The Six Nations Arrows made good use of their home floor on Tuesday night, defeating the Peterborough Lakers 11-8 in game one of their OLA Junior A semi-final matchup. Like every good Jr A lacrosse game, there were plenty of goals scored, but also plenty of, shall we say, new friendships formed. If this were an accurate assessment, their Facebook statuses following Wednesday’s game two would read “it’s complicated”.
Switching venues, it was Peterborough’s turn to host. The Arrows would score the first goal of the game within two minutes but, thanks to the home crowd’s urging, the Lakers answered just nine seconds later. The teams traded goals again before Six Nations would break out for three straight. Zac Currier scored a short handed marker, and a second even strength goal with twenty-four seconds on the clock to pull within one, but the Arrows still held a 5-4 lead at the break.
The second period hadn’t even started before emotions from game one boiled over. Danny Vyse and Paxton Laroux threw down before the faceoff and were each sent off for five minutes for fighting as well as two minutes for delay of game. Just over a minute into the period, Brandon Montour and Jake Withers looked like they would mix it up, but the officials stepped in and they were assessed off-setting minors before anything ugly happened.
The shenanigans seemed to spark Six Nations as they not only got a goal from Quinn Powless forty-nine seconds in, but they would piece together another three goal run, the third of which was scored short-handed. As was the case in the first, Peterborough was quick to respond, thirty-five seconds in fact, thanks to an additional minor to the Arrows that put them down two men. After a Six Nations powerplay goal of their own, again, as was the case in the first, Peterborough scored in the final minute to go to the rooms, but, again, they were trailing, this time 9-6.
Before the teams broke for intermission, however, yet another fight broke out on the floor as Curtis Perry and Stu Martin dropped the gloves with twenty-eight seconds to play. In total, forty-one minutes in penalties were assessed in the period.
Down three heading home, and at home, Peterborough had work to do. They would score the first two goals of the period thanks to Turner Evans and Zach Herreweyers to pull within one, but a Randy Staats marker with five minutes to play (his sixth in two games) sealed the game. Six Nations wins 10-8 and now has a two games to none lead in the best-of-seven series.
***********************************************************************
Meanwhile, in Orangeville, the Northmen welcomed the Whitby Warriors into their building after a heated affair of their own on Tuesday night. Orangeville would win both the first and third periods, while Whitby took the second, but not by enough. At the end of it all, Orangville rode a five for nine powerplay unit to a 12-10 victory. Whitby only managed two for eight on the man up. Dillon Ward was outstanding for the second straight night picking up the win. Alexis Buque, meanwhile, was given the night off in favour of Lukas Coote.
Yes, there were seventeen powerplay situations in the game. Yes, this was also a hotly contested matchup, as was game one. It took all of four and a half minutes for the teams to renew acquaintances as Bill Hostrawser and Ryan Keenan said hello. Later in the period Hayden Smith and Reilly O’Connor would hook up for off setting roughing calls. This heated up the Whitby bench and resulted in the normally laid back Steve Toll being ejected from the game.
While there were numerous penalties, none of them were fighting majors. However, word from the game was that there were also other penalties which could have been called, but weren’t. It’s likely that’s what got Derek Keenan excited enough in the third to give it to the officials enough that he was asked to join Toll in the parking lot.
After a Jeremy Noble natural hat-trick in the third (all on special teams) made the score 11-9 Orangeville, the Warriors took a chance and asked for a check of Mitchell Jones equipment. It was ruled illegal and he was given a two minute minor, and a game misconduct. Whitby would score on the ensuing power play to pull within one, but Orangville added an empty netter.
As if the game wasn’t heated enough, things got nasty at the end when Mark Cockerton ran his man from behind with eight seconds to play. He was given a five minute major and could miss a game or more. Whitby was already without Emerson Clark who was suspended after his tirade on Tuesday.
All four Junior A teams will have Thursday night to cool off before they take to the floor again on Friday with games in Six Nations and Whitby, both starting at eight pm.
