Thursday May 5, 2005 PREAMBLE Well I'm back again but only after much soul searching. It became apparent by the end of last season that the Jr.A circuit had accomplished it's number one goal: to make the league so unpredictable that it would be foolish to try and forecast who would finish where in the future. None of us saw Six Nations coming and it appears that the seasons to come will be just as wide open. A far cry from the days when you had Peterborough, Oshawa and Whitby and you could pencil in each with 16-0 records before the season even began then wait and see who won the head to head matchups! Of course those teams also dominated at the Minto Cup. With today's parity comes mediocrity at the national level. Now we have a watered down Minto so I'll take this arrangement any day! All that being said, I will do my best to put what reputation I have left on the line. As competitive as 2005 should be I do see a two tier set up, with six teams all capable of winning the title(K-W, Orangeville, Peterborough, St.Catharines, Six Nations & Whitby) and the other six looking to progress to contender status by next season. Now I'm certainly not saying the top six can be pencilled in at 12-0 to begin - there will be plenty of upsets along the way. I'm also not saying the top six will finish #1 thru #6 - any of the bottom six teams could be in there with surprise winning seasons. Still I do believe only six teams can win it this year and I really would not favour any over any other. Footnote: I would not have given Six Nations any chance to win it last year. This really is idle speculation.
54th consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: 4 - 1952, 1957, 1958, 1959 OLA titles won: 10 - 1922, 1930, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1976, 1994 10 consecutive losing seasons made playoffs last 3 years Record in 21st Century: 34-78-3 2004 record: 12-15 Coach: Brian Beisel(12-15) The mark of a successful franchise is one that can win every year in spite of player changes. The '03 Excelsiors overcame the loss of some significant players and were as good the next year. Then they took themselves to a higher level in a brilliant Quarter Final series against Orangeville. Their three wins against the regular season champs was a record. Considering that eighth place teams over the past quarter century have only combined to win four times, the effort of Brampton was that much more remarkable. Yet the Excelsiors failed to close the deal as they lost a seventh game against an injury riddled Northmen squad that they should have won. So Brampton still has not rediscovered its winning tradition. They are moving in the right direction though. This year the loss of veteran talent is not as significant. Andy Secore being traded to Six Nations is the major change. A younger player who may be westward bound is Jamie Lincoln. If he's gone it will set the team back a year. At the other end graduating midgets, led by Dylan Evans, will give Brampton its best boost of young talent in some time. Draft picks are nice but, ultimately, it is the minor system which produces consistent winners at the Junior level. After a decade of decline, Brampton minor is turning itself around. Now it is up to the Excelsiors to take advantage of that. This club is being highly rated by many lacrosse people. Personally I do not yet see it on paper. The success the Excelsiors had last year was based on defence and goaltending. The offence has yet to impress. Yet they could be the most physically dominating team in the league. Sort of like the way Brampton played back in 1994, without the goonishness. BRAMPTON EXCELSIORS
30th consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: none OLA titles won: none *Semi Finalist in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1988 - swept 4-0 each time one winning season since 1980 missed playoffs last 3 years Record in 21st Century: 29-79 2004 record: 6-14 Coach: Jeremy Tallevi(20-45-3) An interesting point was made on the Fan Forum recently that Burlington's problem is that they are surrounded by strong Jr.B franchises, thus they can't convince Jr.B players to move up to Jr.A.. Mississauga may be in the same boat. Plus if a team has a reputation of being a bottom feeder it's tough to draw the best players. Nevertheless I don't think you can blame Burlington's lack of success on the Oakville Jr.B's(a fairly new franchise). The Chiefs have never had a good working relationship with Burlington minor - and that is death to any Jr.A team. There was even talk of moving the franchise back to Hamilton, yet the Hamilton/Bay Area Bengals never got along with Hamilton minor either - thus the move to Burlington over ten years ago. Overall, geography should be an asset to the Chiefs, not a liability. Still, it is Burlington minor that will give them much needed stability. As for the '05 Chiefs, they return most of their players. The leadership of Graham Sutherland will be missed. Burlington has made a move to improve its goaltending with Manitoban Drew Dickie. Returning players such as Trevor Colm, Stephan Leblanc, Joel Levielle, David Lomas and Trevor Wagar all have potential. Lomas is coming off a hockey injury but it would be a hugh boost if he could ever match his rookie season again. On paper, Burlington looks to be as good as any of the bottom six. Coaching is another asset. After a Founder's Cup win Tallevi has had some success with losing franchises in Brampton and Burlington, however it remains to be seen if he can breakthrough and lead the Chiefs to a winning record. Jim Brady has been the only one to do that ever since the club moved to Burlington. BURLINGTON CHIEFS
