Warriors Drop One To Wolfpack

It was one of those nights for the Whitby Warriors as they travelled to Stroud to play the Innifil Wolfpack on Tuesday night, May 22.  After 60 minutes all the Warriors could muster up was two goals in a 3-2 loss.

Ironically Whitby held a 2-1 lead late in the first period of the game,  and that same score would hold up until just over five minutes were left in the game.  Innisfil scored twice, the winner with only 18 seconds left in the game to secure the win.  It was a night of missed opportunities and a noticeably bigger desire to win from the home team than that of the visitors.

The Warriors are next in action this coming Saturday afternoon (May 26) when they travel to Mimico to play the Mountaineers for the first time this season.  Game time is 1:00pm at Long Branch Arena.

Warriors Remain Perfect After Pair of Wins

The Whitby Warriors have remained undefeated on the young 2012 season after a pair of wins against the Peterborough Lakers. 

On Saturday May 12th, the Warriors built a 5-0 lead after two periods.  Peterborough made a game of it in the 3rd period but the Warriors held on for an eventual 7-4 win.  One week later the same two teams hooked up in Peterborough.  The Warriors again pounced early and often en route to a 10-3 road victory.

The second game was a very chippy contest with Peterborough being assessed 98 minutes in penalties while the Warriors had 64.  Peterborough’s starting goalie was ejected from the game after a match penalty for kicking a Whitby player in the second period.  The backup goalie then injured himself in the 3rd period forcing a player to play the remaining 7 minutes of the game between the pipes.

Early in the 3rd period a line brawl occurred after a Peterborough player ran Whitby’s starting goalie in an attempt to remove him from the game.  In all, five players from each team were ejected for fighting.  A video posted on Youtube of the events included some audio that would seem to indicate that at least the camera man knew something was forthcoming at that point in the game.

The Warriors will play 3 times in the next week and a half; a home and home match against Innisfil, with a visit to Mimico in the middle.

Warriors Shutout Hawks To Open Season

The Whitby Warriors opened their season on Saturday night May 5th, and hit the floor running.  The Warriors tallied eight goals in the opening period and carried that momentum for two more periods for a convincing 13-0 win over the visiting Huntsville Hawks.

Nine different players figured in on the goal scoring and it was a welcome sight for the Coaching staff.  Leading the way for the Warriors were Dakota Kettrick, Nathaniel Kerstens, Connor Scott and (AP) Tyler Antram all with two goals each.  Singles went to Cody Bryant, Danny Lafontaine, (AP) Wes Phillips, (AP) Matt Lyons, and Chris Martin.   Jacob Mark handled the goaltending duties and secured the shutout.

The Warriors will hit the practice floor twice this week before entertaining the Peterborough Lakers this coming Saturday night at Iroquois Park.  Game time is set for 8pm.  In their one and only regular season meeting last season in Whitby, the Lakers drubbed the Warriors by a 14-6 score.

Warriors Pre-Season Action

The Whitby Warriors Junior C lacrosse club will be travelling for the second consecutive year to Kingston to take part in the Kings pre-season tournament.  The event is scheduled for Saturday April 28th and Sunday April 29th.

The Warriors will play Kingston on Saturday at 1pm, and follow that at 5pm when they face the Gloucester Griffins.  On Sunday the Warriors will again face the Kings at 1pm.

With tryouts out of the way the Whitby bench staff will finally get an opportunity to see the players and goalies in some game action.  A number of returning players are still at school, while a few others are still in Camp with the Green Gaels Junior B squad.  This will be an opportunity for some of the yo9nger players to show what they have and hopefully earn a spot in the lineup.

Possible Labor Disruption Could Move Tryouts

update:  as of 10:30pm Friday night the Town and its employees have agreed to a deal meaning there is no strike.  Our tryout will indeed be at Iroquois Park on Pad 3 Saturday April 21st at 3pm

The Town of Whitby and its’ unionized employees are in the middle of labour negotiations that could result in a strike.  If it is to happen it could be as early as 12:01am Friday evening (technically Saturday morning).  If a strike does occur the facilities at Iroquois Park will not be available to us to complete our tryouts on Saturday April 21 and Sunday April 22.

We have made alternate arrangements to utilize the Ajax Community Center on pad 2 both days @ 3pm.  All players at Friday’s tryout will be informed of where we expect to be.

Warriors Announce 2012 Tryout Dates, Schedule

The Whitby Warriors Junior C Lacrosse Club announced their tryout dates and regular season schedule for the 2012 season.  To see all dates, click the links at the top of this page.

The Warriors have all but 2 players that are eleigible to return for the 2012 season.  Team Captain Chase Simpson and twin brother (Assistant Captain) Cody are the only graduating players from last years squad.  With a crop of graduating Midget players, as well as the hopeful return of some Intermediate players who had a one year release to Oshawa, the Coaching Staff is optimistic they will see a very solid product on the floor this season.

“There are a number of graduating Midgets that I know very well, and a few could easily walk in here and not miss a beat” said Head Coach Gary Mark.  “But it is a big jump from a 45 minute straight time minor game, to a 60 minute stop time Junior game.  It will be very interesting though and the staff is very eager to get going.  We also have a few players that are in school and of course there are some openings on the Warriors “A” and the Green Gaels “B” to consider.”

One thing that Mark is very pleased about is the return of an Intermediate team in Whitby for 2012.  “It really hurt Whitby Minor Lacrosse and us to not have an Intermediate team in 2011.  Without an affilliate we were sometimes stuck and playing with a short bench on a few nights last year.  But John Phillips, who I have worked well with in past seasons, has stepped up and will be Coaching the Warriors Intermediate.  That competition and our ability to access more players will be a good thing for all of us.”

The Warriors will again participate in the pre-season tournament held in Kingston.  The date for that event is set for Saturday April 28, and Sunday April 29.

Tryout costs will be  a flat $50 and all players / goalies are guaranteed the first 3 sessions.  Dates / times / locations are as follows:

Saturday April 14 3pm – 4:30pm Iroquois Park Pad # 1
Sunday April 15 3pm – 4:30pm Iroquois Park Pad # 1
Friday April 20 7pm – 8:30pm Iroquois Park Pad # 3
Saturday April 21 3pm – 4:30pm Iroquois Park Pad # 3
Sunday April 22 3pm – 4:30pm Iroquois Park Pad # 3

Lakers Advance Over Warriors

Last night saw the season end for the Whitby Junior C Warriors at the hands of the Peterborough Lakers. Final score was 10-6, the Lakers taking the series in 4 games. For the 2nd time in 2 home games we could not hold on to a first period lead.

Congrats and good luck to Peterborough.

One comment, only beccause it almost never happens. My own opinion; we saw the best officiating we have seen all season in this series, and last night was no exeception. I will not put out any names, but they know my thoughts as I shared them with at least three of the different officials we had in this series.

Peterborough will now play Clarington for the Central final. This should be a great series, and I’m looking forward to being a fan for it.

Lastly, I’d like to thank all of the folks that helped us out this season. From our Coaching staff / management team, game night staff, ball boys, and all volunteers in general. A specific shout out to the ladies at the door. Never missed a game!

Thanks.

Gary Mark