Sound Carruthers-Nicol Woodsmen and the Mohawk Stars. While the Woodies own the Ontario Lacrosse Association Senior "B" League’s top defence and the Stars possess its most potent offence, the winner of this semifinal series will likely be the team whose supposed weakness isn’t so weak. “They’ve got a very good offensive squad and good goaltending,” Woodies coach Terry Sanderson said in an interview. “I think our strengths are our defence and our goaltending. I’d put our D up against anyone in the league so it should be a good match-up.” The two teams meet in Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinal tonight. Game time at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre is 8:00 PM. The Woodies are a defence-first squad that allowed a league-low 6.4 goals per game in the regular season. They’ll be testing this strength against the Stars, who lead the Senior B loop with 10.4 goals per game. “Defence is all about hard work and communication, so that will be our focus in trying to contain and beat the Stars,” said Sanderson, who notes his offence won’t be thrown off its game by a physical Mohawk defence. “Anyone can handle physical play, it’s the cheap shots that we don’t like. If liberties are taken, we’ve got guys who can deal with it. If they play us straight up, it will be a great series.” Where this series may very well be decided is with the Woodies’ offence and the Stars’ defence. Both finished third in the league with Owen Sound averaging 9.2 GPG while Mohawk allowed 7.9 GPG. “We have to key in on some of their players, because they’ve got some guys who can put the ball in the net,” said Stars’ owner Travis Hill. “We have to step up our defence too. We like to play tough and that’s always been our game, but there’s a thin line between tough and stupid. If you’re stupid, you end up in the penalty box.” Hill is right to be concerned with the Stars’ penchant for taking penalties as Mohawk led the Senior B loop with an average of 35.4 minutes per game. That’s almost 15 minutes (35.4 to 20.5) more than the Woodies. “We’re bad for taking dumb penalties and I know with Sanderson behind the bench, they’ll capitalize on that,” said Hill. The Woodies swept St. Clair 3-0 in the quarter-finals as the Storm took themselves out of the games by taking too many dumb penalties in a failed effort to intimidate Owen Sound. “A lot of teams try to do that with us and they should know that we’re as tough as any team in the league,” said Sanderson. “If we choose to play that way, we can. We choose not to because we have a better chance of winning the longer we can play five-on-five.” The Stars won a tough five-game quarter-final series against Arthur with Neil Bomberry taking over in goal for the last three. “He played really well,” said Hill. Scott Paterson will likely get the nod in goal for Owen Sound. Sat Jul/23 Mohawk Stars at Owen Sound 8:00 PM Sun Jul/24 Owen Sound at Mohawk Stars 8:00 PM Wed Jul/27 Mohawk Stars at Owen Sound 8:30 PM Fri Jul/29 Owen Sound at Mohawk Stars 8:30 PM Sat Jul/30 Mohawk Stars at Owen Sound 8:30 PM

Justin Delormier Collects Two OLA Awards Saturday July 23, 2005 OTTAWA -— The Ottawa Titans are pleased to announce that the Ontario Lacrosse Association has honoured goalie Justin Delormier with two prestigeous awards this week. Justin was named the 2005 OLA Junior “A” Rookie of the Year (the Joe Nieuwendyk Award) AS WELL AS the The Dennis Macintosh Memorial Trophy for the Most Valuable Player. Winning either one of these awards is an incredible accomplishment, but to be recognized by the league as the recipient of both is something special. Certainly, Ottawa Titans players, fans and opposing players fully appreciate why Justin was given these two honours. The quiet 5’9”, 205 lb. goaltender is a 1st year junior who played for the Akwesasne midget team last year and was a walk-on to the Titans training camp. This year he has started every game but one and he has made a significant contribution to the success of the Titans. Delormier leads all Titans goalies with a 7.23 GAA and a save percentage of 86.7%, both exceptionally impressive numbers for lacrosse goalies, particularly when considering that the Titans are an expansion team. Justin provides the Titans players with a strong sense of security, knowing they can rely on him to make the big saves when they are needed. Clearly, Justin is the foundation upon which a championship team will be constructed over the next few seasons. Congratulations to Justin Delormier, the OLA’s 2005 Rookie of the Year and 2005 Most Valuable Player. Ted Montour Media Relations Co-ordinator Ottawa Titans Junior Lacrosse Club (613) 240-2037

