MINTO CUP PREVIEW: Coquitlam Competes for Junior Lacrosse Supremacy in Cowtown

BRAMPTON EXCELSIORS (OJALL CHAMPIONS)

RECORD: 14-6, 2ND PLACE / DEFEATED ORANGEVILLE 4-1 IN OJALL FINALS

HOW THEY GOT HERE: After just missing out on making the Minto Cup in their hometown last season, the Excelsiors built on their failures to make the OJALL Finals against the always competitive Orangeville Northmen. Brampton dispatched the Northmen in 5 games, winning four straight after dropping Game 1 in a tight defensive affair. This will be the first Minto for the Junior Excelsiors in almost a decade, playing as the hosts in the 2009 edition, and the first time they won the Ontario title since 1994. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

JEFF TEAT - 17 GAMES, 40 GOALS, 72 ASSISTS, 112 POINTS - Teat is fresh off a breakout tournament at the FIL World Field Championships in Netanya, Israel last month but is also one of the most well-regarded box players in the country as well. Teat is fresh off his 3rd straight provincial scoring title, although he did have 24 more points in 2 more games in 2017. He was also second in playoff scoring despite missing six games. The Captain will undoubtedly be the player Brampton will lean if they want to win a National Championship. 

STEVEN ORLEMAN - 11-3 RECORD, 840 MINUTES, 91 GA, 6.51 GAA - After backstopping the Excelsiors to a second-place finish, Tyler Smyth took a backup role to Steven Orleman, who was acquired at the Trade Deadline from the K-W Braves. The younger brother of Kevin Orleman will now look to backstop a loaded Brampton team after posting an 11-3 playoff record in 840 minutes of work. He still has a few years of Junior lacrosse ahead of him but this tournament will provide some valuable experience either way. 

CLARKE PETTERSON - 18 GAMES, 33 GOALS, 64 ASSISTS, 97 POINTS - Petterson had an excellent regular season but really turned it on when the playoff came around. He was one of the most-trusted players coming out of the front gate against Ontario's best, posting 18 goals in 14 games and leading the league in scoring en route to being named the OJALL Playoff MVP. Like Teat, he's a threat that must be contained on the Power Play, with a combined 8 goals and 19 assists in the regular season and playoffs.

JUSTIN ROBINSON - 20 GAMES, 3 GOALS, 14 ASSISTS, 17 POINTS - It's often tough to pick out defensive players to watch when a team plays such solid defence as a group, but Justin Robinson has proven to be able to move the rock in transition and will likely be key if Brampton gets involved in high-tempo games with a lot of possessions. 

COQUITLAM ADANACS (BCJALL CHAMPIONS) 

RECORD: 18-2-1, 1ST PLACE / BEAT NEW WESTMINSTER 4-2 IN BCJALL FINALS

HOW THEY GOT HERE: It may not have been as straight-forward as previous years, but the Adanacs did figure it out en route to their 10th straight Minto Cup appearance, extending one of the most dominant runs in BC Junior lacrosse history. The Adanacs come into this tournament as arguably the favourites to win the whole thing as they had one of the most experienced teams from top to bottom but know they can't take things for granted with Ontario always being a tough opponent and the two Alberta teams gaining more experience and skill every year.  

PLAYERS TO WATCH

CHRISTIAN DEL BIANCO - 12-2 RECORD, 5.60 GAA, .856 SV% - CDB is coming off one of the most complete seasons put together by a BCJALL goalie in recent years and has to be considered a key part of another Adanacs Minto Cup run. He routinely comes up with jaw-dropping saves and is also the spark behind Coquitlam's excellent transition game. His performance in the last 2 Minto Cups have given him quality experience and if anyone wants to beat the A's, they will have to consistently find a way to beat him to do so. 

DYLAN FOULDS - 18 GAMES, 32 GOALS, 56 ASSISTS, 96 POINTS - Coquitlam acquired Foulds alongside Ryland Rees and Graydon Bradley in a massive Trade Deadline deal with the Poco Saints. Foulds continued where he left off with the Saints, putting up 17 points in 3 regular season games before adding 20 assists and 28 points in 9 playoff appearances. He can shoot and move the ball well, making him a dual-threat player that teams will need to key on all tournament.

CHASE SCANLAN - 11 GAMES, 24 GOALS, 16 ASSISTS, 40 POINTS - Scanlan returned to the Adanacs for a second-straight season and had much more impact than his rookie season, scoring more than 2 goals per game in the regular season. He turned it up another notch in the playoffs, leading most of the top scorers in points per game with 4 despite playing in just six games. 

REID BOWERING - 7 GAMES, 3 GOALS, 6 ASSISTS, 9 POINTS - Bowering didn't play much for the Adanacs in the regular season due to NCAA field commitments with Drexel, but the 2017 BCJALL Defensive Player of the Year has made an impact every time he has been on the floor, especially in the playoffs. He can punish offensive players but also has the athleticism and finesse to chip in in the transition game. 

