BROOKLIN LACROSSE CLUB DEFEATS SIX NATIONS FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE VICTORY

By Sam Laskaris

It appeared early on Wednesday night that the Brooklin Lacrosse Club would register back-to-back lopsided wins. Coming off a 14-7 triumph over the Cobourg Kodiaks on Tuesday, Brooklin squared off against the Six Nations Chiefs in a Major Series Lacrosse Classic contest. It looked like Brooklin would be able to coast to an easy win, especially after building up an 8-1 lead in the second quarter. Brooklin did manage to hold on and register a W against the Chiefs, edging the Six Nations side by a final 12-10 count.

The MSL Classic is a five-week tournament, which began on Tuesday and continues until Aug. 26. All games in the event, which features five of the six MSL squads, will be held at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville.

Brooklin was enjoying a seven-goal lead with just over three minutes remaining in the second quarter. “I thought we came out with a lot of energy and maybe surprised them by how quickly we were getting up and down the floor,” said Brooklin head coach Brad MacArthur.

The Chiefs did manage to score a pair of late second-quarter goals to head into halftime trailing 8-3. Six Nations carried that momentum into the second half and scored four unanswered goals to cut the deficit to 8-7 in the third quarter.

“I think Six Nations’ defence picked up their level of play a little bit and had some more jump,” MacArthur said, explaining why his squad managed to score just once in the third quarter.

Brooklin’s Connor Kearnan scored the first of his two goals on the night late in the third quarter to give his side a two-goal bulge heading into the final 15 minutes of action. Six Nations managed to cut the margin to one once again, by scoring just 10 seconds into the final quarter.

Brooklin’s Jonathan Donville, however, restored his club’s two-goal advantage by scoring his second off the night with just eight minutes remaining in the contest. “That gave us a little bit of breathing room,” MacArthur said.

Curtis Knight and Dan Michel also scored two goals each for Brooklin. Chris Corbeil, Jackson Suboch, Jake Fox and Colton Watkinson also scored for Brooklin. Zach Higgins played the entire game and was the winning goalie.

Wednesday’s roster for Brooklin included just six players who had also suited up for the team in Tuesday’s outing. More than 40 players had expressed an interest in suiting up for Brooklin in the MSL Classic, which will see all participating clubs play eight games each.

Both the 2020 and 2021 MSL regular seasons were cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The most important thing was getting a new set of guys out on the floor,” MacArthur said. “It’s nice to see what the future of the organization is looking like.”

Brooklin’s next game in the MSL Classic will be next Tuesday, Aug. 3. The league’s yet-to-be named Owen Sound franchise will provide the opposition.

The opening face-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.