Western Wins West, McGill Masters the East

Wildcard Games, Saturday, October 27: 

East:

#5 Carleton @ #1 McGill, 1pm

#3 Queen’s @ #2 Bishop’s, 7pm

As the Baggataway Host, Trent has a bye through to the Final 6.

West:

#1 Western has a bye through to the Final 4

#5 Laurier @ #2 Guelph, 1pm

#4 Toronto @ #3 Brock, 2pm

Weekend #2:  Baggataway Cup Final 6 Tournament

November 2^nd – 4^th, 2012, Trent University.  

Profiles

Western:  #1 West

Western’s 11 & 1 record puts them atop of CUFLA’s West Division Standings.  Leading Western’s offence were rookies Dylan Ham and Ryan McCrory, who finished the year with 42 and 39 points respectively.  Western also has arguably the strongest defensive core in the league, where all three starting defensemen (Eric Pitre, Brendan Farrer, Ryan Cavanagh) were named All-Canadians in 2011, marking the first year in which one team took all three defensive All-Canadian honours.  In addition, Western’s Nikkolas Trillo was also named a 2011 All-Canadian at LSM. 

Guelph:  #2 West

A close second was the University of Guelph, who finished just two points behind Western.  Guelph’s balanced offence, which includes CUFLA’s 2011 scoring champion of Eric Hubert, not to mention three NLL drafted players in 2012 (Curtis Knight - 1st round 8th overall, Jordan Critch 16th overall, and Mike Burke at 28th overall).  Notably, Mike Burke was CUFLA’s 2012 West division scoring champion with 42 goals and 13 assists for 55 points in 11 games.  Teammate Jordan Daradick finished one point behind Mike, with 54 points in 12 games. 

Brock:  #3 West

Perennial powerhouse Brock University finished third.  NCAA product Travis Gibbons led Brock’s offence with 47 points in 12 games, which placed him third overall in points. Brock’s third place finish should not be overlooked, as veterans Jordan Weedmark (37 points) and 2010 Midfielder of the Year Dustin Dunn will provide leadership through the stretch.  Moreover, Brock had three players drafted in the 2012 NLL draft (Justin Pychel – 19^th overall, Michael Lum-Walker – 20^th overall, and Bryan Campbell 42^nd overall).

McGill:  #1 East

McGill had nine players with 10 or more points in 2012, providing a balanced attack and helped the team earn first place in the East.  Captain and 2011 All-Canadian Ryan Besse (35 points, 10 games) was recently named the team’s all time leading scorer with 188 points in a McGill uniform.  Alex Rohrback, CUFLA’s 2011 rookie of the year, had 27 points on the year.   McGill’s strength is not only offensive, as both goaltender Riley McGillis and BC native defenseman Kyle Robinson were named All-Canadians in 2011. 

Bishop’s:  #2 East

The Gaiters’ offence was led by CUFLA’s East division 2012 scoring champion, Alex Henderson, with 26 goals and 20 assists for 46 points in 10 games.   Gareth Gibson also had a strong year, with 38 points in 10 games, placing him tied for third in East division scoring.  Goaltending was also a strong point for the Gaiters this season, with the break out play of BC product David Bigley.  Moreover, the defensive play of fellow BC native Bradley Haddon, and 2011 All-Canadian and Nova Scotia native Mason Geldart shut down the opposition’s offence.

Queen’s:  #3 East  

This team’s record simply doesn’t do them justice, as Bishop’s required overtime to beat this improved Queen’s team, and McGill narrowly defeated them by one goal.  Team captain and Massachusetts product Matt Eriksen led Queen’s in points with 39 in just 8 games, which placed him second overall in the East division.  Alex Wright was second in team scoring, with 31 points in 9 games.  Goaltending was strong at Queen’s in 2011, led by sophomore Alex Guiney.   

Tournament Host: #4 Trent

Although Trent has an automatic bye into the final 6 as the tournament host, Trent had a difficult start to the season.  They are, however, peaking at the right time with a recent 17 – 3 trounce of the Carleton Ravens. Trent’s strengths lie with goaltender Kalvin Thomas, who was an All Canadian and named CUFLA’s goaltender of the year in 2010. Kalvin is arguably one of the best clearing goalies in the league, coupled with his ability to direct his defenseman and make great saves make him Trent’s greatest asset. Trent’s offense was led by veteran Mike Temple, whose 33 points were good enough for 6th in the East scoring race, despite playing in 20% fewer games than his offensive peers.  Moreover, Midfielder Tyler Tanquay was drafted 37^th overall by the Minnesota Swarm.