15th consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: none OLA titles won: none *Semi Finalist in 1992 - lost 4-2 to St.Catharines 2 consecutive winning seasons made playoffs 2 straight years Record in 21st Century: 38-75-1 2004 record: 12-12-1 Coach: Corey Hallman(29-40-1) The turnaround in Waterloo began with a strong crop of midgets. Now the Braves have positioned themselves to attract out of town players which could allow them to move to the level a team like Orangeville plays at. Personally I am as surprised as I am impressive. After last season's disappointment I feared the Braves might fall apart, with their best talent BC bound, following in the footsteps of an Aaron Wilson. Instead K-W retains all its players from a year ago and is importing the talent that will make them a serious contender. Full credit must go to Corey Hallman - the OLA's best dressed coach. He and his staff are making the Braves into an organisation kids want to play for. It seems that the days of not being able to hold on to a Brady Campbell are gone. With all of southwestern Ontario at Kitchener's fingertips the potential is enormous. The disappointment of a year ago was how much Ryan Benesch's performance dropped off. He certainly did not keep pace with Evans and Greer, as most would have expected him to. The answer to that is to diversify K-W's offence and take the pressure off Benesch. Dean Materi from the Alberta Jr.B loop is the most intriguing addition. After a solid rookie season in Wallaceburg Chris Lalonde is another exciting newcomer. Mike Fleming and Cam Monroe are a couple of more "B" players who should give the Braves two solid years each. Lest we forget returning talent such as Mark Tinning, Andrew Watt and Joel Wilson. Really all three should be producing more than they have in the past. For even more depth keep an eye on sophmores Alex Inch and Joe Pikul. K-W seems to have been more concerned with defence the last couple of years so there is good reason to expect they'll keep opponents from scoring too much. Another Albertan Ryan Dryburgh is solid between the pipes. This year he is the undisputed #1 as Mike Poulin has been dealt to Orangeville. I can't help but wonder if the Braves might regret this trade a year from now. For the time being Dryburgh looks to be the man. The past couple of seasons I've been skeptical of a Braves breakthrough. This time I really like what they've done this past off season and do believe this could be their year. Now if they can only win a playoff series and get the ball rolling! KITCHENER-WATERLOO BRAVES
18th consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: none OLA titles won: none *Finalist in 1967, 1968, 1974, 1975 - lost 4-1 in 1968 ending Gaels perfect season 1 winning season in last 10 years missed playoffs last 4 years Record in 21st Century : 22-62 2004 record: 0-20 Coach: not available Sometimes this job isn't much fun. Justin Burton, Marc Burton and Scott Gillingham all overage. Jeff Shattler shipped north to Brampton after the Tommies finally ran out of patience. No team has lost more talent than Mississauga coming into this season. Worst of all, the club is coming off a winless season! So they need to get through the transition of a new coach then that coach has to find the talent to, at least, get the team back to where they were last year. The Tomahawks did lose a couple of close games early in 2004 and never recovered. So an early win is crucial to turning things around this season. Missy open in Peterborough. There is always hope the inconsistent Lakers will slip(last year Peterborough won both games by a total of 3 goals). Next comes the crucial May 14th trip east for Ottawa's home opener. A very big confidence building game for both clubs. On the bright side, the Tommies have a fine list of young players to give them every hope of improvement. Hamiltonian Corey Stringer could become a star. Matt Carter was a neat surprise as a rookie. Brendan Sherrard, Scott Defrancesco and Matt Farrer are all decent players. Todd Bloxam came over in the Shattler trade and should be a nice boost to have a full season. So there are reasons to be optimistic. Still it's a long way to look up from 0-20. MISSISSAUGA TOMAHAWKS
