2022 Mann Cup Preview: Peterborough Lakers vs. Langley Thunder
Photo: David Pickering
Graphic: Colleen Grimes
During the 2022 National Lacrosse League playoffs, The Lax Mag previewed every game and series while focussing on the critical criteria that typically determines who wins these meaningful matches.
Although that Cup-clinching criteria required some minor tweaking due to the uniqueness of Senior A’s last series, we’re publishing the same preview for arguably the sport’s more treasured trophy: the mighty Mann Cup.
This year, the host Peterborough Lakers will fight for their fourth straight Mann Cup victory against a Langley Thunder side still searching for their first.
The Sixty Miles documentary covering the 1996 final concluded, “…the Mann Cup is the most hotly-contested series in sports.” The filmmakers weren’t wrong.
The Mann’s seven-game series is about as old school & authentic a Cup conclusion there is in North American amateur or professional sports.
Two teams who’ve been separated by 2,668 miles of soil all summer see each other for the first time to tangle for 2022’s national title starting on September 9.
It’s what Major League Baseball used to do for the World Series, well, before more money could be made with meaningless inter-league play. Sure, many of the players from both Peterborough & Langley have battled against one another during NLL seasons, even alongside their current Senior A teammates, but there is still something special about the stage that is set for a Mann Cup Final.
The summer of 2022 has been one of the strangest when it comes to Senior A lacrosse in Canada, mostly in Ontario’s Major Series Lacrosse loop (click here for a recap or just keep scrolling if like many you’ve had your fill of off-floor foolishness), although the Western Lacrosse Association managed to have a game where both teams lost this year, because that makes sense. MSL’s playoffs also had continued confusion when players who had not played at all during the regular season appeared in the playoffs. Everything is fine, though.
So, who’ll win the 2022 Mann Cup? Here’s our in-depth preview of the most hotly-contested series in sports.
Goaltending
On a roster that features goaltending greats Matt Vinc & Mike Poulin, it’s actually been Doug Buchan who has been outstanding between Peterborough’s pipes. Buchanan won the Johnny Shooter Davis Award as MSL’s Playoff MVP. Langley has leaned heavily on Frankie Scigliano for their stops, and as he did with the San Diego Seals earlier this year, Scigliano has been dominant. Advantage: With that many options, it’s gotta be the Lakers.
Frank Scigliano, Langley Thunder (Photo: Langley Events Centre)
Defense
Again, Peterborough possesses the more high-profile unit here, but no team in the country appeared to develop & steadily improve to the degree that Langley’s defenders did. Reece Callies has emerged as a legitimate defensive leader at this level, guiding a young group into the toughest Senior A stadium in the country: the Peterborough Memorial Centre. Meanwhile the Lakers defensive lineup is so sickly stacked with the likes of Robert Hope, Chad Tutton, Bryce Sweeting, Matt Gilray, Ian Llord, and a surprising addition this summer, famous lacrosse podcast co-host, Paul Dawson. Advantage: Peterborough, and not just because we’re Back of the Bird subscribers.
Offense
Honestly, both have what can only be described as an all-star cast when looking at their freakishly formidable scorers. Even the most casual lacrosse fan won’t need Google to double check any names up front. Some were nursing injuries late, but here are their top offensive weapons heading into Friday’s Game 1…
Peterborough: Joe Resetarits, Mark Matthews, Kiel Matisz, Shawn Evans, Thomas Hoggarth, Holden Cattoni and Cory Vitarelli
Langley: Dane Dobbie, Curtis Dickson, Connor Robinson, Robert Church, Dylan Kinnear and coming-soon controversial pro, Chase Scanlan
See! Advantage: Dobbie seems dialled, ditto for Dickson, Robinson & Kinnear are still buzzing from their mammoth NLL season, plus Scanlan and few others provide some unexpected secondary sizzle. Their scoring may not be as Cup proven at Peterborough, but this Langley group is on point right now.
Mark Matthews, Peterborough Lakers (Photo: David Pickering)
Transition
Peterborough’s most potent presser, Matisz, played a majority of his minutes up front for the Lakers this summer. Same with Hoggarth. Langley have a ton of, again, young talent transitioning for them. Junior Thunder callup, captain Matt Abbott, connected on the most playoff points while pressing (7 in 6 post-season games). Advantage: While play always tightens up the further into the playoffs we penetrate, the transition game, whether points are produced or not, will be hugely important in this series. As tempting as Langley’s under-hyped wheels seem to be, Peterborough’s far too experienced & savvy not to select as being slightly superior.
Power Play
Some of the criteria here is difficult to compare while weighing the opposition either team has faced in leagues the other doesn’t participate in. So, to keep our special-teams breakdowns somewhat straightforward, we’re letting the season-long stats decide who garners the better grade.
