A not so mighty third
Men's lacrosse team moves into postseason without last year's fanfare
Justine Baskey

"At this point in the season, everything goes out the window and the one goal is winning. Playoffs are a new season." Gary Muzzin, Gryphons lacrosse goaltender.

 

The regular season is over and the former national champion Guelph Gryphons men's lacrosse team sits third in the standings. The Gryphons have missed the chance to gain home field advantage for CUFLA quarter-finals, following Sunday's critical 13-5 loss to the Brock Badgers. Next Sunday, the team will travel to McMaster to battle the Marauders for a spot in the CUFLA semi-finals in Ottawa. The Marauders beat the Gryphons on Marauder turf earlier in the season, but last Saturday, the Gryphons responded, outplaying the Marauders in every aspect of the game, despite playing on a muddy Gryphon field.

"[McMaster] is a dangerous team, they're very well coached and they have some players who, if they have a good game, can hurt you," said head coach Sam Kosakowski. "Pound for pound, we're a better team than they are; we have more threats than they do."

In Saturday's game, the Marauders visibly tried to keep the game at their pace but the Gryphons' offence hustled hard and the defence did their job to protect their end while goaltenders Gary Muzzin and Jeremy Snider maintained a strong presence in the net. The effort paid off.

"Saturday really was a big plus, everyone seemed to be working really hard together," said goaltender Gary Muzzin. "We basically capitalized on our opportunity on our home field."

With such a roller coaster season, it's hard to predict how the Gryphons will fare in the playoffs. After losing some key players from last year and picking up a handful of rookies, the team has been working hard to gel and recapture their 2008-09 success.

"[The captains] had meetings about changes that needed to be made at this point in the season," explained Muzzin. "There's no excuses anymore, it's all left on the field. Every player is taking responsibility for their own play now, everyone's kind of becoming more of a team."

The switch from the regular season mentality to the playoff mentality makes a difference for the entire team.

"We're on track," insisted Muzzin. "At this point in the season, everything goes out the window and the one goal is winning. Playoffs are a new season."

Kosakowski pointed out that, in the playoffs, he shortens his bench and needs to keep his strongest offensive and defensive players on the field as much as possible if the team hopes to make it to Ottawa two weeks from now.

"These guys are talented lacrosse players; a couple of guys play professional ball, a lot of guys play Junior A and Junior B," explained Kosakowski. "We have to rely on them to be able to make decisions and do the things they are capable of doing."

The team hasn't played to the level they are capable of yet, which reflects in their not so impressive 6-4 record this season. If Sunday's play against the Badgers carries on, this slippery slope to the semis is going to get steeper. Kosakowski hopes that the repetition in practice will drive what needs to be done on the field into his players' minds. His playoff mantra is clear:

"Play out of control, under control." 

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