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menuTough Loss at Home for BLC as Lakers Take Game One
By Mark Stehlin
Major Series Lacrosse Commissioner, Lynn Withers was in the building to present Zach Higgins with his 2024 Most Valuable Player award and coaches Joel Johnson, Brad Reed and Clancy Almas with their 2024 Coaching Staff of the Year Award. This game also marked the 300th in the career for BLC equipment Manager, Paul Wade.
Tonight the Brooklin Lacrosse Club hosted the Peterborough Lakers in game one of a best of seven semi final. These teams played twice in the regular season with each earning a win in the other's rink. It was not the start to the game that most in the crowd expected.
- photo by Sam Hossack
The two teams came out of the gate looking to establish the tone early with potent offensive schemes. Tanner Cook scored the opening goal and added his second on the power play to make it 2-2 after the seven minute mark. The goals kept coming and each team answered the other. It looked to be a one goal lead for BLC late but Holden Cattoni scored in the dying seconds for the visitors and it ended in 6-6 tie after twenty minutes.
Johnson said after the game "the first period showed two good teams who were opportunistic on the other's mistakes and an indication of how close this is."
- photo by Sam Hossack
The Lakers managed to break the game open by rattling off three unanswered to take a 9-6 lead. Connor Kearnan, with a highlight reel one-handed goal on the man- down, sparked the home side briefly but the early damage was done and the scoreboard showed 11-8 for the visitors after two periods.
The hosts were able to keep it close in the opening portion of the third with two in rapid succession and it was 12-10 with half the period remaining. Brooklin were not able to solve the Lakers defense. BLC pulled starter Zach Higgins in favour of an extra attacker a few times in the last three minutes, with no success. The Lakers scored twice including an empty-netter by Jake Withers and took game one by a 14-10 final and early 1-0 lead in this best of seven semi-final series.
Johnson said "In the second we were a little slow getting off in transition and gave them some opportunities we didn't need to give them." Adding "fortunately we improved on that into the third and we can build from that."
As for game two on Thursday in Peterborough Johnson said "I expect a good response, we learned a lot about them tonight. The loss gives us the motivation to come out looking to even the series and take back home floor advantage."
Scoring - Shanks (2,4) O'Connor (1,3) T Cook (3,1) Wagner (0,1) Theede (2,0) Chaykowsky (0,1) C Kearnan (1,4) B Kearnan (1,1) Knight (0,2)
The teams are at IPSC on Saturday for game three starting at 8:00 p.m. amidst the busy atmosphere of the Ontario Lacrosse Festival. All festival attendees receive two-for-one admission to the games on Saturday and next Friday while the festival is on.
The Merchants will start their Ontario Series Lacrosse final series against the Six Nations Rivermen on Saturday at the ILA before returning to IPSC on Sunday for a 7:30 p.m. start for game two.