Playoff Round 1: 5/14 vs Stanwood

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Lynnwood: Here we come!

On a beautiful night before an equally divided crowd, SLC raced out to a quick 3-0 lead and never looked back, finally finishing off the team from the north, 9-2 in the first round of the DII playoffs. Sammamish will face Lynnwood on Friday, May 21 for the right to advance to the semi-final game against the winner of Wenatchee and Blanchet.

The offense came to play. Quick strikes by Christian Paxton and Tyler Wright dug a quick hole for Stanwood to trip into. A nice dodge and a sharp angled shot coming from behind the net on the left side by Matt only kicked sand in their face. A punishing defensive effort and faceoff wins in 10 of 13 draws for Matt and team limited Stanwood’s scoring attempts to a mere 7 shots. And the offense was clicking with crisp passing that resulted in Brian Headland racking up three assists to go with his one goal. Other scoring credit goes to Christian (2g, 1a), Neal Hones and Andrew Wenzel.

Friday’ game in Lynnwood (11-2), Westsidelax.com’s preseason favorite (SLC picked third), will match the most prolific scoring team in the league (three of the top five scorers in the league play for Lynnwood) against the league’s second-ranked defense based on points allowed. And while Lynnwood can put it in the net, opponent shots hit yarn at a high rate as well. Lynnwood scored 216 points and yielded 118 points for a point deferential of 98. SLC scored 160 points and opponents scored 42 goals for a =/- of 122 points. Lynnwood goalie David DeKoukkouk saved 94 of 180 shots for a Sv% of 56% and a Goal Against Average of 9 goals per game. Scott Johnson saved 49 of 79 shots, 63% for a GAA of 2.0/game.

As often stated here on this blog, I’m that last one who should be expected to offer insight or an accurate forecast for a game’s outcome. But that said, let’s take a look at some numbers. Both teams played opponents with a combined record of 54-63, so each team’s 11-2 record is padded with wins over weaker opponents. Lynnwood has proven that they will shoot, to an average of 29 shots per game while averaging 16 goals per contest. SLC shoots an average of 21 shots on goal and averages 11 points. I haven’t seen Lynnwood play, but I’m guessing that they just shove the ball down opponent’s throats with speed and quick passes.  SLC has a much more deliberate, structured offense, working the ball around the wheel before taking shots. This could account for the difference in shots on goals between the teams. Each team converted on 53% of their shots on goal.

While Lynnwood’s opponents shot an average of over 16 shots per game (7.7 pts/game), SLC opponents shot 7.6 shots and scored an average of 2.8 points per game. SLC goalie Scott Johnson saved, as noted above, 63% of attempts on goal; DeKoukkouk 56%. And, during the season Lynnwood faced four top 10 goalies (based on over 480 minutes in the crease) going 4-0 in those contests. SLC faced six top 10 goalies going 4-2, losing twice to Lake Washington.

The math then figures that if Lynnwood gets their 29 shots on goal and Johnson saves 63%, Lynnwood will score 11 points. If Sammamish shots their average 21 shots and converts on 53%, SLC will score 10 points. Does this mean that Lynnwood wins the contest 11-10?

Only if Lynnwood gets the ball. Therefore, control of the ball will begin with face-off wins. And when SLC gets the ball they need to hold onto it and not turn the ball over. And from the look at the season totals, Lynnwood didn’t face a defense like SLC. If this team is to win, the Long-pole Rats are going to have to deliver the checks and slides that minimize the flash fire offense of this team up the I-5.

 Win the faceoff battle

2.     Control the ball and no turnovers

3.     Play the defense this team is capable of

Do these things to minimize the Lynnwood shot attempts and be confident that Scott will have a great day in the crease and we will win!

Go team!

Game 13: 5/8 vs. South Kitsap

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Sorry for the technical problem with the column width that results in 

broken words at the end of each line. Will work to fix the problem shortly.

SLC (11-2) finished up their regular season with a 16-8 victory over the peninsula team. I didn't attend and neither did the team's leading scorer, but that didn't much matter.

On to the playoffs. The guys will play Stanwood (9-4) in round one. From the looks of it the team can score but they give up a lot of points. Lets hope any offensive tightness gives way to the guys shooting bullets past their goalie. A victory only leads to a game with high-scoring Lynnwood, but who doesn't want that?

