ISL

HS Boys Lacrosse
McMonkey
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue May 02, 2023 5:20 pm

Re: ISL

Post by McMonkey »

When can I place my bet for a champion and a chimpion?

McMonkey
Laxxal22
Posts: 1330
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

A warm welcome to Laxpower HOFer McMonkey. Hope you bring the same energy you did back in the day.

Here's a quick look at today's match ups. A couple of quasi playoff games on the docket.

Belmont Hill (10-0, 7-0) at Groton (5-4, 4-3) 4:30: It’s ancient history at this point, but I believe Groton dealt BH their last regular season loss back in 2019. I can’t see that happening again even though the Zebras have played tough throughout the season.

Nobles (9-3, 7-0) at St. Mark’s (1-8, 1-6) 5:00: This one will be pretty one-sided. Two easy ones this week for Nobles (St. Mark’s, St. George’s) before closing out with the two biggest tests of the year (BH, Seb’s) before the playoffs.

St. Seb’s (8-3, 6-1) at Lawrence (4-4, 3-4) 3:30: Rebound opportunity for Seb’s. With Govs coming up on Friday I bet the Arrows’ staff is hoping they can play a lot of the roster in this one to save legs.

Middlesex (5-4, 4-3) at BB&N (4-7, 3-4) 4:00: Tough week last week for Middlesex dropping both of their games. They have a few tests left (BB&N, RL, Rivers) but they should run the table if they play to their potential. For a young BB&N team I think the focus is on finishing strong and perhaps winning a game or two in the consolation bracket.

Milton (5-4, 4-3) at Rivers (4-6, 3-4) 4:30: One of the borderline de facto playoff games of the day. A loss for Rivers would put them firmly on the bubble with a match up against Middlesex still ahead next week. A loss isn’t as dire for Milton but a win would provide a lot more breathing room with Groton and Thayer still left to play.

Brooks (0-10, 0-7) at Govs (5-5, 5-2) 5:00: Two nice wins for Govs last week over RL and Rivers. The Red Dogs still have Seb’s and Tabor left to go but should be comfortably in even if they drop both of them.

Thayer (4-5, 3-4) at Tabor (4-5, 3-4) 4:00: With the talent on both of these teams I highly doubt either squad would have believed back in March that this would be a do-or-die game, but here we are. I don’t think five ISL losses is necessarily a death sentence, but they both still have difficult games remaining after this one.

St. George’s (0-9, 0-7) at Roxbury Latin (5-6, 3-4) 3:30: RL should cruise here. Tilts against Rivers and Middlesex on the final two Saturdays will decide whether or not the Foxes go dancing.
NNELax
Posts: 287
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:49 am

Re: ISL

Post by NNELax »

Is it safe to say the ISL is a down league? Don't remember it being this lopsided before...
Laxxal22
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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

NNELax wrote: Wed May 03, 2023 2:00 pm Is it safe to say the ISL is a down league? Don't remember it being this lopsided before...
Overall I think the league's middle class is strong this year but the top and bottom are down. Other than Thayer all of the typical contenders were stronger in 2022 imo.

The ISL was been pretty lopsided when I got into following it again in 2016. 2019 was pretty balanced and the 2020 season that never happened appeared to be even more so on paper. I don't know how Covid affected things, but coming out of it it's as lopsided as ever.

It's a tough balance because it's 16 schools that share some similarities but are also very different. Belmont Hill and Milton have about 30 more boys per class than schools like Groton and St. Mark's. That's a huge difference with the way private schools curate their classes. Football and hockey have separate divisions. Lacrosse took a half measure with the playoff structure and weighted schedules, but there are still plenty of blowouts.
Can Opener
Posts: 960
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 1:21 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Can Opener »

The two quasi playoff matchups yesterday did not disappoint, producing exciting games.
* Thayer (4-4) defeated Tabor (3-5) on the road 6-5 in a surprisingly low scoring game given the offensive weapons on each squad.
* Milton (5-3) prevailed @ Rivers (3-5) 15-13 in a back and forth game that was tied 13-13 late in the fourth quarter. Milton won clutch FOs down the stretch and Ryan Shea had 6 goals for the Mustangs.

