The President’s Cup in Oakville hit day two with five games on the schedule. Three teams played twice leaving one team undefeated, one team without a win, and the hosts with their first victory of the tournament. Here’s your InLacrosseWeTrust Prezzy Bites for Day No. 2.
Double Dipping
Three of the seven teams played twice on Monday – Edmonton Miners, Tuscarora Tomahawks, Six Nations Rivermen. We’ll get to the Ontario reps in the next paragraph who, paired with the Miners represent four of the last five Presidents Cup winners. After an opening loss to Ladner on Sunday, Edmonton needed a win on day two. A big day from Levi Anderson (a combined 12 points [4 goals, 8 assists]) and Mike Triolo (4 and 5) led to a pair over Tuscarora and Six Nations by a combined score of 18-14. This brings their record to 2-1 with a +3 goal differential, tying them with Snake Island. Those two teams face off at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.
Losing to Edmonton dropped Tuscarora to 0-2, with a date with the hosts Oakville Rock at night. The Tomahawks continued to prove they are a pesky team that won’t back down, but a lack of consistent offence bit them in their opener – they scored three goals within a minute in the first period, two goals in 1:13 in the second, and two in the final minute of regulation but otherwise struggled. Chase Martin started both that game and their 16-8 loss to Oakville. While he was solid (81 saves on the day) it begs the question about the health of Dylan Sprentz who led Tuscarora to the tournament and kept game one against the Muskies close.
Rivermen Dry Spell
Six Nations shocked Oakville on opening night in a 5-4 defensive battle. Was that a sign of things to come for the Rivermen offense? The Ontario representatives scored just 11 goals through two games, resulting in back-to-back losses on Monday. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier drawing the undefeated defending champion Ladner Pioneers on Tuesday (more on them below). It didn’t help that Dustin Hill, who was exceptional against Oakville, was pulled in the opener vs. Snake Island. If Six Nations can’t score, they need to stop goals from going in. Or they’ll find themselves out of a position to defend their bronze medal.
Snake Island’s Schedule
Kariwate Mitchell, head coach of the Snake Island Muskies admitted before Sunday’s opener, he wasn’t concerned about his team playing three games in 25 hours to open the tournament; it was the 30 hours between games after that he was worried about. That’s right, somehow after grinding out a 2-1 record against Tuscarora, Kahnawake and Six Nations, the Muskies were off from just prior to 12 p.m. on Monday until 8 p.m. Tuesday night. There’s a chance by then they could be playing an Oakville Rock team with an identical record and will need everyone in top shape, ready to play in Day No 3’s prime time matchup.
Rock Rebound
That’s because the hosts rebounded in a big way from their 5-4 loss on opening night. The Oakville Rock ran off five straight goals in 12:12, eventually leading 7-2 against the Tomahawks. Andrew Kew finished with seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) leading a Rock attack that saw all but five of 18 runners register a point in their 16-8 victory. The Rock were four-for-five on the power play and Nick Rose made 29 saves. Perhaps most impressively, Oakville fired 62 shots on Chase Martin using a solid mix of offence and transition. Fans are hoping they’ve hit their stride with two big matchups coming on Tuesday against Edmonton and Snake Island.
Loss-less Ladner
But everyone is chasing the defending champions, the Ladner Pioneers. A convincing 17-9 win over the Kahnawake Mohawks move Ladner to 2-0 with Six Nations due up on Tuesday. It’s hard to envision the Pioneers losing a game, although their second of two on Wednesday against Oakville has the potential to be incredibly spicy. Ryan Benesch and Austin Shanks both scored hat tricks, but ‘Benny’ added eight assists for an 11-point game, the first 10+ point performance at the tournament. Shanks and Tyler Pace each added seven points for an offence that was all over the Mohawks’ goaltending combination of Aaron Bold and Doug Buchan. They are rolling on all cylinders already, which is bad news for the rest of the Presidents Cup participants.