Matt scored 4 goals and finished the regular season as the third-leading scorer (8th in conference, 74 in league) on the team with 23 points (18g, 5a), a team and conference-leading 77 ground balls (20th in league), and an unofficial face-off win percentage of 87%. He controlled the offense from the top, made minimal mistakes and was one of the leaders on the team. A good season for Matt. But a good season means little without a win against Stanwood. Last year, the team was happy to make the playoffs. This season they expected to be here. Based on the teams they played and the huge point differentials, it's fair to question how good this team is. The difference between SLC and Redmond is the same difference that exists between Lake Washington, the conference winner with a 13-0 record, and Sammamish. For SLC to move past this first playoff game, there needs to be a lot more attention to the details than this team showed against LW. I believe Coach Mitchell is preaching that the guys just need to play, don't worry about winning. If they can relax and play as they are able they will be just fine in this first-round game.

Lets hope my next post is about a thrilling victory. Go Matt! Go SLC!

Game 12: 5/5 vs. Lake Washington

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Hats off to Lake Washington. They played well, great defense again, and their goalie had a good night in the crease stopping some shots (he didn't have to stop the shots that we missed). And Jake (6pts) and Cody (3pts) had awesome games. Jake is such an active player, always squirming around with the ball. He just seems like the prototypical middie, that how he plays is how that position should be played. But I digress from what I really want to talk about.

Momma always said, if you're you're going to be critical of another, be sure to say three nice things before you say anything bad; then follow that up with another nice thing to say. She called this some sort of "love sandwich" or other...

OK, three nice things.

1) I didn't think of my kidney stones at all during the game. That's a positive thing

2) it didn't rain during the game

3) As of tonight standings, SLC (10-2, 139 PF, 33PA, +106 ) would play Stanwood (8-4, 111PF, 87PA, +24) in the first round of the playoffs on May 15th.

I've been saying this to everyone around me at games and on this blog that I'm the last one who knows anything about this game of lacrosse (however, I listened to some yelling parents around me tonight that would prove that statement to be false), But let me make a couple of observations:

1) We are (at least) one reliable stick away from being a decent team on offense. We come up short when looking for that player who can catch and shoot. You can't lift one guy from his position to fill the void without creating another hole. We always seem like we're a man down on offense.

2) For the last three or four games I've expressed concern about this team, that something is out of whack on offense. Despite the wins, despite the scoring, something that was working has stopped working. Here's my theory (or rather, my uneducated guess): We are a better team when Brian Headland has the ball. In the first seven games of the season Brian was a double-threat. He could score when he needed and wanted to, but he was unselfish enough to pass the ball when there wasn't a shot for him, so he got assists as well. In these last four conference games Brian's scoring is down and the offensive frustration is up. You go figure it out.

Tonight's game was so frustrating. We had scoring opportunities and didn't capitalize (at times didn't even shoot when in front of the net). We could've been tied/ahead at half if we had converted. Yet we never seemed to really be in the game, or I should say, never seemed to have the chance to win. We lost the opening faceoff and they score, Bernstein to Bernstein, 1-0. Just two brothers playing catch.

And that said, is there any love for the face-off win on this team?

To complete the "sandwich" I need to say something positive: I think we can beat Stanwood. Despite their scoring it looks like they give up a lot of points. SLC can score and defend. Stanwood had an early season win against then-undefeated Lynnwood, so Stanwood knows how to win.

Matt won 13 of 18 draws (118 of 134 for the season, 88%) with one goal. Much credit for the faceoff victories go to the wings who battled until Matt could finally wear down his opponent. The guys battled well.

Non-Conference Game: 4/30 vs. North County
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Since this is was a non-league game, let's play a game: Which answer doesn't apply to the phrase, "Lynden, Washington ____________". A) Has more used car lots per mile than anywhere in Washington B) Has lacrosse fields with 3" deep grass and a 4" hole to faceoff in C) Has really bad Classics radio station DJ D) Must be the beerpong capital of the entire world (they sell the "table tennis" balls on the beer aisle...I think they call them table tennis balls to sound less redneck) E) Puts round-abouts on their freeways F) Is a great place to place a lacrosse game?

I'm not sure if North County (2-9) was better than their record indicated or if SLC has drank the 11-1 koolaid and believes they are better than they actually are. This kind of statement has been a recurring theme the last couple of games. Wednesday's game against Lake Washington isn't going to go well unless some things get worked out.

NC scored on their first possession of the game. LW and Redmond have gone up 2-0 in games, but to score right out of the gate isn't something SLC has given into this year, that I recall. The red and black would tie the score before a loose ball would dribble behind the line to give NC a 2-1 lead. SLC would go into the half, up 4-2.

