A Couple Things: Byrne and Scott Lead Brampton Over Six Nations

The Brampton Excelsiors defeated the Six Nations Arrows Tuesday night by a score of 15-7. Following the victory, Brampton sits in fourth place in the OJLL, while Six Nations slots in sixth. 

The game was closer than the final score suggested, as the teams were tied 3-3 after one period and Brampton led by just 5-4 early into the second period. Nolan Byrne was the obvious player of the game as he scored 10 points on 5 goals and 5 assists. 

The OJLL had the stream of this game, which can be found here. 

Lets get right into a couple things from the game.

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Excelsiors Battle in Middle Tier

As the OJLL settles into the season, the Standings are beginning to separate into a few different tiers. 

Beaches is obviously the best team in the circuit and remain undefeated. I think Mimico joins them in that top tier, despite two straight losses including a bizarre 3 goal effort on Tuesday against Whitby. 

Brampton finds themselves in the next tier, along with Whitby and Orangeville. Those five teams are the only OJLL clubs that sit above .500 at the time of this article, and the three middle tier teams have similar strengths. 

Brampton did lose to Whitby last week, so the Warriors took the first game of a series that will have significant standings implications. 

Brampton is built from the back and they are solid defensively. Dante Bowen, Callum Witter, and Neal Adamson lead a big defensive unit that is back-stopped by Connor O’Toole. O’Toole is one of the best goaltenders in the OJLL and one of the only ones with NLL experience, as he spent the year on the practice roster of the Vancouver Warriors.  

They are bigger than Whitby and Orangeville on defence, which could suggest more success come playoff time. In addition, they will be a difficult team to beat at the friendly confines of Memorial Arena, where the small size of the rink favours the bigger defence.

I also think that this could make the matchups interesting. For example, Brampton’s defence might be better suited to playing Mimico than Beaches. They have the size to hang with the likes of Lucas Dudemaine and Mark Watters, while the Beaches might give them more issues. Whitby for example, might have the team speed to hang with Beaches.

A lot of this is still to be decided, but the Excelsiors are in the hunt for the third seed and could be dangerous come playoff time. 

Scott Returns, Unleashes Byrne 

Tye Scott’s return from Denver University has been important for the Excelsiors. He was excellent in this one, finishing with 3 goals and 3 assists. The Excelsiors will hope that is a sign of things to come as he scored just one assist in his first game back from school. 

But his return is about more than just his own points, as Scott helps push the Excelsiors from a two-person attack to a more varied approach. Nolan Byrne and Bowie Horsman have 45 and 40 points respectively, and the next closest Brampton player has just 18 points. There is no other way to slice it, the Excels need more goals from more players. 

Scott helped with both categories on Tuesday, as he helped unleash Byrne to the tune of 10 points. Byrne is a smooth player who who is at his best sweeping to the middle and shooting on the run. Scott can do a bit of everything, but his shooting stroke makes it harder for opponents to double team Byrne when he goes to the goal. 

He is also another big-body who has completed two years in and NCAA strength program. In two-man games, he can move defenders to make room for Byrne. 

His play will be crucial for the Excelsiors, who won this game without a goal from Horsman. If their left-side can continue to produce, Bowie will get his shot back on track and this offence could be scary. 

Glimpse of the Future For the Arrows

In what was otherwise a frustrating night for the Arrows, their rookies made some nice plays. Mccay Jimerson and Chase Cogan both scored in the first period, showing impressive feel and accuracy on their shots. 

The first goal from Jimerson saw him settle behind a pick and unleash a quick shot that seemed to catch O’Toole off guard. It may seem simple, but the way he extended his arms to reach his stick to the far side was pretty advanced, and the shot was obviously close to perfect. 

Cogan had a similar goal later in the period. Bigger than Jimerson, Cogan doesn’t look like a rookie out there. He took a pass from the corner and shot through a mass of bodies, right to the same spot that Jimerson found earlier. Everything about the shot was smooth, as he used good footwork, a quick release, and trusted his shot through the screen. If you’re an Arrows fan, you have to hope that this is a sign of things to come for many years on the right side.

As the OJLL continues broadcasting all summer long, I will be in Oakville Wednesday for a fun clash between Beaches and the Buzz. Find the link to the game here.