Arena Lacrosse League East Power Rankings - Week Twelve
Arena Lacrosse League East Power Rankings - Week Twelve
1. Toronto Monarchs (10-2)
Another week, another Monarchs example of why they are a contenders for the championship. The Ohsweken Bears put up a good fight but once again, Toronto was able to put it in another gear to take charge and win the game. Parker Pipher (4g,3a), Jordan Dance (3g,3a), and Tanner Buck (2g,3a) led the Monarchs to their league leading 10th victory of the season.
2. Brampton Express (9-2)
Although the Express were pushed to their limit with the Whitby Steelhawks this past weekend, they still dug deep to post a character win in the books. Down by two goals with 2:58 left, this team got down to business and scored three goals in 1:48 to come away with the "W". Zac Sunderland (5g,3a), Pent Eistrat (3g,0a), and Mitchell Geoffrey (2g,2a) came through when the Express needed it most. Next Saturday’s battle for first against the Monarchs will be a "must see" game.
3. Oshawa Outlaws (8-3)
The Outlaws once again got off to a fast start, jumped out to a big lead, but allowed their opponent back in the game. Up 11-4 nearly at halftime, there was no way the RiverWolves should've made it as close as it was. The Outlaws need to play disciplined if they want to hoist the Cup at the end of the year. Once again big games from John St. John (4g,4a), Josh Gilray (3g,0a), And Geoff Mcnulty (2g,3a) helped the Outlaws put another game in the win column. Deacan Knott had another stellar day in net, and is a big part of Oshawa's success.
4. Whitby Steelhawks (7-5)
The Steelhawks once again are talking about the one that got away. Up by two goals to the powerful Brampton Express with only three minutes left, the team needed to clamp down and shut it down for the win. Unfortunately, Brampton rallied to a come from behind win with three quick goals. If Whitby wants to stay in the conversation of a championship, next week's game against Six Nations is a must win.
5. Paris RiverWolves (4-8)
Once again this team has shown it's ability to play with the big boys. If not for a bad second quarter in which they gave up nine goals, we are talking about another major upset by this RiverWolves team. It is too late for them to make a playoff push this year, but if they can keep the nucleus together, Paris is learning how to win, and will be trouble down the road. Alex Kew (3g,0a) and Ryan Pavic (2g,1a) led the way for Paris, but will need some more of a supporting cast to really make a statement.
6. Six Nations Snipers (5-6)
Six Nations had another good showing against a tired Peterborough team. The Snipers jumped out to an 11-4 lead, and coasted to the 15-11 victory. Is this team better than their record shows? Heck yeah! Do they have consistency problems? Also, heck yeah! If they can keep their foot on the gas for sixty minutes, this team will open a lot of eyes.
7. Ohsweken Bears (2-9)
In a weekend where the Bears played two games, a split was a good result. Friday night they played the postponed game beating Peterborough 17-13, then gave a spirited performance against the league's best team the Toronto Monarchs losing 14-11. The most amazing fact was that in their win, Ohsweken only had eleven runners. They kept up with the Monarchs in the first half of the second game, but then just ran out of gas. There is no question this team has heart, and is another team to watch in the future.
8. Peterborough Timbermen (1-11)
Peterborough had a rough weekend dropping two winnable games. Ohsweken beat then 17-13, then Six Nations beat them 15-11. The bright side is the Timbermen are getting production from many players, but just not enough to get over the hump. With a forced rebuild this year, I truly believe this team will have more to say in next season's playoff run.