Two Milestones Reached By Mike Davies: Peterborough Examiner Saturday July 23, 2005 PETERBOROUGH -- Scott Evans and Kawartha Chrysler Lakers hit milestones last night. Evans became the first Peterborough player to win an OLA major series scoring title in 24 years and KC Lakers clinched first place overall for the first time in 19 years with a 16-7 victory over Akwesasne Thunder before a season high 1,957 fans at the Memorial Centre. The KC Lakers finished 14-4-0, one win better than last season, clinching home floor advantage throughout the playoffs. They earn a first-round playoff bye. “Aug. 4 is a Thursday and we’re looking at that date to start,” Lakers’ coach/GM Jamie Batley said. “The first-round has to be over by Aug. 2. We’ll practice three times in that span and be ready to go.” Batley was pleased to see his team sweep three games in three nights to get first place for the first time since 1986 when the Lakers played a 12-game schedule in a three-team league. “It’s another big accomplishment for this team,” said Batley. “It reflects back on the coaching staff and the foundation of the team which was here last year and is here this year. They just keep accomplishing new things.” Evans entered the game four points ahead of Akwesasne’s John Tavares for the league scoring lead. He had two goals and five assists for seven points while Tavares was limited to one assist. Evans ends the season with 46 goals and 50 assists for 96 points. Tavares finishes with 31 goals and 55 assists for 86 points. Both played 17 games. Akwesasne and Brampton have elected not to make up a postponed game from earlier this season, since it wouldn’t affect the standings, giving Evans the scoring title. The last Laker to win the honours was Jim (J.J.) Johnston in 1981 when he compiled 55 goals and 110 points. “It’s a good personal accomplishment and I’m proud to have it,” Evans, who twice finished second in scoring as a junior, said. “It’s really a team off -ence. I have to thank my teammates for it. The guy I was fighting for it with was Tavares and our defence kept him to one point tonight. Our defence absolutely shut him down.” Evans said it was bigger to clinch first place. “We have home court throughout the play -offs and I don’t think too many teams like to come into this barn,” he said. Dan Carey led the offence with four goals and three assists while Stephen Evans had a hat trick and three assists. The game was tied 3-3 after 20 minutes. The Lakers blew it open with five straight goals to end the second, including four in a 3:28 span in the final five minutes to go up 8-4. John McLellan, traded from the Lakers to Akwesasne earlier this year, replaced starting goalie Daylan Adams after the eighth goal. “Both teams came out pretty flat,” McLellan said. “Peterborough wasn’t their usual self in the first period. They usually come out run and gun but I guess that’s from the three games in a row. Our boys just fell off the second period. We got lackadaisical and just couldn’t bounce back. ” McLellan said he was OK with the trade as he knew he wouldn’t get much playing time behind Lakers’ starter Pat O’Toole. “Jamie Batley didn’t just trade me; he asked me if I wanted to go,” said McLellan. “He thought it would be a good chance for me to play and that’s what I needed was to get some playing time. He said they might see me back here down the road.” The sixth-place Thunder will face third-place Barrie in a best-of-five opening round series. Fourth-place Six Nations host fifth-place St. Catharines. NOTES: John Grant Jr. dressed for his fourth game, although he did not participate in the play, to make him eligible for playoffs. He can’t join the Lakers until his pro field lacrosse team in Rochester is done. Their regular season ends Aug. 13. Rochester is currently two points out of a playoff spot... Peterborough native Dustin Dunn, 16, made his major series debut and notched an assist. Dunn, son of ex-Laker Dan Dunn, was called up to fill in for a shortstaffed Lakers’ squad. He played junior B this year for Markham who have been eliminated from playoffs... Jason Clark will get a cast off his broken hand this week but is still expected to be out several weeks. Scott Eldridge was hospitalized with a high fever and suspected dehydration suffered this week while working a summer job with area police, said Batley. Also missing were Jamie McKeracher and Mike Accursi with other commitments. Gerry Marino and Mike Powell were working. THE SCOOP KC Lakers 16, Thunder 7 Lakers (14-4-0) scorers: Dan Carey (4-3), Stephen Evans (3-3), Scott Evans (2-5), Mat Giles (2-4), Richard Haan (2-1), Corey Leigh (2-1), Tim Burke (1-0), Scott Self (0-3), Dustin Dunn (0-1), Chris Panos (0-1), Brad Self (0-2), Kyle Laverty (0-1). Thunder (5-12-0) scorers: Scott Thompson (2-1), Brandon Francis (2-0), Jon Kane (1-1), Garrett Cree (1-0), Pete Tavares (1-0), John Tavares (0-1). Next up for the Lakers: KC Lakers receive a first-round playoff bye. They hope to begin their OLA major series semifinal, against an opponent to be determined, Aug. 4 at the Memorial Centre.

