It was a hot and sticky night at Iroquois Park Arena as the Lakers of Peterborough looked for revenge a loss at the hands of the Brooklin Redmen last week. Redmen veteran Shawn Williams was looking to celebrate his 38th birthday with a win over the Lakers.
The Redmen jumped out to a hot start, scoring 16 seconds into the game from a goal off the draw from Caleb Wiles. The play started from a great loose ball and pass from Cam Holding. 3 minutes later, Scott Campbell picked off a pass and went end to end, topping off the rush with a low glove side shot that would beat Angus Goodleaf to give the home team an early 2-0 lead.
The Lakers would respond with a beautiful fake and pass from the immortal John Tavares to a naked extra attacker, Scott Evans, on the crease during a delayed penalty. Off the following draw Jim Purves fought hard for a loose ball and found a streaking Jamie Lincoln who then buried a goal past Redmen netminder Aaron Bold.
Buffalo Bandit Mark Steenhuis set a beautiful pick for Andrew Suitor, allowing him to break free to the crease and pot the Lakers 3rd goal of the game at 10:06 in the 1st period.
Shortly after the goal, the Redmen would head to the powerplay as Brock University Badger, Mark Farthing would head to the box for a slash. A fantastic effort by the Lakers by ragging the ball off and killing more than a minute off the penalty and help free Farthing from the sin bin.
With just over six minutes left, Redmen sniper Derek Hopcroft used Laker defensemen Jamie Lincoln as a screen to rip an outside shot past Goodleaf to tie the game up at 3 a piece.
Lakers headed to the powerplay after a high stick call on Elmira College alumni Scott Gamble at 16:16 in the 1st. Brooklin dominated on the PK, only surrendering 1 shot and killed the shot clock twice. Bold sprung Lafontaine and Campbell on a fast break just as the penalty expired, but could not capitalize which allowed Peterborough to go the other way and spring Scott Evans on a 1 on 1 to blow by Gilbert, dance on the crease, dangle and put one past Bold to make it 4-3 Lakers.
The Lakers would head to the dressing room for the 1st intermission with a 4-3 lead on the home team Redmen. Brooklin’s defense did a fantastic job shutting down and frustrating 2012 NLL MVP John Grant Jr. in the first period. Rookie John Lafontaine and Mike Cudmore stepped up huge defensively for the Redmen to help shutdown Grant in the 1st period. Both goaltenders Goodleaf and Bold had solid first periods as they each shut the door on many key scoring opportunities.
1:39 into the 2nd period, Kiel Matisz would knot the game up at 4 with an underhand blast low glove side on Goodleaf.
Scott Campbell headed to the box for a hold at 6:07 in the 3rd. John Grant broke his silence and scored his 8th goal of the year with a cannon all the way from Downtown Whitby with only 3 seconds remaining in the Campbell penalty. Just over a minute later, Grant scored his second goal over the game making it 6-4 for the Lakers. This time, Grant elected to take the ball to the rack and put a beauty short side on Bold.
Purves picked off a pass from Shawn Williams and took it to the house to bury the 7th goal for Peterborough. A little look at vintage Mark Steenhuis as he transitioned the ball up the floor and ripped an outside shot from the dotted line past Bold making 8-4 Lakers with 3 minutes remaining in the 2nd frame.
Matisz scored his second goal from a feed from Campbell on a 3 on 2 that would cut the deficit to 8-5. A great outside rip from Toronto Beaches alumni Derek Hopcroft for his second of the game cutting the lead to 2 with 36 ticks left on the clock in the 2nd.
Brooklin won the draw with 28 seconds left in the 2nd and called a time out to pull the tender for a 6 on 5 opportunity. With 1 second left on the clock, Darryl Gibson hit Grant streaking off the bench setting him up on the empty cage for a goal to end the period 9-6.
Campbell continuing his marvelous transition game as he made a beautiful pass to a streaking Tyler Patterson who finished on a cross body shot to cut the lead to 9-7 a minute into the 3rd period.
Cory Vitarelli scored a beauty from the ground to put the Lakers back up by 3 but Matt Holman would respond with a bounce shot past Goodleaf to make it 10-8 Lakers. Hopcroft with a laser that trickled through Goodleaf at 4:39 and put the Redmen within one.
John Grant posted up on his man giving him time to find Steenhuis all alone at the top and was able to fire the 11th Laker goal of the game.
Williams ripped an outside shot on the powerplay, but the rebound was put away by a quick stick by Matisz putting it past a scrambling Goodleaf to put the Redmen back within one.
Captain Derek Suddons picked off a pass and went coast to coast to fake out Goodleaf to even the score up at 11.
Scott Gamble caused a Laker turnover by the Brooklin bench and scooped up the loose ball and fed Scott Campbell on a partial break but Campbell would run the ball into the corner. The play would not end there. Campbell patiently walked out of the corner and posted up on his dman and blasted a shot by the hip of Goodleaf to put the home team up by one. After the goal, Lakers Coach Jamie Batley would call to his other netminder, Mike Thompson, who finished the last contest between the two combatants.
At 14:22 in the 3rd Matisz bodied through a Laker defender, faked a pass to the crease, toe dragged another Peterborough d-man and put the ball low on Mike Thompson with a crippler shot. An absolute beauty by the Bobby Mo alumni for his 4th gino of the game.
Aaron Bold shut the door on the Lakers for 15 straight minutes in the 3rd to help secure the W for the redmen and tie Peterborough in the standings with 6 points. For the second time in a week the Redmen would come out victorious over the Lakers.
The Redmen head to Ajax this Friday to take on the winless Rock at 8 p.m. while Peterborough heads back home to play the first place team Brampton.