The second half wasn't any better. I maybe way off base in saying this, but there were times I felt like I was watching a JV game. I've watched SLC play really good ball so I know what they are capable of. But something was off. The field/grass conditions? Ground balls were hard to pick up without a Toro; Playing tight? Intimidated? Playing down to an opponent's level? I don't think so. I do think we lacked energy (sitting in the car for two hours after rushing out of school to make start time could do that) and NC was certainly active. I haven't seen many teams run out of/through trouble to get over mid-field like NC. They held onto the ball really well; they just couldn't shoot.

Anyway, I'm concerned about Lake Washington. I could sit here and say it will be a close game and put the positive spin on it all. But until passes can be made, balls caught, guys running to the right spots on the field, guys playing as a team rather than 1-on-1, I'm predicting a 12-6 victory for LW. Go ahead and hate on me. I'm not happy about that prediction either.

Matt was six of ten in faceoffs (see the above comment about the hole the ball was placed in to faceoff), had a beautiful goal running in from left of net via nice dodge, and added an assist to finish with two points. He now has 20 points for the season with two more games remaining before the playoffs.

This = That

Interception, fumble, offsides, illegal motion, facemasking, personal foul, traveling, charging, blocking foul, icing, slash, offsides, allowing the runner to advance b/c missed cut-off man, booting the ball, throwing error, passed ball, wild pitch, double-fault, unforced error = dropping the ball from the lacrosse. Ground balls win games = not putting the ball on the ground. Just saying....

Game 11: 4/28 vs. Redmond

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This is a game that SLC could've made a statement, but instead, made the wrong statement. This game versus Redmond (5-4, 3rd place in Evergreen conference) was one of the few opportunities to play a competitive team, where SLC could show who was boss and put their foot on the throats of a true opponent. Instead, whether because of too much adrenaline, too much bravado, too much selfishness on offense, too much lack of focus, this game was offensively sloppy. Granted, Redmond has a good defense and really good goalie, but our offense made too many bad passes, put the ball on the ground way to much, and thanks to another good defensive game from the Long-pole rats, are lucky to escape with a 4-2 win. Sam Chapman always seemed to have the ball on the defensive side, and thanks to his heads up play, got involved on the offensive end with an assist. Brennen Bowman was also feisty on D. I'm not sure my assessment is off here. Coach Mitchell was more animated from the sidelines in this game than I've seen him in other, less crucial games. Leads me to believe that the team record isn't indicative of the playoff- readiness of this team. The rematch next week against Lake Washington will be a more pure test of where this team is truly at, and whether all the team fan talk of moving far into the playoffs is hoohie rather than hopeful. I'm sure of this: Coach Mitchell isn't impressed with the 10-1 record.

Game 10: 4/24 vs. Gig Harbor

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Game was to offer a test for SLC. Maybe the players hearing the remark "Let's beat these guys and go home" from the other half of the sideline got them fired up. But Gig Harbor was the team quickly dispatched, riding home with a 16-2 whoopin.

This was a good all-round game. The passes were crisp, guys were active, defense was stout (again). Good efforts. Matt was 80% in faceoffs, scored two and had assist and eight ground balls. All the guys were scooping up ground balls and got even scoring from the attacks (Headland 5pts, Cornell 5, Schmidt 3) and other middies (Wright 2, N. Hones 2, and Paxson 1). Hard to complain about this one.

Game 9: 4/22 vs. Liberty

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How much more of this will we have to endure? SLC cruised 13-0. Matt scored a goal but was pulled from much of the faceoff duties because 1) Saturday's game against Gig Harbor (5-4) promised more competition than the game at hand and/or 2) Matt got received a couple of slashing penalties and Blake was __________ (Multiple choice: a. Pissed? or b. Wanted to save the Liberty players from harm? or c.  Wanted to rest Matt and others? or d. Give the young guys a chance to hone their FO skills?). Anyway, huge game from Alex Cornell (6g, 3a).

On to Gig Harbor.

Just wondering...

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Matt and I watched the Army v. Navy lacrosse game yesterday. It makes sense that the young men in the military schools would play the game with the same sense of mission and courage that is expected from them should they be sent to a real battlefield. What I saw were guys sacrificing themselves for their team: Waiting that last possible second to make a pass and taking a hit from a defender to get the ball to a teammate at the perfect moment; crashing towards the crease to shoot on-goal knowing a devastating hit would be their reward for their effort; showing the understanding of the value of ground balls, laying full-out, diving headlong out of bounds so as to maintain ball possession; and the willingness to fight for the face-off win. These guys were tough.