Otherwise, there were no surprises as the Big 3 continued to roll and the bottom of the league continued to struggle.
Belmont Hill 13-4 over Groton
Nobles 22-4 over St. Mark’s
Seb’s 23-8 over Lawrence
Gov’s 17-0 over Brooks
Middlesex 15-7 over BB&N
RL 13-5 over St. George’s

The best game Saturday will be Gov's hosting Seb's with big seeding implications.
Laxxal22
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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Thanks CO. I believe that Thayer-Tabor game was 2-0 at the half. Tabor and Rivers are very much on the ropes now.

Sebs-Govs is a Cinco de Mayo Friday afternoon special. I'm hoping to catch the livestream of that. It's a good chance for both teams to build confidence and momentum, but I don't know that seeding is all that important. Last year the top two seeds afforded BH and Tabor first round match ups/losses against Govs and Thayer while Nobles and Seb's at three and four got to cruise against St. G's and Lawrence. It's a bit of a crapshoot.
Laxxal22
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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Eight games down, three to go. Big weekend for the teams currently with 3-5 losses.

Friday
St. Seb’s (9-3, 7-1) at Govs (6-5, 6-2) 5:30: A big test for the Red Dogs who’ve rebounded nicely. The Arrows will have revenge on their minds since Govs ended their season last year. Both are firmly in the postseason with their current records and remaining schedules, but this should be a battle.

Saturday
Belmont Hill (11-0, 8-0) at Brooks (0-11, 0-8) 3:00: Brooks has been held scoreless in three of the last five games, and now face the toughest defense in the league.

Nobles (10-3, 8-0) at St. George’s (0-10, 0-8) 2:00: A tough season for the Dragons ends with Nobles, Seb’s, and Govs. Ouch.

Middlesex (6-4, 5-3) at Lawrence (4-5, 3-5) 3:00: Middlesex isn’t a lock yet with RL and Rivers next week so they’ll need to take care of business here. Lawrence has taken a few poundings in a row and probably takes another one here.

Groton (5-5, 4-4) at Milton (6-4, 5-3) 2:45: Groton’s stingy defense goes up against Milton’s strong offense in a very important match up. A loss for Groton puts them on the ropes while a win for Milton has them looking good. Flip that results and the waters will get really muddy in the final week.

Rivers (4-7, 3-5) at Roxbury Latin (6-6, 4-4) 2:30: Rivers has no choice but to win out, but RL has more balanced scoring and has a strong faceoff guy which has been a big issue all season for Rivers.

Thayer (5-5, 4-4) at BB&N (4-8, 3-5) 3:30: The Tigers have not made it easy on themselves but should be able to handle an improved BB&N squad before tough match ups with Groton and Milton to finish the regular season. Run the table and they’re in with some momentum.

St. Mark’s (1-9, 1-7) at Tabor (4-6, 3-5) 3:30: Gut punch of a loss for Tabor on Wednesday. They have no option but to win out (will be tough with Govs next Wednesday) and that still might not be enough depending on how other games shake out.
Laxxal22
Posts: 1330
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

8-3 Seb's at the half. This game is CHAOTIC. Seb's plays like someone sprinting down a hill who could lose control at any moment, and the Arrows occasionally do. It honestly gives me anxiety. But they're forcing the pace of play and Govs doesn't seem to comfortable with it.

Umansky appears to out which has given Seb's a big advantage facing off - Govs is running three poles as FO unit in response. Williamson had a strong first half in cage for Seb's.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
16-8 final. A blitzkrieg from start to finish.
Laxxal22
Posts: 1330
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Game nine results. ISL records and brief thoughts on playoff situations for each of the contenders.

Belmont Hill (9-0) 20 - Brooks (0-9) 2: Big one for BH on Wednesday against Nobles. A win and the #1 seed belongs to the Sextants.

