What a weekend of lacrosse.
This week’s edition of May’s Grinders shined light on the defenders who stepped up in their team’s victory.
They include a trio of Buffalo defenders who might be trading in their gear for some goalie equipment, a transition beast in Panther City who found his scoring touch, and a rookie on the West coast who battled against the league’s best.
Let’s get right into it.
Paul Dawson, Cam Wyers, Justin Martin, and the Buffalo Bandits Penalty Kill
Paul Dawson and Cam Wyers anchor the Buffalo Bandits penalty kill unit with their play on the low corners. What stood out most about their play is their willingness to put themselves in front of shots and the strain it had on Calgary’s shooters.
The two of them officially combined for six blocked shots on the night (Wyers with four and Dawson had two), and the strain it had on Calgary’s shooters. It was also likely an under-count.
As you might’ve already seen on social media, Dawson had a heroic shift on Calgary’s first powerplay of the game. From the top center spot, Jesse King took a couple shuffles towards the net before rifling a shot at the cage. Unfortunately for him, Dawson—who was drafted 7th overall by the San Jose Stealth as a goalie—lined up in front of it. With his stick between his legs and arm out, reminiscent of his days as a goalie, Dawson exploded upwards to block the shot.
The ball deflected into the corner where a Roughnecks player picked it up, who then kicked it back out to one of his teammates on the wing. Once again, the player tried to manipulate Dawson to get the shot by him, but it didn’t work. Dawson fearlessly stood in front of the shot by making the save with his face. In both cases, Dawson’s demeaner showed he was never going to let those shots past him.
A few minutes after Dawson’s shift, Justin Martin got in on the action. Unfazed by the wind up from Tyler Pace, Martin blocked a shot right between the eyes.
By the end of the first quarter, Calgary had generated a ton of shots, but the work of Dawson, Wyers, and the rest of the unit, only 12 of their 25 made it on cage.
Halfway through the second quarter, Buffalo found themselves on another penalty kill. This time Wyers found himself in a position to put his body on the line. While Calgary was running a drag play with their three players up top, Dawson and Wyers planted themselves at the top of the crease to take away much of the net. Calgary ran the play successfully which set up King for a shot at the lefty shooter spot. The only thing in the way between King and Matt Vinc was Wyers who soaked the shot off the leg.
The theme persisted throughout the rest of the Bandits defence, who came together to block a total of 14 shots by the end of the night. Whether they were blocking shots or using their size to deter shooting angles, Dawson and Wyers made life difficult for Calgary, which was a big reason why the Roughnecks were held to seven goals.
Josh Medeiros, Panther City Lacrosse Club
Panther City came away with a pivotal victory over the Albany Firewolves on Sunday to keep themselves in a playoff spot. It was their defensive personnel who lead the charge, on both ends of the floor, turning good defence into better offence.
Panther City’s defence held Albany scoreless in the first quarter by keeping them on the perimeter, which forced shots Nick Damude handled comfortably. Josh Medeiros turned those chances into goals by taking advantage of Albany’s players staring at their shots and casually getting to the bench.
His first goal of the game came early in the first quarter. After forcing a routine shot near the restraining line, it was Medeiros and the shooter left as the highest players on the floor. While the shooter was staring down his shot, Medeiros took off, which gave Damude a clear outlet for a breakaway chance.
Damude made a beautiful feed to Medeiros at the midline, who then ran it down for the breakaway goal. A perfect example of complimentary lacrosse.
At the start of the second quarter, Medeiros, once again, capitalized on great defence. Panther City’s defence stood tall keeping Albany out of the middle, which forced a deep shot between the pipes. It resulted in a rebound that was easily picked up by Medeiros, since Panther City boxed out the entirety of Albany’s offence, that he then ran down the floor for a low-to-low goal that went five-hole.
Medeiros’ ability to turn defence into offence is extremely valuable for Panther City and will be necessary to make a run in the playoffs.
Brayden Laity, Vancouver Warriors
Brayden Laity, the rookie sensation out of Port of Coquitlam, has proven why Head Coach Curt Malawsky was so excited to get him when they traded up to select him ninth overall in the 2023 draft. He’s a cerebral defender whose combination of length and speed has made him an impactful player for the Warriors.
He’s on the first ball team and last-minute defence, which is impressive for a rookie. It shows the faith Vancouver’s coaching staff have in him.
Laity matched up Jeff Teat nearly every time he stepped on the floor. At the end of the first quarter, Laity stripped Jeff Teat— something that doesn’t happen often. Teat carried the ball down the alley then cut towards the middle of the floor once he reached the half boards. After a couple steps to the middle, he face-dodged back underneath to get Laity on his back to create a lane to the cage.
Laity’s feet were sound, matching Teat step for step and maintaining his balance and posture. Once Teat tried to get back underneath, Laity went for the over-the-head check and dislodged the ball. Teat came up with the loose ball, and Laity stayed with him, even when Teat cut to the back pipe, Laity was there to force the shot and get a shot clock violation. It was an impressive possesion.
This was just a taste of what’s the come from Laity as his on-ball abilities—speed, footwork, and balance— are all elite. Not even just for a rookie.