BLC Suffers Fourth Straight One Goal Loss

By Mark Stehlin

The Brooklin Lacrosse Club (BLC) are giving fans good value for money while keeping them on the edge of their seats. Last night's 9-8 loss to the Peterborough Lakers marked the fourth defeat in succession, each by just a single goal. On a night when the club celebrated the 25th anniversary of the 2000 Mann Cup Brooklin Redmen championship team, a win would have been a perfect ending, but it wasn’t meant to be. A spirited comeback attempt in the final frame fell just short, but the character of this team was on full display.

After their recognition, and once the Redmen players cleared the floor, it was time for the current generation of players to battle the Lakers. The opening frame saw BLC goaltender Zach Higgins and Laker goalie Nick Rose go toe to toe with some incredible saves to keep this one close at 1-1 after twenty minutes.

The hole that BLC dug for themselves happened in that middle frame. The Lakers went on a seven-goal spree to break the game wide open after a tight first period. The onslaught started with three goals in just over a one-minute span giving the visitors a 4-1. The home side bent but didn’t break as Chris Boushy and Jacob Hickey, with his first of two on the night, stemmed the tide to ensure this one wouldn’t slip away early. Hickey scored in the final minute of that period sending the teams to their locker rooms with the Lakers up 8-4. It was time for the coaching staff in the BLC room to find the right combination of words and strategy to give the home fans reason to cheer.

“The first period looked like both teams were sort of trading chances. The second period which is more of a running period, based on bench configuration, saw them capitalize on our mistakes and we found ourselves in a bit of a hole”, said Head Coach Joel Johnson.

The teams battled for half a period with no change on the scoreboard. The offense that had been missing turned up in time for a thrilling finish. After a four-goal run by BLC in a five-minute span the scoreboard displayed 8-8 with 3:26 on the board. It would be Mitch Ogilvie for the Lakers who would spoil the party for the home fans, however as he scored just 15 seconds later to regain the lead. Despite some valiant play, the homeside was not able to find an answer on this night and they suffered a 9-8 defeat. The loss drops BLC to 7-6 for third place, four points behind the Lakers at 9-4 in second. The Six Nations Chiefs at 12-1 are atop the standings. Cobourg at 6-8 is two behind BLC for the fourth and final playoff spot.

“The third period showed character, we didn’t quit, and I loved that. We crawled ourselves right back into the game and it came down to a few little things that we would like to take back,” added Johnson.

“I think we can take some lessons from these tight one game losses going forward, clean a few things up now and be ready for a deep playoff run. I’m proud of these guys, we aren’t going to quit and that’s a positive thing in this room,” said Johnson.

Scoring – B Kearnan (0,1) C Kearnan (0,3) Barnable (1,1) Garlent (0,2) Boushy (1,0) Clark (2,0) Westley (1,0) T Cook (1,2) Hickey (2,0)

The team has little time to regroup as a game in Brampton awaits Thursday night where they will look to get back to winning ways.