Peterborough Power Play
Regular Season: 18/55 (33%) 1st in MSL
Playoffs: 17/50 (34%) 3rd in MSL
Langley Power Play
Regular Season: 42/91 (46%) 1st in WLA
Playoffs: 25/47 (53%) 1st in WLA
Advantage: The numbers are clearly in the Thunder’s favour.
Curtis Dickson, Langley Thunder (Photo: Langley Events Centre)
Penalty Kill
Same deal for the short-handed stuff.
Peterborough Penalty Kill
Regular Season: 15/65 (77%) 1st in MSL
Playoffs: 19/48 (60%) 3rd in MSL
Langley Penalty Kill
Regular Season: 30/83 (64%) 1st in WLA
Playoffs: 12/48 (75%) 1st in WLA
Langley, who already had strong special-teams stats during the regular season, got even better against arguably stiffer competition come the playoffs. The Lakers were largely the opposite. Peterborough has also allowed an above average amount of short-handed goals against (15 during regular & postseason combined), while the Thunder have trended the other way (9). Advantage: Again, it’s so difficult to compare because they play in separate spaces all summer until now, but the Thunder clearly seem to have the superior short-handed unit, statistically at least.
Robert Hope, Peterborough Lakers (Photo: David Pickering)
Faceoffs
The Lakers have an incredibly capable draw taker in Jay Thorimbert, but they also may soon be readding the best face-off man on the planet depending on what happens in the Premier Lacrosse League playoffs this weekend. Lakers GM Paul Day told The Peterborough Examiner this week that if the Waterdogs are dropped from the PLL’s postseason on Sunday, he’ll be able to officially add Jake Withers to their roster. Apparently, it's all legit, even though a late-playoff lineup change like this seems offside for any other league in any other sport, but it’s a thing in MSL. Withers was one of many PLL players who were unable to participate in any non-PLL action this season. Advantage: Even if Withers’ Waterdogs win, Peterborough’s Thorimbert still gets the nod, although Abbott has performed admirably for the Thunder here too.
Coaching
Even though the results aren’t there yet while building Knighthawks 2.0, Peterborough Head Coach Mike Hasen has easily been one of the most successful NLL & MSL coaches over the past decade. He also has current NLL Coach of the Year Tracey Kelusky, and Bobby Keast on his bench, while GM Day’s expertise are an unquestionable coaching asset. Langley counters with a few former NLL bench bosses in HC Rod Jensen and Dave Pym, who heads up their offense. The staff also includes Fred Klomp, the Thunder trio having recently spent time together in the Arena Lacrosse League too. Advantage: The Lakers’ HOF staff.
Peterborough Memorial Centre (Photo: David Pickering)
Home Floor
During our NLL previews, home-floor advantage was filed away in our Intangibles section since, well, most teams will play home & away during their post-season drive. That clearly isn’t the case with the Mann Cup, where Ontario & British Columbia alternate as provincial hosts. Advantage: Well, obviously it’s Peterborough. A Western team has not captured the Cup in enemy territory since 1986 when the New Westminster Salmonbellies stunned the Brooklin Redmen 4-2. Although not necessarily a home-floor stat, since 2000 a BC-based club has only won the Mann Cup four times – Victoria with three, Coquitlam once. Home floor and history is most definitely not on the Thunder’s side, but the same was said of the Miners Lacrosse Club during this year’s Minto Cup. Records, even long-ass standing ones, are made to be broken, eventually.
Intangibles
Peterborough is playing for something extremely rare: four straight Mann Cup wins. While many have already deemed the modern-era Lakers a dynasty, a fourth Cup in a row would put Peterborough in elite company. Going back to the first year the Mann was presented in 1910, and yes, we realize it was played outdoors and formats have changed (so relax), here are the only teams to win four consecutive Mann Cups:
Vancouver Athletic Club (1911-1914)
New Westminster Salmonbellies (1922-1925)
Peterborough Timbermen (1951-1954)
The Six Nations Chiefs have come close a couple times since the 90s, Peterborough too, but that’s it, folks. The Timbermen were the only team to do it during today’s traditional seven-game series, which would make a Lakers’ win this September even more special & significant.
Advantage: While something can be said for competing when seemingly everyone thinks you’re destined for defeat (see Colorado Mammoth this year), Peterborough pursuing some of the rarest history in the sport is too perfect to pass up.
Shawn Evans, Peterborough Lakers (Photo: David Pickering)
Experience
Although there are some new names with the Lakers, many from 2019’s Mann-winning roster remain, plus they’ve added multi-Cup winners like Dawson to the mix. Advantage: Lakers by a landslide.
Overall Advantage
Peterborough Lakers (8): goaltending, defense, transition, faceoffs, coaching, home floor, intangibles and experience
Langley Thunder (3): offense, power play and penalty kill
Predication
Playing at home with a loaded lineup while chasing the rarest of records is a series-winning formula for sure. It will likely end up being closer than our Cup-winning criteria is concluding, but a fourth straight Mann looks likely for the Lakers in 2022.