RiverWolves Making a name for Themselves as they Climb the ALL Rankings

It was a quiet Week 5 in one sense, as only one Arena Lacrosse League game was played. That game made a loud statement for the Paris RiverWolves, though. The Wolves exploded for a 10-goal run that led them to an 18-10 win over the Six Nations Snipers. That win, in turn, sees Paris as the big mover of the week, indeed of the entire season, as they jump all the way from fifth to second in the IL Indoor ALL Power Rankings. Which means this weekend's trio of games will conclude with a head to head battle for bragging rights as the Oshawa Outlaws head to Paris.

1 (1) Oshawa Outlaws (3-1)
Last week: Off
This week: @ Paris
Will the week off help the Outlaws or will they suffer from some rust against a RiverWolves side that has just seems to get better every week?

2 (5) Paris RiverWolves (3-2)
Last week: W18-10 v Six Nations
This week: v Oshawa
Paris didn't climb higher than fifth in the rankings despite back-to-back wins because both were against the winless Peterborough Timbermen. You just can't expect to be rewarded with big climbs for close wins against the cellar-dwellers. Week 5 was a different story, though. While the Snipers had been giving up more goals than they'd want, Six Nations was looking like a legitimate powerhouse. Paris was clearly the better team in an 18-10 win and the RiverWolves are looking formidable. They'll face a big challenge against an Oshawa team whose only loss came when they just didn't show up with the kind of effort they usually bring.

3 (2) Six Nations Snipers (3-2)
Last week: L18-10 @ Paris
This week: v Peterborough
Discipline, defence and goaltending were all issues again for the Snipers. It won't help that they'll likely be without defender Ashton Jacobs after his high sticking game misconduct against Paris should lead to a suspension. The offence was still good against the RiverWolves; it just didn't get enough time on the floor because of the volume of penalties the Snipers took. Adding Quinn Powless, who debuted with 3 goals and 2 assists, only makes them more dangerous.

4 (3) St. Catharines ShockWave (2-2)
Last week: Off
This week: v Toronto
The ShockWave will look to get back to the solid defence they showed in their first three games and hope their improving offence can keep connecting as they face Toronto.

5 (4) Toronto Monarchs (2-2)
Last week: Off
This week: St. Catharines
A week off means a long time to sit and think about the egg the Monarchs laid in what was supposed to be a thrilling battle for top spot in the league but instead turned into a rout against the Outlaws. We'll see how Toronto responds when the Monarchs hit the floor in the early game Saturday.

6 (6) Peterborough Timbermen (0-4)
Last week: Off
This week: v Six Nations
No team did more to help itself in its bye week than the Timbermen. Caleb Wiles will be joining the team and should bring an instant boost to the offence. The lefty wizard is hard to contain and helps to produce chances for his teammates both with his passing and with the attention he demands from opposing defences. Ian Crawford is a solid defender who will add depth in the Timbermen's own zone. They're hoping that Colin Boucher—two-time CLax defender of they year—will be available, too. This could be a very different Peterborough team than we saw the last time they hit the floor.