The Welland Four Paws Pet Resort Raiders may have been lacking bodies for this past weekend’s Midget Showcase in St. Catharines, but they certainly were not lacking in character as they captured the Consolation championship in a shootout with the Akwesasne Storm after the teams were tied 4-4 in regulation. Sunday’s final game saw the Raiders have only eight players dressed, which is half their normal total, but they still managed to pull off the improbable upset.
Graeme McCullough was stellar in net all tournament, picking up multiple player of the game awards on Saturday and Sunday. Not only did he do a fantastic job of stopping the ball, but he also was one of the team’s assist leaders throughout the competition. The team’s other regular netminder, Kyle Patterson, after playing goal in Friday’s second game saw action as a runner in several games on Saturday and Sunday, picking up a goal and assist in Saturday’s round-round matchup with Akwesasne, where the Storm prevailed 7-4, sealing the game with a pair of late goals against an exhausted Raiders squad.
When the tournament began on Friday evening, the Raiders dressed nearly a full squad against the eventual tournament champion and hosts, the St. Catharines Athletics. Undisciplined play from the Raiders gave the A’s the edge they needed to prevail 6-2, however, the Raiders hope to exact some revenge on Monday evening when the teams meet again in league play.
The Raiders rebounded to win their second game on Friday, 5-4 over the Caledon Bandits. A lacklustre effort in the first half saw the Raiders down 4-2 after two periods, however, Bubba Dakin single-handedly turned around the team’s fortunes by netting a natural hat-trick, including a pair of goals within a 24-second span of the third period to earn the victory.
The team’s lineup took a major hit on Saturday, with three players away competing for spots on Team Ontario, along with other absences due mainly to injury and so Bantam regulars, Zach Main and Ayden Dawn, were given an expanded role and performed extremely well against players who in many cases were two years older. While neither player has practiced with the team to date, due to the overlapping Bantam and Midget schedules, they were able to quickly adjust to the differences of the Midget game and contribute right away. Main, one of the offensive leaders and Captain of his own team, provided an assist in Friday’s opening game against St. Catharines and Dawn, a natural defensive player, thrived in a similar type of role with the older club, playing a key part of the team’s success all weekend and especially on Sunday when the team needed him the most. As luck would have it, Main too would be sidelined due to illness before the weekend ended, however, his help on Friday and Saturday paved the road for team’s eventual success on Sunday.
Saturday’s hard-fought 4-4 tie with the Owen Sound North Stars contrasted greatly with the disappointing effort shown in a 10-0 loss to Six Nations on Sunday morning, however, the team regrouped well enough to defeat Hamilton 7-1 on Sunday afternoon to qualify for the consolation final.
Without taking anything away from the offensive leaders that are given priority by the Tribune Sports Editor in our game recaps each week, make no mistake that this team’s success is due mainly to the great defensive effort it puts out each game. Wade Kenny has quietly served as our defensive stalwart, despite having great offensive ability as well, which he clearly showed with his two highlight reel goals against Owen Sound. Jack Fitzgerald is well known for his scoring touch, so it’s easy to overlook how often he’s able to fire off a laser-guided pass or tenaciously battle for a loose ball. Ryan Kirchmayer has improved more the past two seasons than anyone that I have watched in the past four years of following lacrosse, but I’m equally proud of the game-to-game improvements being made by our first-year players to the sport, Jonathan Chase and Parker Hayward and by our youngest player, Matthew Kenny. It’s a sign of a great team, when the more experienced players are helping along the newer ones and I’m proud to say we have a several players consistently showing great leadership in this regard, both in practices as well as on the floor and the bench during games. It would be nice if David Falovo would score this season, but if he just continues the excellent defensive play that we relied on him for last season in Bantam, I’m fine with that too. I’m much happier this season that we have Everett Milberry on our team this season instead of having to play against him. While it’s nice that we can normally rely on a goal or two from him each game, its his off-ball play and game intensity that sets him apart. Not that we have a shortage of physically-intense players, with Bryce Brochu, Bubba Dakin, Chris Mattison, Sebastien Beaudoin, Nico Beaudoin and Zach Olsson who all display varying degrees of the same style of play and emotion. The key to success is channeling that emotion and keeping it within the rules of play. There have only been a few games where penalties have been an issue for us, so I think for the most part our players are learning the right balance, but there is always room for improvement as the games get more intense themselves and the competition becomes more difficult. While he was the last member to join our team, Kevin Millejours has been a very welcome addition. His tremendous speed gives us an added dimension to an already potent offense.
You’ve probably noticed by now that I’ve mentioned everyone of my team’s players. This is no accident as it’s always been my belief that it takes an entire team to win or lose a game. I do tend to favour defence over offence simply because the vast majority of time that is what wins championships. Even the best players are known to go into slumps from time to time, but it’s extremely rare for a good defensive team to struggle, and if they do, they are often helped out by great goaltending.
Favouring players, however, is never something I’ve done. I expect equal effort from everyone, which each player fulfilling his role and using his skill sets to the best of their ability. As long as they have given it their best effort, then I can live with whatever the outcome is.
Despite its many challenges, this tournament proved to the Raiders themselves and to everyone else that this team has the talent and will to compete with anyone when it wants to, and one looks forward to a continuation of this type of effort as the team returns to regular season action this week with tough matchups against St. Catharines and a home-and-home with Burlington.
