MSL 
HOME OF THE
BROOKLIN LACROSSE CLUB
MAJOR SERIES LACROSSE
Brooklin Lacrosse Club
UPDATE - BROOKLIN AWAITS DECISION ON MATCH CALLED IN SECOND PERIOD
By Sam Laskaris
A not so funny thing happened to the Brooklin Lacrosse Club as it was hoping to register a win on Sunday and improve upon its .500 mark.
Brooklin jumped out to an 8-1 second-period lead over the host Cobourg Kodiaks in a Major Series Lacrosse match.
But shortly after the Kodiaks scored four unanswered goals to cut the deficit to 8-5, the game was called with just over two minutes remaining in the middle frame due to unsafe floor conditions.
Brooklin’s assistant coach Gavin Prout, who handled the team’s head coaching duties for the night since Jason Crosbie was unavailable, said the Cobourg arena staff turned on the facility’s chillers during the event.
“Once the chillers go on, the floor starts sweating like crazy,” Prout said, adding the game was becoming a safety issue for players who started frequently slipping.
Prout said the dampness seemed to be focused on one end of the floor (Brooklin’s offensive zone in the second period). He also said there were plenty of game stoppages to wipe the floor before it was eventually called.
“It would have taken six hours to finish the game,” Prout said.
What remains to be seen, however, is what will happen with Sunday’s outing.
“The refs will write up a report,” Prout said. “And the (Ontario Lacrosse Association) will decide what to do with the game.”
Brooklin entered the match with a 4-4-1 record while the Kodiaks had won just one of their first 10 matches.
Brooklin has just two regular season contests remaining, at home on Wednesday versus the Peterborough Lakers and in Peterborough on Thursday.
All four MSL entrants this season will advance to the playoffs. The Kodiaks know they will finish in fourth place.
As for Brooklin, it is battling the Lakers for second place in the standings.
Peterborough is sporting a 6-4-0 mark, three points ahead of Brooklin.
Prout is hoping, however, that Brooklin is awarded the W and the two points from Sunday’s game.
“Quite frankly I can’t see us having to play the game again,” Prout said, adding he believes it is unlikely the two squads would be forced to get together again to play in essence what would be slightly more than one period and ‘finish’ Sunday’s outing. “I’m hoping they will give us the win and the two points. It’s in the hands of the OLA now.”
Dyson Williams and Connor Kearnan had scored twice each for Brooklin before the game was called. Luke Pilcher, Ryan Lanchbury, Sean Westley and Chris Boushy had also scored for Brooklin.
Wednesday’s game versus the Lakers will be held at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby. The opening faceoff is set for 8 p.m.
UPDATE TO STORY FROM MSL AND OLA RULING
NOTE: On Sunday in Cobourg, the game between the Kodiaks and Brooklin Lacrosse Club was paused with 2:10 left in the second period to address the floor’s condition. Unfortunately the arena staff turned on the compressors as the ice was going in the next day, which created an unsafe playing surface.
The referees consulted with the bench personnel from each team and decided the game would be postponed in the best interest of the player’s safety.
A full 40 minutes was not completed which calls for a game to be rescheduled and picked up where it was left off to determine the winner. Both teams have agreed that rescheduling this game is not an option because of previously scheduled games this week and a lack of arena availability in Cobourg until after the long weekend.
After consultation with the VP of Jr. to Major, the win and two points will be awarded to BLC. In accordance with the OLA Constitution, any scoring records attained during this game will be official.