The Arena Lacrosse League West championship finals come to 91原创 this weekend 鈥� and it's deja vu of 2024.
It will be the Shooting Eagles versus the Black Fish on Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, following the teams' respective victories this past Saturday in the semifinal round.
Organizers are dubbing it the "rematch."
For the second straight year, the Shooting Eagles and Black Fish will square off with the championship trophy up for grabs.
The Black Fish enter the best-of-three series as the defending champions, while the Shooting Eagles make a third consecutive appearance in the ALL West finals, having won the title in 2023.
The two teams were victorious in their respective semifinal games on March 29, at 91原创 Events Centre with the Black Fish posting a 13-4 win over the Sea Spray in the early game, while the Shooting Eagles were 17-12 winners over the Grizzlies.
The teams also finished one-two in the regular season, with the Eagles going 11-3, while the Black Fish were 7-7.
.
Black Fish 13 - Sea Spray 4
A fast start set the tone early as the Black Fish booked their spot in the championship finals.
The defending ALL West champions struck for five goals in the opening quarter, and eight of the first nine in a dominant 13-4 win over the Sea Spray in the semifinal round on Saturday afternoon at 91原创 Events Centre.
鈥淐oming off five weeks off and then three games in a row, we were shorthanded. We had all our guys out today and it felt really good; we had a flow and just to get that confidence back,鈥� said Connor Watson, referencing the fact the team had three games in a six-day span where they played one, six and three players short of a full line-up.
But with a full roster for Saturday鈥檚 contest, the Black Fish were full value for their victory.
鈥淲e play really well when we are moving the ball and everyone is playing fast,鈥� Watson added.
Watson and Rhys Porteous each had hat tricks and five points in the win with Brian Gillis leading all scorers with a goal and five helpers.
Kordell Primus and Reece Barnes scored twice apiece with Chase McIntyre (1-2) and Jordan Roberts completing the scoring.
Brandon Humphrey was dominant in goal, stopping 38 of 42 shots (.905 save percentage).
The Sea Spray did make one charge in the game as they scored twice in the final 19 seconds before halftime to cut the deficit to 8-3, before opening the third quarter with another quick strike to pull within four.
But that would be it, as the Black Fish locked things down for the final 28 minutes.
鈥淭hey made a run, but then we closed the door,鈥� said Black Fish coach Rod Jensen.
鈥淵ou are not always going to be able to put the ball in the net, but you just want to make sure their runs are quick and short.鈥�
The Sea Spray 鈥� who were missing their leading scorer James Rahe 鈥� struggled to put the ball in the net as they were held to a season-low four goals.
Trevayne Hunter (2-1), Adam Dickson (1-1), and Seamus Bankier were the only players to beat Humphrey.
Tyler Kirkby finished with helpers on all four goals. Marc Rippberger made 43 saves on 56 shots.
.
Shooting Eagles 17 鈥� Grizzlies 12
The Shooting Eagles never trailed in the contest, leading 4-1 after the quarter and holding a multi-goal lead the rest of the way for the 17-12 win over the Grizzlies.
The Eagles 鈥� the top team in the regular season at 11-3 鈥� dressed nearly a full line-up for the first time in quite a while and had 10 players find the back of the net and 13 of their 18 runners register at least one point.
鈥淗aving the full line-up today was a big bonus for us; it鈥檚 been a while since we had that,鈥� said Mark Yingling, the game鈥檚 first star after registering four goals and six points.
鈥淓veryone looked incredible: great goaltending, battling for loose balls.鈥�
With nearly a full complement of their players, it meant people were no longer playing out of position and back in their familiar roles, he added.
One of the returnees was Garret Winter, who missed the team鈥檚 past three games, with Yingling saying that the forward鈥檚 return helped open up the floor for the offence.
Winter finished with a pair of goals and four points.
Keegan Kozack (1-4), Dylan Lacroix (3-1), Jake Young (2-2), Aiden Hindson (1-3), Coady Adamson (1-2), Jackson Ganton (1-1), Tysen Nielsen (1-0), and Declan Fitzpatrick (1-0) completing the scoring.
In goal, Colin Jeffrey saves 31 of 43 shots.
The Grizzlies鈥� Toru Morimatsu paced the offence with four goals and two assists while Erik Forsselius (1-4), Kyle Brunsch (1-3), Dennon Armstrong (2-1), James Baker (1-2), Drew Kask (2-0), and Aidan Baker (1-1) also scoring and finishing with multi-point games.
Brayden Wandler made 35 saves on 50 shots for the Grizzlies.
Up next, the ALL West championship series will be played on Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, at 91原创 Events Centre with both games beginning at 1 p.m.
Should the teams each win one game, a 10-minute mini-game will be played following a short break after the conclusion of the April 6 contest.
Established in 2017, the ALL operates an eight-team East division based in Ontario, as well as a four-team West division, which plays out of 91原创 Events Centre.
The ALL provides a high-development league for players, coaches, and officials with professional aspirations. Since its inception, more than 175 ALL players have gon on to play in the NLL.