Nobles (9-0) 19 - St. George’s (0-9) 7: Nobles closes out against BH and Seb’s. Dawgs will end up anywhere from the first to third seed.

St. Seb’s (8-1) 16 - Govs (6-3) 8: Seb’s has a top 3 seed locked down with an easy one Wednesday vs. St. G’s and then Nobles on Saturday. Govs faces a desperate Tabor team on Wednesday and closes with St. G’s. 5th or 6th seed looks most likely.

Middlesex (6-3) 16 - Lawrence (3-6) 8: The Zebras have the inside track for the 4th seed with head-to-head wins over Govs and Milton but face two tough challenges in Rivers and RL to close.

Milton (6-3) 11 - Groton (4-5) 7: It looks like Milton will go to the dance but still could trip up Wednesday against BB&N and then would face a must win against Thayer to close out. Groton is bubble out at the moment and must win it’s last two against Thayer and BB&N to stay in the discussion.

Thayer (5-4) 16 - BB&N (3-6) 7: After an up & down season Thayer is in position to make it in but faces tow strong tests in Groton and Milton to finish it out.

Roxbury Latin (5-4) 14 - Rivers (3-6) 13: Huge win for RL yesterday. They should handle Lawrence on Wednesday before finishing with Middlesex. Two wins and there’s no doubt, a loss to the Zebras and then it will come down to math. Rivers is out.

Tabor (4-5) 17 - St. Mark’s (1-8) 4: Tabor has to win out (Govs, Brooks), but if they do that their strength of schedule may give them an edge over the other 5-loss teams.
Laxxal22
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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Interesting piece of news that Oran Gelinas (Goal, Middlesex 2022) is in the transfer portal and intends to leave Ohio State. Not shocking as one of the top goalie recruits in the country (Caleb Fyock) is heading to Columbus in the fall and obviously only one goalie gets to play. A four star in his own right, I'm sure Gelinas will have strong options.

https://twitter.com/bostonlaxnet/status ... 4334024704
oldbartman
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Re: ISL

Post by oldbartman »

Laxxal22 wrote: Sun May 07, 2023 9:36 am Interesting piece of news that Oran Gelinas (Goal, Middlesex 2022) is in the transfer portal and intends to leave Ohio State. Not shocking as one of the top goalie recruits in the country (Caleb Fyock) is heading to Columbus in the fall and obviously only one goalie gets to play. A four star in his own right, I'm sure Gelinas will have strong options.

https://twitter.com/bostonlaxnet/status ... 4334024704
I know of a couple of players who transferred into OSU and did not have a good experience. One is graduating, the other is headed to the A 10. Both saw the field, but didn't like the environment.
Laxxal22
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Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Yeah, the staff at OSU seems a bit "intense" for lack of a better word, and there's a post on the Maryland thread in the D1 section outlining some of the events that preceded this season's "glovegate" that doesn't paint the most positive picture of OSU.

A little clarity here on playoff seedings. https://twitter.com/kstone06/status/1655620339508949003

Tiebreakers won't come down to a lot of math, which makes sense as the architect of the playoffs is an English teacher. Looks like overall league record, followed by head-to-head results, and then a coin flip if needed. Both finals will be at Belmont Hill - a pretty "meh" venue (I hate fields with tracks around them) for such a big event.
Bigdawg69
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Re: ISL

Post by Bigdawg69 »

Anyone know where to find the stream for the nobles Belmont game this Wednesday? Looking forward to the huge game
NNELax
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Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2022 8:49 am

Re: ISL

Post by NNELax »

oldbartman wrote: Sun May 07, 2023 5:41 pm
Laxxal22 wrote: Sun May 07, 2023 9:36 am Interesting piece of news that Oran Gelinas (Goal, Middlesex 2022) is in the transfer portal and intends to leave Ohio State. Not shocking as one of the top goalie recruits in the country (Caleb Fyock) is heading to Columbus in the fall and obviously only one goalie gets to play. A four star in his own right, I'm sure Gelinas will have strong options.

