National Junior Rankings: Week 5
During the 2022 Canadian junior seasons, The Lax Mag will publish our National Junior Rankings, a weekly rundown of all 23 A-level teams across the country. Week 1 will begin on June 1 with future editions published every Wednesday until the start of the Minto Cup.
The rankings will include the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL), British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League (BCJALL) and Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL).
The Lax Mag’s rankings will position teams based not only by overall record, but also the strength of their opposition and the quality of their results, win or lose.
This past week had some high-profile matches all over the country, but none were likely bigger than last night’s clash at Frank Crane Arena between the Victoria Shamrocks, who were last week’s #1, and the Nanaimo Timbermen, our new #1.
Down 7-4 early in the second, the Timbermen had one of the most impressive single-period performances of any team this year, scoring six straight to end the frame, also silencing the Shamrocks’ big-name shooters en route to a 12-8 win. Ryan Sheridan (Hofstra), who had been held scoreless in his previous two, finished with 4 goals & 3 assists, while goalie Justin Geddie (San Diego Seals) allowed just 8 goals on 47 shots.
Nanaimo strengthened their defensive end with under-the-radar additions of Jordan Vincent (Syracuse) from the Delta Islanders and Evan Pattison (Sea Spray LC) from the New Westminster Salmonbellies.
Six Nations Arrows (Photo: Ontario Lacrosse Association)
Victoria’s trade-deadline splash saw them acquire Trent DiCicco (Ohio State) from the Burlington Chiefs, who parted with a lot to pick him up prior to the start of the season. DiCicco was sidelined with an injury this spring and never played for the Chiefs. In two games with the Shamrocks, he’s been held pointless. Prior to 2022, DiCicco was a steady point producer for the KW Lacrosse Club, and was expected to be a key player for the Chiefs. The Shamrocks also picked up Brayden Laity (Grizzlies LC) from the Port Coquitlam Saints. Laity is a former second overall selection in the BCJALL Entry Draft, another high pick out of prospect-rich Ridge Meadows.
While BC’s Top 3 (the two above plus the Langley Thunder) seems to be pretty squared away weeks from the start of the playoffs, Ontario has been a helluva lot more hectic with teams trading results and keeping things tight in the standings. In fact, nine of the OJLL’s eleven teams are still in the playoff picture.
The Six Nations Arrows are making a serious playoff push after a pair of positive results over the past seven days, beating the highly-ranked Mimico Mountaineers (13-12) & Oakville Buzz (5-4). With games against the first-place Whitby Warriors, Peterborough Lakers (who just beat the Warriors, 10-9 OT), Toronto Beaches and Chiefs, it won’t be easy, but they’re right there after a rough-ish first half of their season. Power forward Tyler Davis sits sixth in the province with 42 assists in 15 starts, plus has a PIM total (25) that certainly stands out amongst Ontario’s top point producers. In those two notable wins over the past week, Thunder Hill (6 goals) & Ross Hill (5 goals) also played pivotal roles in those results, the high-performing pair with 45 goals combined during the 2022 campaign.
Dan Taylor, Calgary Roughnecks (Photo: Candice Ward)
In the RMLL, it continues to be a two-horse race between the Calgary Mountaineers and St. Albert Miners, who we’ve ranked ahead of the Mounties for the first time this year after an impressive 13-7 win over their rivals this past Sunday. The Miners are coached by John Lintz, who in recent weeks made history as one of five post-season-playing Albertans to win the NLL Cup with Colorado, by far the most from that province to win the trophy (in a single season).
Miner Jake Bowen (Queens) currently leads the league in goals (29), assists (41) and obviously points too (70). If Bowen can keep that leader-topping pace going, it would be the first time since 2013 that the same player led the league in all three statistical categories. Current Calgary Roughnecks forward Dan Taylor, one of just a handful of Albertans to win an NLL Cup (he’s done it twice in fact), led the RMLL in all three of those stats (37G, 35A, 72Pts) with the Mountaineers nine seasons ago.
National Junior Rankings: Week 5
1. (3) Nanaimo Timbermen (BCJALL) 9-3
2. (4) Whitby Warriors (OJLL) 12-5
3. (1) Victoria Shamrocks (BCJALL) 10-3
4. (5) Mimico Mountaineers (OJLL) 11-3
5. (6) Toronto Beaches (OJLL) 10-5
6. (2) Oakville Buzz (OJLL) 11-5
7. (9) Langley Thunder (BCJALL) 9-3
8. (13) St. Albert Miners (RMLL) 10-3
9. (7) Calgary Mountaineers (RMLL) 10-2
10. (12) Orangeville Northmen (OJLL) 8-6
11. (14) Peterborough Lakers (OJLL) 7-8
12. (8) St. Catharines Athletics (OJLL) 9-7
13. (11) Burlington Chiefs (OJLL) 7-9
14. (15) Six Nations Arrows (OJLL) 5-10
15. (16) Burnaby Lakers (BCJALL) 6-6
16. (10) Coquitlam Adanacs (BCJALL) 6-5
17. (18) Delta Islanders (BCJALL) 4-8
18. (19) Okotoks Raiders (RMLL) 4-8
19. (20) Brampton Excelsiors (OJLL) 2-11
20. (17) New Westminster Salmonbellies (BCJALL) 4-10
21. (22) KW Lacrosse Club (OJLL) 1-14
22. (21) Port Coquitlam Saints (BCJALL) 1-11
23. (23) Saskatchewan SWAT (RMLL) 1-12