Walax.com, in an article about the Stanwood upset win over Lynnwood , said, "We’ve all heard it a million times... 'ground balls win games'.” Winning the ground ball war and fighting for loose balls is nasty work. I appreciate that Brennen Bowman fought for ground balls against Redmond enough to think to kick 3 or 4 balls forward in his attempt to win possession.

The flipside of the ground ball game is NOT to turn the ball over. Turnovers lose games.

Does the team understand that "ground balls win games"?

Game 8: 4/17 vs. North Kitsap

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I didn't go and haven't seen video footage of play from this game, played after the boys needing to rush from school, wait for a ferry, travel across the Puget Sound and being given an extra half-hour to start the game so the team could warm up. Note the league scheduling agents: Teams need more than two hours to travel to game from one side of the Peninsula to the other. Anyway, it was a long trip for another blow out, this one 15-0. Matt scored two and did well in his draws.

As I said, I didn't go to this game, but evidenced by the stats, one concern about blow-out games like this is the guys playing for themselves rather than taking the opportunity to continue to work as a team. Four assists on 15 goals, to me, indicates a lot of one-on-one play. I understand the guys wanting goals. But teamwork keeps everyone involved, garners mores assists, goals and wins. If the guys are seeking cred, think POINTS. SLC will need to be a team if they want to go far in the playoffs, and these league games are the warm-up for any thoughts of future glory.

I'll mention one of the obvious, dramatic improvements this year: Goalie-play. Scott Johnson has been a rock, facing an average of 8 shots a game and saving 7 of those. Some of that credit can be passed to the Long-pole Rats for allowing the opponent only 8 shots/game, but it's Scott who has the "S" on his chest and is stopping the bullets. And Scott's clearing passes are solid. He has rarely made bad decisions with his passes from the crease.

Come back to this post and I will fill in with more details when I can talk to Matt more about this game.

Game 7: 4/14 vs. Redmond

After a two week layoff due to spring break, the guys got the opportunity to shake the rust off and get after a program that beat them last year in the playoffs. But this Redmond Mustang (3-2 entering the game) team is a different team than last year's playoff team: graduations and the loss of a couple of players to Lake Washington, most notably, Jake and Cody Bernstein, both recognized by westsidelax.com as top players in the area. Matt was looking forward to playing some competitive games and it's just what he got as Redmond staked a 2-0 first half lead before SLC shortened the divide by one before the end of the half.

SLC didn't panic and quickly tied the game. Matt raced to the crease, drew a defender and fed Andrew Wenzel, left all alone who promptly ripped a shot top shelf. Matt showed off his high lax IQ on that unselfish play. Later, Matt would close out the scoring on a beautiful left side dodge and double-clutch shot in front of the net.

As well as the offense hung in there and kept the pressure on Redmond, my props go to the defense. I'm calling them the Long-pole Rats from now on, because they just pestered and annoyed the Redmond short-sticks all second half. You're not to reward a dog for what you expect him to do, but this was a defensive effort that I hadn't seen much this season. The LPRats were exceptional when any Mustang into the crease they were met with cross checks and physical play. So hats off to the defense!

Redemption was sweet in beating their first-time playoff nemesis. Pretty sure we won't see this team in the playoffs as SLC and Redmond, for the moment, are heading in different directions. But the guys (and the parents) relished some competition in this closely fought game. And I'm sure the Mustangs will bring it the next time these teams face, April 28 at Interlake HS.

Tale of the Matt-tape: 1g, 1a, 4gb, 11 of 12 draws.

Game 6: 3/31 vs Mt. Si

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Matt didn't go to this game because he was out of town due to a school commitment. But the team did what they needed to do to win (show up?), 17-1. The guys got the chance pad their stats. SLC out scored this team 30-1 in their two game series this season. Best wishes to Mt. Si as they continue to grow their program for the future.

Game 5: 3/27 vs Port Angeles

Today's game, a 9-1 victory, was played under sunny skies and was a good effort by the entire team. The team passed the ball well and the defense was stout. The entire game could be summed up by the words of the opposing coach when he yelled at his team after a poorly executed first-half play, "Come on guys! We're hardly getting the ball as it is!" First half possession minutes for the Mountaineers could be measured in single digits.

Matt did well in face-offs with the team getting 9 of the 14 draws. He tallied a goal and an assist along with 4 ground balls.

Game 4: 3/25 vs. Lake Washington

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Sammamish Suffers First Defeat

http://www.walax.com/?q=lake_washington_puts_away_sammamish_96

Sammamish lost their first game of the season last night, 9-6, to Lake Washington. LW now stands alone at the top of the Evergreen Conference with a 3-0 record. SLC (3-1) falls to second place. LW offered the first 'real' competition for SCL. Down 2-0 early in the contest, the team hung in there, taking the lead in the third period after being tied at halftime. But with seconds remaining , LW hit net to lead 7-6 at the close of the third frame.

