Week three of Major Series Lacrosse action saw only one team remain undefeated as the Peterborough Lakers took down the Six Nations Chiefs 7-6 in the battle of the best. The Lakers now sit atop the MSL standing with their perfect record and the contentment (for now) of knowing they bested their fiercest rivals. The Chiefs dropped to second place while Brooklin failed to gain any ground going 1-1. Oakville picked up two wins, while Brampton and Cobourg remain winless.
Six Nations 13 @ Cobourg 5
The Six Nations Chiefs showed up to Cobourg with 13 runners and still laid a beating on the Kodiaks, who remain winless at home in their two years of existence.
One of the Kodiaks’ greatest strength is their shorthanded play but the Chiefs beat them in that category 2-1 despite Drake Smith opening the game with a shortie to put the Kodiaks up early. The Chiefs only led 5-4 after the first period but the Kodiaks offense dried up in the second, scoring only once more in the last 40 minutes.
Dan Dawson led Six Nations with three goals and six assists. Former Kodiak Kyle Jackson scored three goals and three helpers against his former team. Jordan Durston and Brendan Bomberry each had two goals and three assists. Chase Martin got the win while Rance Vigneux and Tyler Christopher split time in the loss for the Kodiaks.
Brooklin 4 @ Oakville 11
This was an interesting game as Brooklin and Oakville look to be the two teams duking it out for 3rd and 4th place. Brooklin losing as badly as they did was actually surprising, considering how well they had played up to that point with so many call-ups. Missing Dan Lintner was a blow against a team that had most of its stars.
What was most surprising was Oakville’s 7-1 lead after the first period. It was Brooklin’s first game since Wednesday, so fatigue shouldn’t have been an issue. Brooklin score the first goal of the game and then the last three, but the 11 they allowed in between wasn’t anything they could come back from. It was probably a great feeling for Nick Rose though playing over 40 minutes of shutout lacrosse.
Wesley Berg led with a hat trick and two helpers. Brett Hickey, Dan Lomas and Jeremy Noble each scored two with one assists. Reilly O’Connor led the Redmen with a goal and two assists. Rob Koger fought Sean Darroch in the second period.
Peterborough 17 @ Brooklin 10
Brooklin got back Adrian Sortichetti, John LaFontaine, Ryan Keenan, Matt Hossack and Curtis Knight but it still wasn’t enough firepower to beat the Lakers. The Lakers, meanwhile, had expected to be shorthanded for the game after a schedule mix-up, but ended up having all the regulars they needed. It was the Lakers’ penalty kill that stuck it to the Redmen; they scored four shorthanded goals. A 4-1 lead after the first turned into a 12-9 after two.
Curtis Dickson and Kyle Buchanan each had two goals and six assists for the Lakers. Shawn Evans had a goal and seven assists. Knight had four goals in his return to the Redmen. Reilly O’Connor had a goal and five assists and Austin Shanks two goals and three assists. Zach Higgins took the loss in goal.
Six Nations 6 @ Peterborough 7
Both teams were playing with a multitude of call-ups in this game, which worked in the fans’ favour – it left the teams as even as always. A game between the Lakers and Chiefs never disappoints. The Chiefs looked to be in control with a two-goal lead in the third period, but Peterborough scored three goals in the last three minutes to take the game 7-6. Bryce Sweeting’s first MSL goal with 22 seconds left was the game winner.
The Lakers had scored 45 goals in their past two games, so the low-scoring affair was a stark change-of-pace. The game was tied at three after the first period. Six Nations took a 5-4 lead into the third. Craig Point extended that to 6-4 but Thomas Hoggarth started a run for Peterborough at 17:40. Kyle Buchanan tied the game at 19:08 before Sweeting popped the winner.
Holden Cattoni led the Lakers with a pair of goals and assists, his second goal assisted by his brother Taite, called up from the Jr. A Lakers to play his first MSL game. Because of the four year age difference between them, the game was the first time the two had played organized lacrosse together.
Matt Vinc picked up his second win in two days, while Dillon Ward took the loss for the Chiefs.
Oakville 12 @ Brampton 6
Despite Thursday being the Brampton Excelsior’s regular game night, they only had 14 runners for their home contest against the Oakville Rock. Tyler Carlson returned to the Excels net after his playoff run with the Saskatchewan Rush but suffered the loss. Oakville added Jason Noble and Alex Crepinsek on defense from the Georgia Swarm.
Wesley Berg had two and four for the Rock and Connor Fields added three and two. Bennett Drake had a hat trick for the Excels while Phil Caputo added two goals.
Cobourg 4 @ Brooklin 18
This was a special game for the Redmen. The game was the marquee matchup of the second annual Lacrosse Day in Durham, a showcase of every team in the region. But that wasn’t the only thing that made it special. Shawn Williams, long-time Redmen, and recently retired, came out of retirement for the game to play alongside his son Dyson, a call-up from the Whitby Warriors. Shawn scored 10 seconds into the game, while Dyson made a splash in his first MSL contest, leading the Redmen with five goals. One was assisted by his dad.
Reilly O’Connor led with a goal and eight assists. Dan Lintner and Ryan Keenan had seven points each. Drake Smith and Matt Crough each had three points for the Kodiaks, who remain pointless on the season.
The game got messy in the first period. Cobourg and Brooklin have played three times already this season so guys are getting sick of each other. Brodie Tutton and Colton Armstrong, teammates on the ALL’s Peterborough Timbermen, were given game misconducts. Dan Lintner, Reilly O’Connor, Logan Holmes and Derek Searle all received roughing majors at 7:23. Broedie Birkhof, who again leads the MSL in penalty minutes, received a solo fighting major and game misconduct in the second.
