Second Consecutive Overtime Defeat Ends Season for BLC

By Mark Stehlin

Clearly not the result that the Brooklin Lacrosse Club wanted as their 2025 campaign ended last night in Peterborough.  Yet, as the team filed out of the Peterborough Memorial Centre after that crushing overtime defeat, they held their heads high with the knowledge they played the game the right way and left it all on the floor. BLC were down 2-0 to start the series before stringing together a three-game win streak to take the series lead. A chance for BLC to end it on Wednesday night ended in an overtime loss and forced last night’s winner take all seventh game.  The clock displayed an 8-7 win for the Lakers but that only tells a portion of the tale. The Lakers will now face the Six Nations Chiefs in the Eastern Canadian finals with the winner flying off to British Columbia for the Mann Cup scheduled to start on Friday September 6.

The Lakers got off to a 2-0 lead in game seven before BLC line-mates Tanner Cook and Connor Kearnan, with his 10th of the series, replied to even the game after twenty minutes.  Once again, Zach Higgins put on goalie clinic in the BLC net turning aside 14 of 16 shots. With offensive coach Clancy Almas away with the Irish national lacrosse team, BLC General Manager Gavin Prout took a spot on the bench alongside Joel Johnson and Brad Reed.

It was all BLC in the middle frame as they outscored the Lakers 3-0 to open a 5-2 lead after forty minutes. Higgins continued his stellar play stopping all 20 shots that came his way. All the scoring action took place in the final three minutes of that period. Kearnan led his team with a short-handed marker followed by Sean Westley’s 11th of the series just 27 seconds later. It was Jacob Hickey, on his patented run down the floor, who fired a shot into the top corner behind Nick Rose, again short-handed, for the 5-2 BLC lead at the buzzer.

The announced crowd of 2,589 Lakers fans made their way nervously to the concessions stands in the second intermission with a critical third period looming. The hero of game six for the Lakers, Taite Cattoni, had fans on their feet with an early power play goal in the third. A pair of breakaway goals, from Bo Columbus and Hickey, stretched the BLC lead to 7-3 with half the period remaining. It was at this point that the atmosphere in the rink changed. A three-goal unanswered run by the homeside had their fans on their feet as the score was 7-6 with just over a minute to play. Fans watched the referees huddle with the coaches and captains from both teams. Higgins was called over to the timekeepers area and a discussion with the referees ensued.  It quickly became apparent that the Lakers bench had called an equipment check on the BLC netminder. Once the dust settled the visitors were handed a controversial five-minute penalty as Higgins was wearing an illegal pair of leg pads. The Lakers took advantage of the extra man and 18 seconds later Holden Cattoni scored for the home side to tie the game and send it to overtime, the third in the series.

With 7:04 elapsed in the 10:00 minute sudden-death overtime period it was Mike Robinson who notched the winner after a scramble in front of Higgins.

Scoring – Hickey (2,1) T Cook (1,0) Keenan (1,0) Westley (1,2) Clark (0,1) Garlent (0,2) Chaykowsky (0,1) C Kearnan (2,2)