Entering the fourth period the guys were gassed. They were playing without a couple of guys and did not have a full rotation of players to step in and offer the middies a break. The play at that point in the game got pretty sloppy. Some of the credit needs to go to LW's defense who made things difficult when the guys got in close. But some point-blank opportunities were squandered as well.

IMHO, the guys need to learn that lacrosse is a possession game. Good passes need to be made, bad passes need to be caught, all balls in the lacrosse need to be maintained. When the ball in your possession gets put on the ground and lost, the middies have to run, will get gassed, and you loose the opportunity to control the game.

Matt had a good game in face-offs. He did 17 of the 19 draws and won 15 of those. He was credited with 12 ground balls.

Matt's season totals: 4 games, 6 goals, 2 assists, 8 points, 40 gb, 49/56 face-offs, 87.5% face-off wins.

Added Note: SLC leads the league in point differential at +37 points!

Game 3: 3/19 vs. Liberty

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Perhaps I need to clarify in the title of this blog that these news and notes are from a dad's perspective...

Team won 16-0. SLC has outscored opponents 42-2. And regarding blow-outs, Matt took 18 of 18 face-offs. For the season Matt is a whopping 32 of 39 for a win percentage of 82%.

Which leads me to ask if anyone understands the value of the face-off middie? People understand "points" but most don't recognize the importance of a face-off win. The win means the other team doesn't get the ball. The win means your team has the opportunity to score before the other team. The win means you get the opportunity to control the game and clock. Adrenaline Lacrosse calls the face-off specialist a "special breed of player and considered by many as the most valuable player on the field."

Speaking of points, Matt scored the game's first goal and had a few possible assists dropped or shots on goal that missed. He scooped up 13 ground balls to add to his league-leading total of 28 GB (did I mentions this blog is from a father's perspective?).

Big game on Tuesday vs. Lake Washington. LW is also undefeated, has already been battle tested in a 10-4 win over Redmond. LW will field the Bernstein Boys, Jake and Cody, who bring years and talent into play. Jake is an All-American candidate and will most likely perform the team's face-off duties. Matt will be tested for sure, and the game will be a good test and measure for where SCL is really at in terms of athleticism, toughness and lacrosse IQ.

Game 2: 3/16 at Mt. Si

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Bit of a route: 13-0

Matt scored two and notched one assist for three points. Took seven of nine face-offs. He said he lost the two when he was "just trying stuff".

The team is playing well. They are passing and moving the ball with efficiency this year. Not a lot of dropped balls and turnovers like last year.

Game 1: 3/13 at Klahowya

Matt and the team played well. Below is article from Walax.com:

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Sammamish's Young Leads Off in 13-2 Victory over Klahowya

Submitted by walax on Sat, 2010-03-13 22:58.

• Headline News

Using a balanced midfield attack led by junior Matt Young, Sammamish travelled to the Kitsap Peninsula on Saturday and defeated Klahowya 13-2 in the opening game of Division II action. Behind 6 1st quarter face-off wins by Young, Sammamish controlled the tempo early building a 4-1 lead with goals by 4 different scorers. Junior attackman Brian Headland got the scoring started off a ride 5 minutes in.

A minute later, Matt Young fired a shot on the run to extend the lead to 2 before Klahowya answered back with a strong top side dodge from attackman Johansen. Unfortunately for Klahowya, that was as close as the Eagles would get as Sammamish using balanced scoring from 4 other scorers including Tyler Wright, Andrew Wenzl, Sam Chapman and Neil Hones to extend the lead to 8-1 at half. The second half saw Klahowya controlling much of play due to penalties and solid ball control. However, they were unable to penetrate Sammamish's defense eventually scoring with 9 minutes left in the quarter.

A man up opportunity due to an offsides from Klahowya was quickly taken advantage of as senior attack Alex Cornell found a shooting lane courtesy of a skip pass from Neil Hones. Sammamish added 3 more in transition as they ran off some clock leaving with a 13-2 win. Coach Hawley and his team from Klahowya fought hard, and a credit to him should go out for accommodating Sammamish with a game time delay of two hours so that junior players from Sammamish could take the SAT test and still play. Overall, a great start to the Division II schedule with a clean, hustle filled game. Credits go to Sammamish's Keeper, Scott Johnson for 11 saves in net. Stay tuned to Walax for plenty more in game coverage throughout the season!