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June 14, 2010 St. Catharines Midget Showcase Recap/Mid-Season Review
The Welland Four Paws Pet Resort Raiders may have been lacking bodies for this past weekend’s Midget Showcase in St. Catharines, but they certainly were not lacking in character as they captured the Consolation championship in a shootout with the Akwesasne Storm after the teams were tied 4-4 in regulation. Sunday’s final game saw the Raiders have only eight players dressed, which is half their normal total, but they still managed to pull off the improbable upset.
Graeme McCullough was stellar in net all tournament, picking up multiple player of the game awards on Saturday and Sunday. Not only did he do a fantastic job of stopping the ball, but he also was one of the team’s assist leaders throughout the competition. The team’s other regular netminder, Kyle Patterson, after playing goal in Friday’s second game saw action as a runner in several games on Saturday and Sunday, picking up a goal and assist in Saturday’s round-round matchup with Akwesasne, where the Storm prevailed 7-4, sealing the game with a pair of late goals against an exhausted Raiders squad.
When the tournament began on Friday evening, the Raiders dressed nearly a full squad against the eventual tournament champion and hosts, the St. Catharines Athletics. Undisciplined play from the Raiders gave the A’s the edge they needed to prevail 6-2, however, the Raiders hope to exact some revenge on Monday evening when the teams meet again in league play.
The Raiders rebounded to win their second game on Friday, 5-4 over the Caledon Bandits. A lacklustre effort in the first half saw the Raiders down 4-2 after two periods, however, Bubba Dakin single-handedly turned around the team’s fortunes by netting a natural hat-trick, including a pair of goals within a 24-second span of the third period to earn the victory.
The team’s lineup took a major hit on Saturday, with three players away competing for spots on Team Ontario, along with other absences due mainly to injury and so Bantam regulars, Zach Main and Ayden Dawn, were given an expanded role and performed extremely well against players who in many cases were two years older. While neither player has practiced with the team to date, due to the overlapping Bantam and Midget schedules, they were able to quickly adjust to the differences of the Midget game and contribute right away. Main, one of the offensive leaders and Captain of his own team, provided an assist in Friday’s opening game against St. Catharines and Dawn, a natural defensive player, thrived in a similar type of role with the older club, playing a key part of the team’s success all weekend and especially on Sunday when the team needed him the most. As luck would have it, Main too would be sidelined due to illness before the weekend ended, however, his help on Friday and Saturday paved the road for team’s eventual success on Sunday.
Saturday’s hard-fought 4-4 tie with the Owen Sound North Stars contrasted greatly with the disappointing effort shown in a 10-0 loss to Six Nations on Sunday morning, however, the team regrouped well enough to defeat Hamilton 7-1 on Sunday afternoon to qualify for the consolation final.
Without taking anything away from the offensive leaders that are given priority by the Tribune Sports Editor in our game recaps each week, make no mistake that this team’s success is due mainly to the great defensive effort it puts out each game. Wade Kenny has quietly served as our defensive stalwart, despite having great offensive ability as well, which he clearly showed with his two highlight reel goals against Owen Sound. Jack Fitzgerald is well known for his scoring touch, so it’s easy to overlook how often he’s able to fire off a laser-guided pass or tenaciously battle for a loose ball. Ryan Kirchmayer has improved more the past two seasons than anyone that I have watched in the past four years of following lacrosse, but I’m equally proud of the game-to-game improvements being made by our first-year players to the sport, Jonathan Chase and Parker Hayward and by our youngest player, Matthew Kenny. It’s a sign of a great team, when the more experienced players are helping along the newer ones and I’m proud to say we have a several players consistently showing great leadership in this regard, both in practices as well as on the floor and the bench during games. It would be nice if David Falovo would score this season, but if he just continues the excellent defensive play that we relied on him for last season in Bantam, I’m fine with that too. I’m much happier this season that we have Everett Milberry on our team this season instead of having to play against him. While it’s nice that we can normally rely on a goal or two from him each game, its his off-ball play and game intensity that sets him apart. Not that we have a shortage of physically-intense players, with Bryce Brochu, Bubba Dakin, Chris Mattison, Sebastien Beaudoin, Nico Beaudoin and Zach Olsson who all display varying degrees of the same style of play and emotion. The key to success is channeling that emotion and keeping it within the rules of play. There have only been a few games where penalties have been an issue for us, so I think for the most part our players are learning the right balance, but there is always room for improvement as the games get more intense themselves and the competition becomes more difficult. While he was the last member to join our team, Kevin Millejours has been a very welcome addition. His tremendous speed gives us an added dimension to an already potent offense.
You’ve probably noticed by now that I’ve mentioned everyone of my team’s players. This is no accident as it’s always been my belief that it takes an entire team to win or lose a game. I do tend to favour defence over offence simply because the vast majority of time that is what wins championships. Even the best players are known to go into slumps from time to time, but it’s extremely rare for a good defensive team to struggle, and if they do, they are often helped out by great goaltending.
Favouring players, however, is never something I’ve done. I expect equal effort from everyone, which each player fulfilling his role and using his skill sets to the best of their ability. As long as they have given it their best effort, then I can live with whatever the outcome is.
Despite its many challenges, this tournament proved to the Raiders themselves and to everyone else that this team has the talent and will to compete with anyone when it wants to, and one looks forward to a continuation of this type of effort as the team returns to regular season action this week with tough matchups against St. Catharines and a home-and-home with Burlington.
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