Excels Lose Game, Appeal From Brampton Guardian Friday July 22, 2005 BRAMPTON -- Brampton Junior A Excelsiors are hoping they can end their Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA) quarterfinal with Kitchener Waterloo Braves tonight at home at 8 p.m. But even with a win Brampton might still not be done with the Braves. The Excelsiors lost 9-4 on the road on Wednesday night, and depending on boardroom matters that could give the team a 3-2 series lead, or it may mean the series is 2-2. There is still controversy over the first game in the series, a 5-3 Brampton win in Kitchener. Following the game the Braves filed an appeal claiming Brampton used an ineligible affiliated player. There has been a series of appeals by both teams, but as of Wednesday afternoon the OLA ruled in favour of the Braves and ordered the game replayed. That does not sit well with the Excelsiors. "I'm not going to take this lying down,'' said a steamed Excelsiors GM Bob Bartlett. He said that the executive director and president of the OLA overruled a decision made by its own appeals committee. "This is in violation of their constitution,'' said Bartlett. He said yesterday morning he would be looking at all his options and the Excelsiors would do everything they can to have the result stand. The Guardian contacted the OLA office yesterday and was told that the league would make no comment. On Wednesday, the Braves led 3-1 after the first period and 6-3 after the second. The Excelsiors got two goals and an assist from Jeff Shattler. Ryan Campbell and John McClure had a goal and assist each. Andrew Fulong had two assists with singles by Jamie Jessop and Brendan Doran. The seventh, or if you prefer the sixth game will be in Kitchener on Sunday. If there is another game needed no date has been set.

Over And Out For Redmen Brooklin Misses Playoffs For First Time Since 1976 By Brian McNair: durham.com Thursday July 21, 2005 WHITBY -- For the first time in 29 years, the Brooklin Redmen won't know what to do with themselves when the Major Series Lacrosse regular season comes to a close. The Peterborough Lakers dashed the Redmen playoff hopes with a 12-9 win Wednesday at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre. Now 4-13 with their final game tomorrow in St. Catharines, the Redmen, at best, can tie the Akwesasne Thunder, who hold the tie-breaking advantage based on a 2-1 head-to-head record. So, the Redmen will not partake in the post-season party for the first time since 1976, when a 7-17 record wasn't good enough to make the grade. "I'm very disappointed and frustrated for a lot of reasons," says general manager Barry Johnson. "You can make all kinds of excuses... but I think not being able to play a complete game has hurt us all season." Indeed, the Redmen would have fared much better had they not blown six third-period leads this season. But on Wednesday, with the season on the line, it was the first period that proved their undoing, as the Lakers scored 27 seconds in and carried a 6-2 lead into the middle frame. "I don't know if it was the jitters, but it didn't look like we were putting up the effort needed to win," Johnson says in reference to the slow start. It was an important game, too, for the defending Mann Cup champion Lakers, who improved to 12-4 and moved three points up on Brampton atop the standings. Peterborough did a magnificent job shutting down Redmen captain Shawn Williams, who managed only a single assist in the game. "You can't have a team revolve around one guy," Johnson says in defence of Williams, who missed Saturday's key loss to St. Catharines because he was the best man at a wedding. "We needed other guys to step up. If all your eggs are in one basket, it's pretty easy to shut you down." Jeff Zywicki stepped up, at least, on Wednesday, leading the Redmen with five goals and an assist. Steve Toll, Matt Taylor, Ashton McLean and Dave Campbell scored the other Brooklin goals. Brad Self, Dan Carey and Matt Giles led the Lakers with five points each, while ex-Redmen player Jason Crosbie scored twice. It was a frustrating season from the get-go for the Redmen, who lost several NLL players from last season and were forced to fire new coach Wayne Colley after a 1-5 start. Still, Johnson believes the team was strong enough to at least make the playoffs. "It shouldn't have happened this year," says Johnson, adding the team needs more resources to stay competitive at this level. "Maybe it's a blessing in disguise, a wake-up call to help us move forward."