https://twitter.com/bostonlaxnet/status ... 4334024704
I know of a couple of players who transferred into OSU and did not have a good experience. One is graduating, the other is headed to the A 10. Both saw the field, but didn't like the environment.
I can confirm this on OSU...what they sell is not the experience...
Laxxal22
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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Bigdawg69 wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 4:15 pm Anyone know where to find the stream for the nobles Belmont game this Wednesday? Looking forward to the huge game
I’ll keep an eye out for one but Nobles hasn’t streamed all season and I’ve been told it’s because the cell signal hotspot at the turf field is really weak.
Bigdawg69
Posts: 118
Joined: Fri May 05, 2023 8:06 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Bigdawg69 »

Laxxal22 wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 9:25 pm
Bigdawg69 wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 4:15 pm Anyone know where to find the stream for the nobles Belmont game this Wednesday? Looking forward to the huge game
I’ll keep an eye out for one but Nobles hasn’t streamed all season and I’ve been told it’s because the cell signal hotspot at the turf field is really weak.
Thanks for the info.
McMonkey
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue May 02, 2023 5:20 pm

Re: ISL

Post by McMonkey »

Interesting "insights" above.

Does anyone know how many players entered the "transfer portal" yesterday?

This chimp does.
Laxxal22
Posts: 1330
Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Bostonlax has been releasing its top 100 players in Massachusetts over the past few weeks. I've been compiling and as they released #2 this morning I feel confident guessing who is #1. Anyway, it's interesting because it's pretty clearly based off of preseason thoughts. Now that almost the full season has been played there are some players that are too high, some too low and some pretty glaring omissions. If you feel like going back and reading the articles, players 100-50 were all lumped together and not individually ranked, players 49-11 got brief write ups, and the top 10 players all got write ups plus interviews. Overall the ISL had 46 of the top 100.


Belmont Hill
Preston Evans ( Att ’25)
#38 Ben Wood (Def ’23, Georgetown as a 2024)
#22 Matt Torrey (Goal ’23, Air Force)
#16 Finn Fox (Def ’24, Princeton)
#14 Charlie Hazard (Lsm ‘23, Hopkins)
#12 Eli Goldstein (Mid ‘23, Dartmouth)

Govs
#7 Pearse MacDonald (Mid ‘23, Penn as a 2024)
#2 Owen Umansky (Faceoff ‘23, Harvard)

Groton
#50 Hugh Carlin (FO ‘23, Colgate)
#41 Jack Travis (Mid ’23)

Middlesex
Nick Moore (Mid ’24, Colgate)
Owen Crann (Att/Mid ’25)

Milton Academy
Mike Hanlon ( Mid ’23, Amherst)
#25 Murphy McLaughlin (Lsm/Def ’23, Boston University)

Nobles
Bruno Batty (Def ’23, Babson)
Thatcher Bernstein (Att/Mid ’25)
CT Grosso (Faceoff ’24, Virginia)
Colin Kenney (Att/Mid ’25)
#43 Tommy Schwartz (Def ’23)
#10 Brody Upton (Mid ‘23, Princeton)
#8 Grayson McClements (Att ‘23, Penn)
#1 Matthew Tully (Goal ‘23, Cornell)

Rivers
Anthony Stillwell (Att/Mid ’23, Hobart)
#27 Brendam Poirier (Mid ‘23, Lafayette)

Roxbury Latin
David Sullivan (Def ’23, Dartmouth)
Hayden Cody (Faceoff ’24)
Johnny Price (Midfield ′25)
#46 Riley Stanton (Goal ’23, Holy Cross)

St. George’s
Austin Boardo (Goal ’23, Quinnipiac)

