The Orillia Mister Transmission Kings received a little help this week, courtesy a win by Orangeville, that allowed them to squeeze past Brampton to capture the final playoff spot in the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse Association playoffs.
As a result, the Kings will be heading to Nepean for the first round of the playoffs this weekend where they willl face off against the top team in the conference.
Last Saturday night, the Kings faced a do-or-die situation and dominated the Newmarket Saints to give themselves a chance at the post-season. They were supported by more than 250 loud and energetic local lacrosse enthusiasts at Rotary Place.
It will be the first playoff action for the entire team. In the club's last meeting with Nepean, the Kings got off to an excellent start and held an early 5-2 lead before eventually falling to the first-place team.
The team has worked hard to learn their mistakes and have made some adjustments in order to better compete, notes coach Jim Meredith who is expecting a fast-paced, hard-hitting series.
"We set some goals at the start of the season: to make the playoffs and learn from our experiences to make us better for the future," said Meredith. "We have accomplished the first goal, basically becoming the best team in the lower tier of the league."
That means the young and inexperienced Kings will be facing one of the best teams in the league: Nepean.
"They have had an exceptional season, only losing one game. They have had a tough schedule as well, playing in maybe the hardest division," noted Meredith. "They earned the right to choose us in the first round. Now it is up to us to make a series of it and fulfill our second goal."
Orillia will play its first two games of the best-of-five series in Nepean Saturday and Sunday before returning to Rotary Place July 2 for its first home playoff game in several seasons.