15th consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: 3 - 1993, 1995, 1996 OLA titles won: 4 - 1993, 1995, 1996, 2000 12 consecutive winning seasons made playoff 14 straight years Record in 21st Century: 90-43-3 2004 record: 19-11-1 Coach: Matt Sawyer(0-0) The big news in Orangeville is that a Sanderson is no longer head coach. The last time that situation existed was in 1992 - the only time the Northmen have ever finished lower than sixth place! Now I'm not predicting disaster here, just stating a fact. The idea that Lindsay Sanderson would abandon this team to the dogs is pure fantasy. The transition will be as smooth as possible. With younger coaches they may actually have a better rapport with the players. Nevertheless, the best insurance policy Orangeville has is all that playing talent! I suppose any preview of the Northmen must attempt to digest what happened against Brampton last year. To be fair, the Excelsiors have a history of playoff success against Orangeville. They upset the 2nd place Northmen in '91, swept them in '92 and spoiled the 4 year Minto dynasty in '94. I chalk it all up to fate and it should have little relevance to 2005. If one thing did disturb me it was Game One of the Quarter Final. It occurred before the injuries or the wear and tear of so many games on consecutive nights. Yet it was one of the most defensive, most negatively played games I've ever witnessed. Literally both offences played like they were afraid to give up a goal. Given all Orangeville's offensive talent, they basically handicapped themselves by taking the offences out of the game. This was not the 1993 Final when Terry Sanderson faced a much more talented St.Catharines team, thus closed the series down and didn't give the A's any space to use their skill. That playoff run began a legacy of team oriented, ultra defensive Northmen squads. They have never been able to shake that legacy and I seriously question whether one of the most talented teams in the league should still be playing that way. It is no longer necessary for the Northmen to win by boring opposing offences to death. In fact, the Excelsiors nearly beat them at their own game. That should serve as a wakeup call. Yet the tradition established by Sanderson in '93 has spread throughout the entire minor system. I'm not sure the Northmen can change the way they play. Goaltender wise, Orangeville has done the best they could by replacing two graduating goalies with Mike Poulin. He should hold the fort for the next year or two, until Nick Rose makes the move up. No one expects Poulin to be a star but he shouldn't bring back memories of John Conway either. In fairness to the Northmen, there just are not many established goalies floating around. Orillia has been looking for a goaltender for five years now! Relatively speaking, Poulin is a nice coup. ORANGEVILLE NORTHMEN
8th consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: 3 - 1937, 1939, 1940 OLA titles won: 3 - 1937, 1939, 1940 1 winning season in 7 years missed playoffs last 2 seasons Record in 21st Century: 42-70-1 2004 record: 6-14 Coach: Brad MacArthur(0-0) The biggest off season acquisition may have been Orillia picking up head coach Brad MacArthur. After success with the Green Gaels and in Alberta, MacArthur arrives in Rama with an excellent reputation. His presence will give many players a reason to suit up for the Kings this season. That's a big deal considering the trouble Orillia has had with tempermental players in the past. In 2004 it was top draft pick Mike McLeod returning home to Owen Sound and holding out for a trade to Orangeville. The Kings have strengthened their Owen Sound connection this year by adding Brodie Barfoot. Perhaps that will lure McLeod back to the club. Looking through the Kings lineup what jumps out to me are a couple of players with lacrosse names, Jackson Gair and Brent Balkwill. Compliment them with the ultra talented Chad Thompson(coming off an underachieving season) plus interesting players like Jason Mainer and John Kerr. The kids will be young again in Rama but with loads of potential. Still I could say that to describe practically every team in Jr.A! The key will be what a coach, like MacArthur, does with that talent. ORILLIA KINGS
First season in league Minto Cups won: 2 - 1900 & 1906(Ottawa Capitals of the NLU) OLA titles won: none Record in 21st Century: 0-0 2004 record: 0-0 Coach: Peter Vipond(54-16) - won 1984 Minto Cup Right up there with Orillia's coach is the Titans grabbing Peter Vipond. An amazing signing, like an expansion hockey team getting Scotty Bowman. Hold on! Didn't Mississauga start their OHL history with Don Cherry? Well, neither Bowman nor Vipond are a big bag of wind. Vipond is only the winningest coach in OLA Senior lacrosse history. He guided Brooklin to a record tying seven consecutive league titles plus four Mann Cup wins, with a fifth win in 2000 - icing on the cake. Surprisingly, his Jr.A career has been a brief one. In 1981 he took over the Green Gaels after Jim Bishop was fired and led the fifth place team to the seventh game of the OLA Final. The Gaels handed Peterborough's James Gang its only three losses the entire year. Three years later Vipond was back and helped Whitby to its second Minto triumph. Twenty-one years on he is back, however with an expansion squad this time around. Pretty courageous stuff from a guy who probably could have had a safe job in Brooklin. So the last Green Gael