St. Sebs
Brendan Fulham (Def ‘24)
James Joyce (Mid ‘24, Michigan)
Michael Quinn (Att/Mid ’24, Michigan)
#44 Charlie Hoffman (Att/Mid ’23, Georgetown)
#31 Matt Swirbalus (Mid ’23, Villanova)
#26 Chris Merageas (Att ’24, Denver)
#24 Ryan Williamson (Goal ’23, Dartmouth)

Tabor
Jack Cappadonna (Def ’25)
#33 ​​Logan Styles (Lsm/Def ’23, Boston University)
#18 Evan O’Neil (Att ’24, Richmond)

Thayer
Chris Cabral (Def ’24, Rutgers)
Nate Austin-Johnstone (Att/Mid ’24, Rutgers)
Teddy Lally (Att 25′)
#45 Beau Chouinard (Att ’23, Holy Cross)
#35 Jackson Henehan (Faceoff ’24, Boston University)
#32 Tucker Chanenchuk (Lsm ’23, Stony Brook)
#3 Connor Foley (Goal ‘23, Brown)
Laxxal22
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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Gameday 10 out of 11 - we’re really getting down to it. I believe if Middlesex, Milton, Govs, RL, and Thayer all win then the playoff field (not seedings) will be decided by the end of the day. A few of those games could be tight, but those teams are favored in all of them. Apologies if I got the locations of any of the games incorrect. The ISL website doesn’t always match up with what the schools have listed for home/away.

Belmont Hill (11-0, 9-0) at Nobles (11-3, 9-0) 4:30: Really wish this one was going to be streamed. The top offense (Nobles has scored 10 or more in every game since 4/1) vs the top defense (Belmont Hill has only allowed double digits once - in garbage time in a game where they lead by 13 goals at one point). Probably the two goalies and two faceoff specialists having the best seasons in the ISL. BH secures top seed with a win. Nobles gets it with a win and win against Seb’s on Saturday. It’ll come down to coin flips if Nobles wins and then loses to Seb’s.

St. George’s (0-11, 0-9) at St. Seb’s (9-3, 8-1) 4:00: Seb’s should be able to get the regulars a good run while playing depth from the start.

Middlesex (7-4, 6-3) at Rivers (4-8, 3-6) 4:30: A pride game for Rivers and a momentum building opportunity for Middlesex. Faceoffs and depth have been issues for the Red Wings all year, and those are two strengths for the Zebras.

BB&N (4-9, 3-6) at Milton Academy (7-4, 6-3) 3:30: It’s “win and you’re in” for the Mustangs as even a loss to Thayer on Friday would end the regular season at 7-4. They should expect a battle from the Knights who’ve shown fight despite being in 13th place .

Govs (6-6, 6-3) at Tabor (6-7, 4-5) 4:00: Do or die for Tabor and a chance for Govs to experience the intensity of playing an opponent facing elimination. Two factors that could favor the Seawolves are the uncertain status of Umansky and Byfield to Marion being one of the longest road trips in the ISL. If Tabor wins out then their wins over Groton and Milton as well as a loss to Thayer may factor in making the postseason or not.

Lawrence Academy (4-6, 3-6) at Roxbury Latin (7-6, 5-4) 3:30: The Foxes should handle business here and control their own destiny with just Middlesex left to go. They did lose to Groton though so if they end up with five losses they’ll be hoping the Zebras drop one of the next two games.

Groton (5-5, 4-5) at Thayer (6-5, 5-4) 4:00: Thayer essentially punches a ticket to the playoffs with a win here as though even a loss to Milton on Friday would put the Tigers at 6-5 they’d hold head-to-head wins against RL and Tabor. Groton has to win out and hope things break right. That early April win over Roxbury Latin could prove crucial.

St. Mark’s (1-10, 1-8) at Brooks (0-11, 0-9) 4:00: A good measuring stick for each program against a similarly talented opponent.
Laxxal22
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Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:58 pm

Re: ISL

Post by Laxxal22 »

Bigdawg69 wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 4:15 pm Anyone know where to find the stream for the nobles Belmont game this Wednesday? Looking forward to the huge game
A Christmas Miracle in May: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LEQOTeslgM
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