League Shoots Itself With Ridiculous Ruling By JEFF HICKS: The Record Thursday July 21, 2005 KITCHENER-WATERLOO -- At three o'clock yesterday afternoon, the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves were on the brink of elimination. At 3:05, they got an e-mail. A Game 1 replay was ordered. Suddenly, the Braves had two lacrosse lives to spare going into last night's playoff game against the Brampton Excelsiors. A 3-1 series deficit was electronically trimmed. The Braves trailed 2-1. Welcome to the Ontario Lacrosse Association Jr. A playoffs, folks. It's all about forfeits, fines, appeals, overturned rulings and turning stomachs. Meanwhile, few could keep track of how the gosh-darned series stood. "It's a gong show," said befuddled Kitchener-Waterloo Braves coach and general manager Corey Hallman. Yup, somebody call the Unknown Comic and get the name of his wardrobe man. This league should be wearing a bag over its head. The e-mail Hallman received from embattled league commish Dean McLeod yesterday didn't change that. So what if the OLA trinity of McLeod, president Chuck Miller and executive director Stan Cockerton invoked the papal infallibility clause and issued a directive ordering a replay of the infamous first game in the series. You do remember that, don't you? The Braves lost 5-3 at home two Tuesdays ago. But those Excelsiors, claiming ignorance of a clear-cut Jr. A rule forbidding them from using an unaffiliated player in the playoffs, used such a player in Elora's Mike Piluk. Gong. That's when the fun began. The Braves protested the game and won. McLeod, with arm-twisting from Miller, ordered his hometown Excelsiors to forfeit the game. Funny how things work. The Braves lost in Brampton on Friday to slip behind 2-0 in the series. On Saturday, they won the protest. On Sunday, they won on the floor. By Monday, they were up 2-1. Not bad work by Hallman and Co. Gong. Brampton won Monday's game to tie the series 2-2. On Tuesday night in Toronto, the Excelsiors successfully appealed the forfeit ruling to take an apparent 3-1 series lead. A three-man OLA panel overturned the forfeit ruling after the Excelsiors and McLeod, who insisted all along a $2,000 fine was the proper penalty, addressed the panel. The Excelsiors were fined $2,000 but got their win back. Only one problem. The Braves never got to make their case. Hallman and Braves president Al Watt sat for three hours in the OLA offices on Tuesday, waiting to speak. When they finally tapped on the door to see what the holdup was, they found two members of the panel had left. The Excelsiors exited with a victory -- and hopefully a copy of the league constitution -- in their back pockets. Hallman was dumfounded. This was crazier than the media gag order that McLeod placed on both teams, over the original K-W protest, during a pre-game meeting in the bowels of Brampton Arena last Friday. So yesterday, as Hallman launched an appeal of Tuesday's ruling, eight Braves believed they were hours from possibly playing the last game of their junior lacrosse careers. Then, an afternoon e-mail arrived from the commish and Brampton's lead was sliced to 2-1. The first game, if necessary, will be replayed at the end of the series, the note proclaimed. Brampton will be fined $1,000 too. No more appeals. No more discussion until the next Jr. A council meeting when rules can be clarified. Just tell the press this decision is best for the game. Yeah, it solves everything. Don't forget your paper bags, fellas.

