Chiefs Comeback in the Third Period Too Much for BLC

By Mark Stehlin

The Brooklin Lacrosse Club (BLC) celebrated their annual Scott McMichael Minor Lacrosse Night and provided fans with an incredible game. Scott’s mother Donna and wife Jacqueline attended to perform the ceremonial face-off in his memory. While the game resulted in an overtime win for the defending Mann Cup champion Six Nations Chiefs, there are positive takeaways. BLC kept pace with the Chiefs and owned a 7-4 lead in the final frame. The Chiefs stormed back in the last 20 minutes and tied the game, going on to win in overtime by 8-7 to maintain their stranglehold on first place overall in Major Series Lacrosse (MSL).

The Chiefs opened the scoring and were up 2-0 in the first five minutes before Taggart Clark got the home team on the board. Tanner Cook scored twice in a thirty second span and the teams went to break knotted at 3-3. Many of the minor lacrosse players in attendance descended on the IPSC turf in the first intermission for the customary “Great Canadian Meat” Frisbee toss where the closest to centre floor takes home a prize. Congratulations to last night’s winner, Nolan.

Once the Frisbees were cleared from the floor, the teams re-emerged for the second frame. That period would feature a goaltending duel as Zach Higgins for BLC was in fine form stopping the Chiefs potent offensive threat. In the other net, Warren Hill for the Chiefs also made some dazzling saves. Led by the Kearnan brothers Connor and Brady and Tanner Cook, BLC won that period 3-0 for a 6-3 lead after forty minutes of play.

- photo c/o Sam Hossack 

Dhane Smith on a short-handed marker closed the gap slightly for the Chiefs before Taggart Clark countered on a power play goal to restore the three-goal margin for BLC. It was all Six Nations after that as they rattled off three straight with the tying goal in the dying minutes to tie the game at 7-7. Fans then settled in for a 10-minute sudden victory overtime period.

That extra period mirrored the game in many ways as the teams transitioned the ball up and down the floor, each with chances to end it. It was Ian McKay, in tight against Higgins, with his third on the night who broke the deadlock and gave his Chiefs the 8-7 overtime win.

“The Chiefs set the bar for the league and they are a talented team but it shows what we are capable of and we played a hell of a game, “ said head coach Joel Johnson in the dressing room after the game.

“I told the guys after the game that tonight showed what we can do in this league. We have a little bit of sour grapes because we didn’t get the win, we just didn’t play a full sixty minutes and the next time we get to that I’m sure we will, that was the simple message,” added Johnson.

Nicholas Volkoff drafted in the first round, seventh overall by BLC in the 2025 MSL entry draft was pressed into double duty today. He joined goaltender Lukas Coote and Will MacLeod who all dressed for the Brooklin Merchants in today’s matinee that saw the Six Nations Rivermen win 13-11 in Ontario Series Lacrosse league action (Senior B).

“I think the guys worked really hard, but we made some mistakes on both sides of the ball in the third and if we can remove those, we could have closed it out,” said Volkoff.

“Gavin (General Manager, Gavin Prout) sent me a text and asked if I wanted to play both games and I said sure. Both teams are competitive, and the guys are all great. All I can say now is fuel up and get some electrolytes as exhaustion kind of hit,” added Volkoff on his experience playing both games today with a brief respite between.

Scoring – MacLeod (0,2) Keenan (0,1) T Cook (3,3) Westley (0,2) Littlejohn (0,2) Clark (2,1) C Kearnan (1,1) B Kearnan (1,1)

Next up for BLC a home game on Wednesday July 2 when the Cobourg make their second appearance at Iroquois Park Sports Centre.