Just to put the accomplishments of men’s lacrosse at Six Nations into context consider the following:
What would you think if the Toronto Blue Jays, the Toronto Argonauts, the Toronto Raptors, the Toronto Rock and the Toronto FC soccer club all won national championships the same year? That would be considered a miracle of biblical proportions wouldn’t it? I don’t know what the odds of that would actually be, but I know it would be astronomical.
Now let’s consider what could lie ahead as OLA lacrosse enters the 2015 playoff season:
Let’s start with the Chiefs. This is a team that accomplished three Mann Cups in a row in the 1990s, but did not have a winner for years following. That is, up until 2013 when they brought the Cup back home to Six Nations. Then, they did it again in 2014 after barely making the playoffs. This season, without the benefit of Colin Doyle and Cody Jamieson, both nursing injuries from the NLL playoffs, the Chiefs made a few important acquisitions to fill the holes and ended up with a first place team. Doyle has returned to the lineup and will make an already powerful lineup even stronger through the playoffs on their way to what could be another three-peat Mann Cup run.
The Sr. B Rivermen made a solid post season drive last year, falling just short of the President’s Cup in only their second season of operation. This year’s Rivermen are determined not let the opportunity slip them by again this year and have bolstered their 2015 roster with champions who know how to win.
To the Junior A ranks now, with the defending Minto Cup Six Nations Arrows Express. After finishing the regular season in first place overall, the Arrows Express seemed to get even better in the first round of the playoffs easily taking down the Burlington Chiefs in four straight games. They are now entering the semi-finals against the fourth place Whitby Warriors.
Next on our list is the amazing four-time Founders Cup winning Jr. B Rebels, who have been walking through all comers so far this post season and show no signs of weakening. Should they once again win the OLA title, they will be looking for an unheard of five Founders cups in a row.
The Jr. C Warriors are in a solid run for the provincial championship this year as well. There is presently no National Jr. C title but if there were, the Warriors would be the odds-on favorites. After putting in a perfect season, with no losses, they were stripped of several games due to playing uncarded players. But these were minor lacrosse players brought up from midget and bantam, not players of higher ranking coming in as ringers. Either way, they ended up just making the playoffs after the league stripped them of 13 wins. Smart money is going towards the Warriors winning the Jr. C championship.
We will be watching all of these teams very closely as the post season continues hoping for the miracle season that alluded them last year.