Playing Politics By Kevin Gould: Cornwall Standard Freeholder Thursday July 21, 2005 CORNWALL -- That series stranglehold enjoyed by the Akwesasne Lightning? It was loosened a bit on Wednesday. A protest filed by the Clarington Green Gaels was upheld by the Ontario Lacrosse Association on Wednesday, meaning instead of leading the best-of-five Junior B Far East Division playoff 2-0, the Akwesasne Lightning lead 1-0, with Game 2 (initially played on Sunday, an 11-6 win for the Lightning) having to be replayed. Follow the bouncing ball on this one folks, as we mix politics with lacrosse. • Early in Sunday’s game on Cornwall Island, the Green Gaels called for an equipment measure on Akwesasne goalie Angus Goodleaf. It involved his upper body padding, and was found to be up to standard. The result was a delay of game penalty to the Green Gaels. If found with illegal equipment, Goodleaf would have been ejected from the contest. • Just over three minutes into the game, with Akwesasne up 1-0, the Lightning called for an equipment check of Clarington goalie Joel Weber, involving the sweater, and what Akwesasne coach Vince Thompson refers to as “bat wings.” The referee determined the shirt to be illegal, Weber was tossed from the contest, and the Lightning went on to take that series stranglehold we referred to. • The Green Gaels appealed the ref’s decision earlier this week, and the OLA supported the appeal, determining that the ref’s decision was wrong, and striking Game 2 from the record books, ordering that it be replayed from the point of the equipment check. • All of which means, the game will restart with Akwesasne up 1-0. We think. “All we have is verbal confirmation,” said Lightning assistant general manager Lewis Morris on Wednesday. “We haven’t seen anything officially in writing, but we’ve been told we’ll have to replay the game. “We’re awaiting the particulars.” Morris expects the details to be worked out today, but the likely scenario will have Akwesasne travelling to Bowmanville (home of the Green Gaels) as scheduled, for Friday and Saturday contests. A fourth game, if necessary, would be back in Akwesasne. “If everything works out, we’ll go up there and win the two games, and it won’t matter,” said Morris, “but we’re up 1-0 now.” The Lightning are also looking into whether they can appeal the decision to strike Game 2 from the record. “We’re playing games on technicalities, not really playing the games,” said Morris. “That’s the kind of series it is I guess. It’s quite a heated rivalry.” Indeed. Last season, the Gaels eliminated the Lightning from the playoffs, in a series which saw them call for three illegal equipment charges against Akwesasne. “These guys just seem to have a whole bag of tricks,” said Lightning head coach Vince Thompson. “They’re always pulling things, and we’re getting the short end of the stick. “To me, the call made by the referee was the right one. They (Clarington) got the raw end of the stick, and they can’t take it. “At first, it kind of ruined my day, but to be honest, I feel confident we can go up there and finish it Saturday.” That is what Thompson will focus on, once the backroom politics are taken care of. “Regardless, we’re up 1-0 — at least,” said the second-year coach. “We just have to make a stronger statement, by beating them two straight up there.”