captain to hoist the Minto Cup and the last Redman coach to drink from the Mann Cup brings a lifetime of lacrosse experience to the nation's capital. What a great way for a new franchise to start! Now the big obstacle for Ottawa is somehow turning two Jr.B teams into one Jr.A team. Given that one "B" team is Gloucester which has had little success since the early 1990s, and the other is Nepean which has had some recent success but has never consistently threatened the Founder's Cup like Elora has, it will be very challenging for the Titans to field a talented team. At least they had the courage to make the jump and they'll be better for it years from now. A connection has already been established with Akwesasne. A try out camp was also held, I believe, in Brockville, and drew an audience which would make most Jr.A clubs envious to have for a regular season game. So something big is going on and we're privileged to witness the beginnings of a lacrosse renaissance in eastern Ontario. Full credit must also be given to the Jr.A Council for giving Ottawa a franchise. It will not be cheap for any of the teams to go east. Also credit to Commissioner Dean McLeod for having the longterm vision to be behind this move east. In light of all that, does it reallty matter what Ottawa does on the floor? What will they do on the floor? Vipond should take us into a time warp as he brings back the fast break to the junior game. He doesn't have Joe Nieuwendyk or Derek Keenan or Jayde Gibbs finishing for him so don't expect instant success. Still the positive, offence oriented approach is something the league is in desperate need of. It will be interesting to see which teams respond positively, accept the Titan challenge and play some fire wagon lacrosse - may the best team win. It will also be interesting to see which teams respond negatively, put their talent advantage aside and take the air out of the ball. One player to keep an eye out for this year will be Akwesasne's Blu Grant. If he suits up for the Titans it will be a remarkable story. Grant was diagnosed with cancer a while back and told he would never play competitive sports again. OTTAWA TITANS
47th consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: 11 - 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1989 OLA titles won: 14 - 1961, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 First losing season in 13 years made playoffs 13 straight years Record in 21st Century: 69-68 2004 record: 12-15 Coach: John Martin(208-107) - won 1986 & 1987 Minto Cups I remember 1980 and certain rather dumb school mates talked about how Whitby had lost too many veterans and that they were finished. Then the Builders went off to Mississauga for an exhibition game and scored 30 goals. I wondered how a team could be finished when they had that much firepower. Sure enough Whitby went on to win their first Minto that year. Fast forward to 2005 and you might have noticed Peterborough score 11 goals in an exhibition game against Orillia. I know it was only 11 goals, not 30, and it was against Orillia, a team not known for great defence. Still this is 2005, not 1980, and 11 goals today is similar to scoring close to 20 back then. Also the Lakers did it without the two best finishers in the league - Shawn Evans and Josh Wasson. So it tells me this is a club with a great deal more offensive depth than they had in the past. Will I remember this Orillia-Peterborough result twenty-five years from now? I doubt it. But it's funny the kinds of things we remember over time. Another year and another trade for a goaltender. This time the Lakers have made their move to get a younger netminder. St.Catharines Dan Sams is the same age as returning Craig Robertson. I'd say Peterborough is set between the pipes for the next three years. Yet the Green Machine will be looking to roll all the way to Alberta this year. Like Brampton, they graduate a nice group of midgets. Combined with that infusion of young blood are three veterans all in their last year - Mike Hobbins, Greg McIntyre and Wasson. Hobbins has never emerged into a star but he has still been solid offensively. Captain Little Mac is a great two way player. Josh Wasson showed what he was about in last year's playoffs. In close he owned Rick Passfield. In between the rookies and the veterans are two of the best in the game today. Evans is an offensive dynamo. Just as valuable is Kyle Sorenson. If he continues his improvement then watch out at both ends of the floor. The one player who could put the Lakers over the top is Corey Vitarelli. His lefthanded shot is invaluable on a team loaded with rights. Now if they can only get Vitarelli to take off his skates long enough to make an impact. Even if they only have him for the playoffs, he'll make a significant impact. I know most people are not even considering Peterborough as a contender. It's only natural to think of them as a middle of the pack 10-10 club. Plus they are still a small team. Small yet very tough, just like Shawn Evans. Let me warn you, if this team gets solid goaltending they will make a serious move. Even more so than the K-W Braves, this should be the most improved squad in 2005. PETERBOROUGH LAKERS
