BROOKLIN REGISTERS CONVINCING WIN AGAINST VISITING KODIAKS

By Sam Laskaris

Jordi Jones-Smith is keen to get a message out.

And Jones-Smith, a defender with the Brooklin Lacrosse Club, expressed his feelings on Wednesday after his squad had defeated the visiting Cobourg Kodiaks 13-5 in a Major Series Lacrosse match.

“I feel like we’re kind of underdogs out here,” Jones-Smith said. “Our team wants people to know that we’re a young squad that is here to win. We’re hungry. We know how to play. And we’re playing solid defence. We’ve stopped a lot of good teams, a lot of good offences and we’re in every game. We’re there. We’re here to make a statement and keep playing hard and make a push this year.”

Wednesday’s outing, which was held at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby, marked the halfway mark of the regular season for the Brooklin squad. With the victory the hosts saw their record improve to 2-3-1 while the Kodiaks are now 1-4-0.

Backed by some outstanding netminding from Nick Damude, Brooklin scored the only two goals of the opening period to set the tone for Wednesday’s match.

“Off the bat we were strong,” said Jones-Smith, who contributed offensively, scoring a shorthanded marker in the first period. “We didn’t let any goals in. Nick Damude was a beast out there. He’s a brick wall. We were able to rely on him and play solid defence.”

Brooklin started taking charge of the contest in the second period when it outscored the Kodiaks 5-2 to take a 7-2 advantage into the final frame.

Brooklin turned the game into a rout scoring five unanswered goals in the third period. The Kodiaks made the score somewhat more respectable with three late goals.

The Kodiaks actually outshot Brooklin by a 61-55 count. But Damude was able to frequently thwart Cobourg shots with what appeared to be relative ease.

“The D was really letting me see everything,” Damude said. “That was the main thing. I think everyone from the back end played a great game. And they let me play my game so I could have some success. It was pretty good all-around.”

Despite the fact his squad was able to win by eight goals, Damude said some of the team’s offensive players were not entirely pleased.

“In the room they were a little disappointed that they only got 13,” he said. “I think that’s a true testament to how good they are. They were swinging the ball and they got goals when we needed them.”

Though his efforts were being praised by many, Damude was somewhat critical of himself for yielding some late goals.

“Definitely I want to be perfect,” he said. “If I could not let in zero every game, that’s the goal. But you try to learn from every goal. There’s obviously a couple I wanted back, I thought I could have had. But there’s also a couple that I probably stopped that I didn’t have a right making so you’ve got to take the good with the bad.”

Brooklin’s roster featured a couple of new faces.

“We all know each other,” Damude said. “We’ve all grown up playing with each other but I think we’re getting better every game just because we’re getting to know each other more. I think that’s going to be the best thing that we’re just going to keep getting better all the way to the playoffs. And I think we’re going to have something special.”

Ryan Lanchbury and Connor Kearnan led the way offensively for Brooklin versus the Kodiaks as they both registered five-point nights.

Lanchbury scored four goals and also had one assist while Kearnan potted three goals and had two helpers.

Other Brooklin scorers were Luke Pilcher with a pair and Chris Boushy, Kyle Waters and Brady Kearnan.

Brooklin’s next game is next Wednesday, July 13, against the visiting Peterborough Lakers. Game time is 8 p.m.