Playoffs Begin in Ontario as the Road to Coquitlam Continues

Playoffs Begin in Ontario as the Road to Coquitlam Continues

After a long season, the playoff picture has finally emerged in the OJLL and the BCJALL.  

In Ontario, the OJLL upheld their decision this week regarding the Toronto Beaches. Toronto is now set for a first round series against the top ranked Orangeville Northmen, in what will be one of the most anticipated first-round matchups of all time.

LCD’s Jon Donville will be on the call in Orangeville tonight for the OJLL.  In addition, you can find a full preview of that series below, and stay tuned to LCD for more playoff previews as the series get underway.

This week the three stars are the following:

⭐: Cash Frijters, Okotoks Raiders Jr. A. 1 Playoff GP, 2 Goals, 7 Assists

⭐⭐: Tanner Cook, Brooklin L.C Sr. A. 1 GP, 2 Goals, 6 Assists

⭐⭐⭐: Robert Church, Langley Thunder Sr. A. 1 GP, 5 Goals, 3 Assists

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Ontario

The four playoff series are now decided in Ontario.  In addition to the aforementioned series between Orangeville and Beaches, the other series will see the St. Catharines Athletics take on the Burlington Blaze, the Peterborough Lakers take on the Six Nations Arrows, and the Mimico Mountaineers take on the Brampton Excelsiors.  

The Lakers are one of the stories of the year in the OJLL, having emerged from a crowded middle tier in the standings to a somewhat surprising second seed.  They take on an Arrows team that has four overtime wins, and has proven to be a tough test for the best teams.

The Blaze and the Athletics were both winners of the Toronto Beaches forfeitures (they both gained two victories), and they represent the past and future of Ontario Minto Cup representation.  The Blaze won the Minto Cup last year, and the Athletics will host it next summer.

In Mimico, the Mountaineers and the Excelsiors will renew a storied and entertaining playoff history. Mimico has struggled of late, but they take on an Excelsiors team that traded several key players to Orangeville at the deadline.  

In the MSL the Six Nations Chiefs are looking to finish off a perfect regular season while Cobourg and Oakville battle for the last playoff spot.  

British Columbia

The BCJALL playoff matchups are now set. Coquitlam will take on a fun Burnaby team, while Port Coquitlam and Nanaimo will square off in the other semi-final.

The Adanacs are looking to finish off an outstanding regular season this weekend.  After trading for Cody Malawsky and Noah Manning, they are the favourites to win and will host the 2024 Minto Cup championships.  

In Port Coquitlam, the Saints are looking for their first Minto Cup bid in the franchise history.  After trading for Silas Richmond, they will look to get by a very solid Nanaimo team.  

In the WLA, the Victoria Shamrocks remain undefeated at 12-0, and seem to be on a collision course with the Six Nations Chiefs.  

After the Shamrocks, the playoff picture gets murky.  At least five other teams have legitimate chances to still make the playoffs.

On LCD this week, we continued our series of WLA deep dives with the respective head coaches of the teams. Our own Jake Elliott hosted the Lacrosse Classified Podcast with Nanaimo Timbermen Head Coach Brian Nikula.

Alberta

In Calgary, the RMLL playoff kicked off on Tuesday.  The Okatoks Raiders defeated the Calgary Mountaineers by a score of 15-6.  It is the 11th straight year that these two teams have met in the playoffs.  With that being said, the Edmonton Miners remain the favourites after finishing first in the regular season.

The Miners begin their playoff season on Friday against the Saskatchewan Swat. 

As always, check out the rest of the great work from across the Lacrosse Culture Daily landscape!