24th consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: 6 - 1947, 1950, 1990, 1991. 2001, 2003 OLA titles won: 16 -1914, 1920, 1921, 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1990, 1991, 2001, 2002, 2003 22 consecutive winning seasons(a league record) made playoffs 23 straight years Record in 21st Century: 131-42-2 2004 record: 13-12 Coach: Don Smith(80-46-1) It's funny how 2004 started for the Double Blues. Between loses to Burnaby and players just not playing no team had a worse off season yet the Athletics came out of the gate flying and had a grand year going until injuries cooled their momentum. St.Catharines was still a fun team to watch, much more interesting than their championship predecessors as they opened their game up and entertained. I do hope Don Smith sticks with that fast paced style of play in 2005. This year is also looking ominous. The A's best player Jamie Floris has already been lost with a knee injury. Matt Hajek has defected to the west and Devin Sartor is expected to drop back to Jr.B.. On the defensive side Ian Llord will miss the start of the year and Tim Luey has also dropped to "B". Still the Double Blues never look as good on paper as they are on the floor. All they need is for someone to drop a ball and they'll be fine. The fourth highest scoring team in the league did not have one thirty goal scorer. So St.Catharines does have depth. American Frank Resetarits, Dylan Llord and Don McIlroy will all be good. Kevin Floris is going to be a star someday. As for the rest of the cast, the Niagara peninsula is one of the biggest lacrosse areas going so one or two unknowns will likely pop up to play big roles. Perhaps Joel McCready(the great Buff McCready's grandson). With Jamie Floris gone, the Double Blues best player will be goaltender Mike Attwood. ST.CATHARINES ATHLETICS
16th consecutive year in league Minto Cups won: 1 - 1992 OLA titles won: 3 - 1992, 1998, 2004 1 winning season in last 3 years made playoffs 8 straight years Record in 21st Century: 90-61-1 2003 record: 26-15 Coach: Randy Chrysler(26-15) A curious situation exists on the Reserve. After their surprising championship run last year the Arrows are now poised to field the league's most talented squad. Now can a team that won on great coaching and solid character win with talent? To put that question a bit better: can Six Nations deliver as a frontrunner? Their past history says no. The best Arrows teams ever were the '92, '97 and '04 squads. Each one came out of nowhere. The '97 club narrowly lost to Whitby in the OLA Final but who will ever forget Game One of that series and all the shocked looks on the hometown fans faces as the Arrows blew out the Warriors? Even the '98 team was a clear underdog to Whitby yet won the league(due in part to a July Burlington upset of Whitby which gave the Arrows first place). Yet from the '98 OLA title on there have been mostly disappointments. The Arrows trip west to the Minto as favourites produced a flop and BC's first Minto win in four years. The 2000-01 Six Nations teams were stacked with talent yet faltered against less talented St.Catharines opponents both times. So the question is a genuine one: Can the Arrows win when they are expected to win? Still after the amazing job Randy Chrysler did last year and the fantastic support the Arrows received from the whole Six Nations community there has to be great optimism coming into 2005. If Chrysler can keep that great team chemistry together, combined with the added talent, then the defending champs could dominate the OLA. Of all the top teams they are the only one who could possibly runaway with the league. My chief concern is somthing that happened in Jr.B last year as three top players quit on the Red Rebels in an attempt to jump to Spartan to win a championship. Will any of those players be part of the Arrows this year? Does that kind of win at all cost attitude really jive with the great team spirit that carried Six Nations so far last summer? It shall be interesting to see what kind of team comes out of the reservation this year. SIX NATIONS ARROWS
7th consecutive year in league Minto Cups won: none OLA titles won: 5 - 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919 3 consecutive winning seasons made playoffs last 4 years Record in 21st Century: 69-57 2003 record: 20-11 Coach: Ian Wailes(0-0) Some have called this league very predictable. They do have a point in the sense that the top teams are always Orangeville, St.Catharines and Whitby, with Peterborough close by, while Burlington, Mississauga and Orillia have tended to be the bottomfeeders. Even a talented team like K-W has not been able to breakthrough. Six Nations has been the one exception because its small population base has prevented the Arrows from staying at the top end all the time. The one breath of fresh air in all this has been the emergence of Toronto. They have had a tremendous three year run, reaching the OLA Final in '02 and losing in the Semi Finals the past two seasons. I am afraid that