Green Gaels' Protest Upheld From durham.com Wednesday July 20, 2005 DURHAM -- In a strange twist to the Jr. "B" lacrosse playoffs, the Clarington Green Gaels may get another chance at winning Game 2 of their series with the Akwesasne Lightning. The game, played in Akwesasne Sunday, was won 11-6 by the Lightning, but only after a controversial call that saw Gaels goalie Joel Weber called for an illegal jersey infraction and ejected 3:49 in. Clarington played the game under protest, arguing the ejection was too harsh. The matter was reviewed Tuesday and the protest upheld by the Ontario Lacrosse Association, whose rules stipulate Weber should have been given the option of rectifying the problem rather than being ejected. The bottom line is the Gaels now trail the best-of-five series 1-0, with Game 2 to be replayed from the moment of the penalty call. Akwesasne led the game 1-0 at that point. Games 3 and 4 will go on as scheduled in Bowmanville, Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m., with Game 2 to be resumed in Akwesasne if necessary. That game, plus a potential fifth game originally set for Sunday in Bowmanville, need to be re-scheduled. • • •

Rock Bear Down For Date With Kodiaks Semifinal Series Set To Begin In Kitchener-Waterloo On Sunday By Al Rivett: durham.com Wednesday July 20, 2005 DURHAM -- The Ajax-Pickering Rock must grin and bear it as their next playoff opponent is the top-ranked Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks. Ajax-Pickering Rock head coach-GM Paul St. John wanted to avoid a OLA senior 'B' lacrosse semifinal matchup with the Kodiaks, hoping the Arthur Aces could dispatch the Six Nations Mohawk Stars in Game 5 of their divisional series. But, with the Stars' 10-4 win Sunday, the Rock were seeded fourth in the league semifinal series, meaning they square off against the Kodiaks in a best-of-five series, starting in Kitchener-Waterloo Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Rock earned their way into the league semifinal with a 12-8 win in Game 4 of their best-of-five divisional series with the Brooklin Merchants in Whitby on Friday. St. John notes the Rock-Kodiaks series will be a battle between two teams that employ a similar style. The Kodiaks are led by goaltender Steve Dietrich, affectionately known as 'Chugger', of the National Lacrosse League's Buffalo Bandits, and Corey Quinn, the Bandits' backup ballstopper. The Kodiaks finished with a league-best 10-4-0 mark for 20 points, five points better than the Rock, which finished fourth overall with a mark of 7-6-1. Although the two teams sawed off their regular-season meetings, the Rock did beat the Kodiaks 8-5 in the last meeting, on June 24. "They're the best in the league, no ifs, ands or buts. They finished first overall, but I think we match up well against them. They're a lot like us - they like to run and they have great goaltending. Their defence is strong. They can go big and try to pound you or they can go small and try to run with you. They averaged 10 goals a game in the regular season and averaged 11 in the first round of the playoffs. "We were hoping to avoid Kitchener until the final, where we would be an automatic berth into the nationals (because the Presidents Cup is to be hosted in Kitchener-Waterloo). But, who wants an easy way in? We want to beat them and prove we belong. Are we worried? Absolutely. But, at the same time, we're quietly confident we can do the job." St. John acknowledges he must get the optimum performances out of its quintet of pro players - Jim Veltman, John Veltman, Dan Ladouceur, Jason Crosbie and Jay Preece - if the team has any hope of advancing to the league final. So far, Jim Veltman, captain of the reigning NLL champion Toronto Rock, has been a rock in the Ajax-Pickering lineup. The senior league's most valuable player this season, Jim Veltman has five goals and 11 assists in the post-season. Meanwhile, Crosbie, of the Bandits, has three goals and 11 assists. While Jim Veltman and Crosbie must continue to have the scoring touch, the Rock will also have to rely heavily on the defence provided by Ladouceur, goaltender Preece and John Veltman, who wasn't available for the Brooklin series. A fast start was the key to the Rock's series-clinching victory over Brooklin. Ajax -Pickering built up a comfor -table 7-1 bulge in the first period, before the Merchants came back with a later marker. The Rock were outscored 5-2 in the second frame as Brooklin closed the gap to three goals by the end of the period. But, an early third-period goal by Bill McLean, essentially put the game on ice. Frank Littlejohn scored anempty-netter with less than five minutes remaining. Other Rock scorers were Brad Cann with 3, Crosbie with 2, Jared Bilich, Mark Craig, Aaron Binstock, Todd Hollinshead and Jaime Lumsden. Ajax-Pickering VS K-W Kodiaks Sun Jul/24 Ajax-Pickering at K-W 7:30 PM Tue Jul/26 K-W at Ajax-Pickering 8:30 PM Thu Jul/28 Ajax-Pickering at K-W 8:30 PM Sat Jul/30 K-W at Ajax-Pickering 8:00 PM Tue Aug/2 Ajax-Pickering at K-W 8:30 PM