Very wet Rama welcomed the defending champs last night and the Athletics went home happy after a 15-9 win. St.Catharines started fast and jumped ahead 4-0 - 2 power play goals. Orillia took the initiative over the last half of the first period but they failed to take advantage as their passing and catching skills were appalling. Ryan Fowler pitched a shutout. 6-0 after one.
The Kings came out flying in the second. They scored early then the Double Blues got into penalty trouble. Orillia managed a couple of goals on Jason Mainer point shots. It was a wild period after that, with constant end to end action. The Kings climbed back to 8-6 and just when things were getting really fun St.Catharines coach Don Smith spoiled it all by putting in Mike Attwood. That ended the home team's run as the A's stretched their lead to 12-6 by intermission.
The visitors showed little offensively for most of the third. Typical of their inefficiency was a three man break they were handed off one draw yet they never even got a shot on goal. Josh Stahls finally solved Attwood with a couple of goals and Orillia closed to 12-9. The Double Blues again finished strong to split the period and take the contest 15-9.
The impression I came away with is something I've been noticing over the last couple of years in Jr.A - how the goaltending position is similar to driving in F1. Let me explain: In Formula One racing it's all about the car. The importance of the driver has been minimised over the years. You'll certainly notice a bad driver(who runs into things) and occasionally a great driver will stand out but for the most part the drivers are all the same and it just depends on the car they are in.
The value of junior goaltending has also been minimised because of the increasing amount of equipment each netminder now wears. The really incompetant goalie will stand out of course(like the F1 driver who crashes all the time) and occasionally you'll see a Matt Vinc give a Michael Schumacher like performance but for the most part the goalies all look alike as they just stand their and let most shots hit their equipment. Whereas in F1 racing the car determines wins and losses, in Junior lacrosse it is the finishing skills of the opposition shooters. In the two games I've seen recently, Whitby and St.Catharines shooters were able to find the net and they won. Peterborough and Orillia shooters mostly hit goalie equipment and they lost. In the actual play and scoring chances created, there really was little to choose between the winners and the losers.
Getting back to last night's game, the key was obviously the 6-0 start for the A's. This came about because of their great power play. Around Derek Gordon, you always felt the Double Blues were about to score. Around the St.Catharines goal you were always surprised when the Kings did score. That began to change midway through the game, which was when Coach Smith changed goalies. Now Mike Attwood can move and he may be the next goalie to remind me of Michael Schumacher.
Orillia's power play cost them dearly in this contest. They had three two man advantages(one late in the first, the other two early in the second) and managed only one goal total. They didn't even create any good shots out of them. The problem I suspect was Chad Thompson playing his first game and not being on the same page as his teammates. Also Jackson Gair's no look passes were nice to see except for the fact his teammates were never ready for them! So the Kings power play should improve with time.
Entertainment wise, St.Catharines is a 100% improvement over the teams of the last three years. I saw more running in the opening twenty minutes last night than I saw in all three Minto Cup Final games put together. It really was refreshing to see. The A's have as close to an all rookie team as you're going to find(until Ottawa joins Jr.A next year) but they are very talented players. I suspect they'll thrive against the weaker clubs and struggle against the strong ones. It shall be interesting to watch them develop and see what kind of impression they'll make come playoffs. Most importantly, put the word out, the St.Catharines Athletics are worth travelling to watch once again!
Bravo to the Orillia Kings! They approached the game exactly the way it should be played. Even in the first period thet contributed to the entertainment greatly. Every time a King gets the ball he turns towards the opposition goal and attacks. That's so nice to see when nearly every other team just wants to hold possession for a line change. Unfortunately this emphasis on offence won't translate into many wins. In the end, the Kings will likely have to improve by becoming more defensive. That's a shame as they are a fun team to watch right now.
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