for a team that lost most of its defence going into last season and have lost most of its offence coming into this year that it is going to be impossible for the Beaches to stay near the top. The key loss, without any question, is Kyle Wailes. He was the best player in junior lacrosse over the past three years. He reminded me of the former Whitby great Cam Devine, another fantastic playmaker who made everyone around him that much better. That is the big problem. Yes they lose Wailes, Matt Holman and Andy Rohmer, among others, but how good will the returning players be without Wailes running the offence? Matt Keogh is a fabulous youngster who is only going to get better. Todd Hosmer was the big rookie surprise last year. Michael Dominelli had his moments. Andrew Chapman returns after a brief sojourn at the lower level. These are the guys who must keep Toronto's offence producing. But without Wailes it's sort of like trying to run a car without an engine, or starting from scratch with a new engine. If this was F1 Fraser McDonald might be selling out like Eddie Jordan! Opposing defences will also be focusing on these players now so it is going to be tough. It's not all bleak and gloomy down at the beach. Ricky McCullough filled the void at goal quite well last season. Also the defence hung together despite the loss of key veterans(2004 being one of the lowest scoring years in league history helped all the defences). The Beach Boys will be hoping to add some Scarborough Jr.B talent. As for up and coming midgets, Damon Edwards, the son of former CFL wide receiver Dwight Edwards will be one to watch. If he has his father's speed then you better not blink. Overall it's going to be a challenge for Toronto this time around. Being a very young squad they will have their ups and downs. Ted Reeve is still one of the most difficult arenas for opponents to play in so that should be worth a couple of wins. It's also one of the best places to watch a game as you're practically on the floor with the players. Looking at this longterm, a success would be somewhere around 11-11. A drop off is inevitable. The key is not to fall so far that Toronto loses touch with the top teams for good. TORONTO BEACHES
31st consecutive season in league Minto Cups won: 5 - 1980, 1984, 1985, 1997, 1999 OLA titles won: 8 - 1960, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1997, 1999 11 consecutive winning seasons made playoffs 11 straight years Record in 21st Century: 89-65-2 2003 record: 25-15 Coach: Jeff McComb(53-41-2) Good news for Whitby: they led the league in offence last year. Bad news for junior lacrosse fans: the Warriors were the only team to average 10 goals per game. So having the best offence really doesn't mean much. And with so little scoring the best defence doesn't mean much either - Whitby was second best. It really comes down to who can win the close games. The third period of Games Six and Seven of last August's final was the Warriors downfall. Besides that Whitby did everything but win the league title. Of course the "rub of the green" works both ways. The Warriors could easily have been bounced out of the playoffs in the first round. Well if every team is going to play the same conservative style then they are all allowing for luck to decide their fate. So I have no sympathy for any of the losers. Really a team with the talent at its disposal that Whitby has should be looking to play a style that takes luck out of the equation. Here's hoping they will go that route in 2005. Player losses to age include: David Campbell, Josh Colley, Casey Logeman, Ryan Sharp, Shawn Stephens and Matt Taylor. A rejuvenated Sharp had a great year. Nevertheless none of these veterans were there when the chips were down. The offensive players were the most disappointing as Taylor missed more games than he ever played and Colley never did fit in with the club. So the losses are all replaceable, meaning the Warriors should be well positioned for another title run. Though the Green Gaels won the Founder's Cup, as usual little will be coming up to Jr.A to make an impact. Once again the Warriors have looked to Markham and nabbed their top two scorers Brad Levick and Michael Pearson. They will compliment last year's new signings Tyler Perry and Connor Treacey. Whitby success will be determined by their top two players. Great things are again expected from Zac Greer and Rick Passfield. An unconfirmed rumour is that Passfield will not be available the whole season. That would be a serious loss. Kyle O'Brien really came on last season and gives Greer great support on offence. The niciest surprise from 2004 was the play of Ian Crashley. The big kid was fantastic on defence and loose balls. Whitby will go as far as Greer and Passfield take them this season. Count on them to be contenders again. Don't ask me what that means record wise in this league of parity. Personally I won't be looking for wins and losses, instead I'll be watching to see if the Warriors do return to their "run and gun" roots. Last year's league Final was very depressing lacrosse for me to have to watch. WHITBY WARRIORS
