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FINALS—WHAT TO EXPECT
COQUITLAM (1) vs NEW WEST (2)
For the second consecutive season the Coquitlam Adanacs and New Westminster Salmonbellies will be facing each other in the best of seven BC finals which gets under way Wednesday July 28th at 8pm in Coquitlam.
Both the ‘Bellies and the A’s made quick work of their semi-final matchups with the Victoria Shamrocks and Delta Islanders (respectively), but both teams sweeping their opponents doesn’t give any justice to how those series’ played out. Both New West and Coquitlam won game three by just one goal and both lower ranked teams made significant comebacks in the games; the Shamrocks scoring six goals in the third after being down 6-2 after two periods, and the Islanders came back to score eight goals in the final two periods after being down 4-1 after one.
Regardless, the two BCJALL heavyweights that were neck and neck in the standings all season will now be scrapping it out for the coveted title of top spot heading into the Minto Cup starting August 21st. Both semi-final sweeps mean both teams are riding three game unbeaten streaks in the post season, which gives the final matchup even more emotion.
After losing the first game of the season series with the ‘Bellies, the Adanacs roster was steadily stacking up with returning players as the year rolled on and they came back to win the last two matchups with New West, and were also the first team to beat the Salmonbellies in the regular season after a seventeen game winning streak.
In the three game post season for both squads New West has scored nine more goals than the A’s and three more power play goals, and as well having two short-handed goals while Coquitlam has none. However the A’s dominate in the very important category of penalties, only being called for 13 infractions compared to the ‘Bellies 39; a difference of 90 PIM’s which is something New West will have to curb in their series with the A’s.
As far as scoring in the post-season, it’s no surprise the regular season leader Tyler Digby is leading the way for both teams with 16 points (6 goals 10 assists) and firing on all cylinders with a shot average of 40%, followed closely by Jay Card and Cody Bremner with eleven points apiece for the ‘Bellies.
Leading for Adanacs is last years scoring leader Robert Church with 4 goals and 8 helpers, and even though he only dressed for two of the three post season games Mark Matthews is averaging 5 points a game in playoffs so far and will more than likely continue his onslaught in the finals. Perhaps most impressive for the A’s is the play of first year Intermediate call-up Wesley Berg who in two games has 7 goals and 8 points and in game three against the Islanders scored 4 goals and chalked 5 points.
Two teams with such firepower in the finals mean there will be a lot of pressure on the goaltenders in the series and this is where Coquitlam holds the advantage as they have three of the most seasoned goalies with the most notable numbers in the league. Dan Lewis had a first period to forget in game two against Delta but his regular season numbers speak for themselves and expect him to make an impact in the finals.
Brodie MacDonald and Chris Seidel are both holding 85 save percentages in the post season, and have miniscule goals against averages, 5.68 and 4.94 respectively. With all three Coquitlam goalies being third years, one can’t help but think their experience will be an advantage for the Adanacs. For New West, Brandon Mulligan still has one more year of Jr ‘A’ after this season, and back-up Frank Scigliano has three. Mulligan played the first two games against the Shamrocks and Scigliano rounded out the series playing game three, and between the two the job got done in a timely fashion. Coquitlam will be their toughest opponent yet in the post-season so expect both ‘Bellie goalies to be on a tight leash and hopefully produce some of their best performances to date.
Looking back at the rosters from game one of last season’s final, both teams have thirteen players who still dress for their teams so expect this series to have somewhat of the same feel with a sprinkle of new additions for extra excitement. Building on their regular season rivalry, the finals will be a sneak preview of the upcoming Minto Cup Tournament where both teams will be on display as well so there should be no shortage of excellent lacrosse!
Submitted by Jen Mutas
League Reporter
jmutas@bcjunioralacrosse.com
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Around The League With Jen - Archives
2010 Articles
July 28, 2010 - (Finals—What To Expect)
July 16, 2010 - (Round Two—What To Expect)
July 10, 2010 - (Playoffs—What To Expect)
June 24, 2010 - (Prospects Game)
April 30, 2010 - (Beat This)
April 19, 2010 - (New Coaches A'Plenty)
2009 Articles
July 30, 2009 - (Getting to the Good Stuff Faster)
July 1, 2009 - (Prospects Success)
May 13, 2009 - (National Rankings)
April 26, 2009 - (Shamrocks pluck two netminders from Ontario)
February 9, 2009 - (2009 Midget Draft Report)
2008 Articles
August 23, 2008 - (Fans Have Say)
June 9, 2008 - (Mid Season)
May 2008 - (Month One)
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