CALGARY MOUNTAINEERS (RMLL RUNNER-UP)

RECORD: 10-6 RECORD, 3RD PLACE / LOST TO OKOTOKS RAIDERS IN RMLL FINALS

HOW THEY GOT HERE: They were pushed to the brink by the upstart Saskatchewan SWAT, but the Calgary Mountaineers survived their semi-final series against their prairie rivals to earn an automatic berth to the Minto Cup. They then had an epic 7-game series with the Okotoks Raiders, losing in heartbreaking fashion 9-8. They are hosting this year's 2018 Minto Cup alongside Okotoks, but no one can say the Mountaineers didn't earn it. They have a deep and experienced squad with quality coaching. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

TORON ECCLESTON - 13 GAMES, 33 GOALS, 23 ASSISTS, 56 POINTS (PLAYOFFS) - Besides having one of the best names  in the tournament, the Mounties will rely on Toron Eccleston to help provide some scoring power. Despite only playing 6 regular season games, Eccleston was next-to-unstoppable in the playoffs, putting up 33 goals in 13 games. He lead the RMLL in playoff goal scoring and was second in total points. 

JAKE FOSTER - 12 GAMES, 27 GOALS, 19 ASSISTS, 46 POINTS (PLAYOFFS) - Jake Foster had one of the best years in Alberta Junior lacrosse, coming third in regular scoring with 68 points and putting up more than 2 goals per game in the playoffs. He was a force on special teams, scoring 8 power play goals, 4 short-handed goals and 2 game winners. He is one of just a number of Mounties who can pop the ball in the net. 

ZACH YOBEK - 7-5-1 RECORD, 9.69 GAA, .755 SV% - Yobek won the Darcy Stinson Award as Goaltender of the Year in the RMLL and played every minute of the Mounties' playoff run. He will be relied upon to make some big saves if the Mounties want to overcome the odds and make it to the semifinals. 

ISSAC BOT - 14 GAMES, 23 GOALS, 16 ASSISTS, 39 POINTS - Bot made the RMLL 2nd All-Star team as a transition player and it's easy to see why. Bot moves up the floor with ease and can clearly chip in with some offensive ability. 

OKOTOKS RAIDERS (RMLL CHAMPIONS)

RECORD: 13-3, 1ST PLACE / DEFEATED CALGARY MOUNTAINEERS 4-3 IN RMLL FINALS

HOW THEY GOT HERE: The Okotoks Raiders are back a year after coming within 2 goals of making the 2017 Minto Cup semifinals with much of that same squad still in tact. They also made a number of moves at the Alberta trade deadline to secure more depth and experience, including BC additions in Riley Philips, Mason Pomeroy and goaltender Elijah Uema-Martin. An awesome 7-game series with the Mounties have also helped prepare the Alberta champions to stay fresh for the Minto. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BRETT MCINTYRE - 11 GAMES, 22 GOALS, 49 ASSISTS, 71 POINTS (PLAYOFFS) - After putting up a blistering 73 points in 14 regular season games, you wouldn't think Brett McIntyre could best that, but he did with 71 points in 11 playoff games. It's safe to say the 2-time David Fehr League MVP will be the focal point of the Raiders' offence. 

TYLER SCEVIOUR - 11 GAMES, 0 GOALS, 3 ASSISTS, 3 POINTS - You won't see Sceviour's name on the scoring sheet often, but that doesn't mean Sceviour doesn't make a major impact on the game. He was named the best defensive player in the league and can scoop loose balls and help the transition game better then arguably any other in the Alberta league. He will be tasked with shutting down the likes of Teat, Scanlan and Eccleston and helping Okotoks get to the semifinals. 

RILEY PHILIPS - 11 GAMES, 15 GOALS, 15 ASSISTS, 30 POINTS - BC lacrosse fans will recognize Philips' name quite well due to his time with the Delta Islanders. He has played in a Minto Cup before and has brought a lot to the table for the Raiders' Minto run since being acquired in July. He's done most of his damage on the power play in the playoffs, with 10 of his 15 tallies coming with the man advantage. 

HARRISON MATSUOKA - 7 GAMES, 9 GOALS, 0 ASSISTS, 9 POINTS - Matsuoka was extremely reliable in last year's Minto Cup for Okotoks and seems to flash his talent several times during games. He can play out of both the front and back gates and contributes in a number of ways, evidenced by scoring more than a goal per game in this year's playoffs.

PREDICTION

All four teams appear to be relatively evenly matched, with Brampton and Coquitlam considered as favourites to make the finals. The teams are all well-coached, which means it will largely come down to talent. Okotoks appears to be a tad stronger than Calgary, but in these types of tournament formats, it only takes one loss to derail an entire season. The schedule is set up so that Brampton and Coquitlam don't face each other until the 3rd game, and that could mean the Battle of Alberta is on again, this time for a spot in the Minto semis. In the end, it's hard to argue against the Adanacs depth and talent level, and Christian Del Bianco could very well be the gamebreaker that decides a final series between the A's and Excelsiors.

COQUITLAM OVER BRAMPTON