Chiefs bringing back coaching staff for another run at Mann Cup in 2014

The Six Nations Chiefs coaching staff has returned for another season.
The Chiefs are pleased to announce that its coaching staff that led the team to the 2013 Mann Cup and Major Series Lacrosse titles, will return for the 2014 season.
Led by head coach Rich Kilgour, he will again be joined by Duane Jacobs, Mike Lines and Mouse Henry. 
Jacobs will also return as the teams general manager.
Kilgour will enter his fifth season at the Chiefs' helm. He also played for the Chiefs and helped them win Mann Cups in 1994, 1995, and 1996.
Professionally, Kilgour has also been with the National Lacrosse League's Buffalo Bandits for almost the team's entire existence. He joined the team as a player in its first year in 1992, and stayed through 2009.
Kilgour is in the National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame, and his number 16 was retired by the Bandits.

Duane Jacobs

He has been an assistant coach with the Bandits for the past three seasons.
Jacobs also captured Mann Cups with the Chiefs as a player during the three-year run in the 1990s. His NLL career spanned 10 years, starting in 1993 in Detroit, before playing most of his career with the Rochester Knighthawks, before finishing up in 2003 with the Bandits. 
His coaching career began in 2004, as an assistant with the Bandits. He was named head coach of the Minnesota Swarm in 2007 to 2009.
In 2010, he was an assistant coach with the Bandits.
Jacobs has also played and is a coach for the Iroquois Nationals. As head coach in 2007, he won a silver medal at the World Indoor Lacrosse Championships

Jamie Batley leaves Lakers as one of the most successful senior lacrosse coaches ever

Jamie Batley's tenure as the Head Coach and General Manager of the Peterborough Lakers was one of the most successful in the history of Canadian senior men's lacrosse. The Lakers opted this year not to renew Batley's contract, but they recognized the exceptional success to which he had led the team in his 12 years with the club. Batley came on board with the Lakers in 2002 and immediately helped to turn around a team that had struggled for much of the previous two decades, not having won a Mann Cup or even an Ontario championship since 1984.

In 2004, the Lakers won the Ontario title and went on to capture the Mann Cup with a finals victory over the Victoria Shamrocks. That started a decade of almost unprecedented winning. Peterborough claimed six Ontario championships and five Mann Cups in the nine years from 2004-2012. Their winning percentage during Batley's reign was a remarkable .718 during the regular season and .599 in the playoffs. Only twice in his 12 years did Batley's team fail to reach the Major Series Lacrosse finals: the first year and the last, both times falling to Brooklin in a semifinal.

15 MSL players selected in National Lacrosse League Entry draft

The National Lacrosse League held its annual entry draft Monday, September 16 and Major Series Lacrosse was well represented among the 55 total selections made, with 15 of the picks being MSL players. The Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks' Jason Noble was the first of them, going second overall to the Minnesota Swarm.

Below is the full list of MSL players drafted on Monday, with their draft position, their MSL team and the NLL team that chose them.

2 Jason Noble, KW, Minnesota
3 Dillon Ward, KW, Colorado
9 Ethan O'Connor, Brampton, Toronto
12 AJ Masson, Oakville, Philadelphia
13 Adrian Sorichetti, Brooklin, Edmonton
14 Nick Diachenko, Brooklin, Buffalo
15 Mitch Wilde, KW, Buffalo
16 Mike Woods, Oakville, Toronto
21 Reid Acton, Six Nations, Minnesota
27 Mark White, Brampton, Rochester
29 Jordan Houtby, Brooklin, Minnesota
32 Cameron Mann, KW, Colorado
42 JJ Laforet, KW, Minnesota
43 Jake Hayes, Brooklin, Calgary
44 Alex Lubczuk, KW, Toronto

Six Nations Chiefs earn Mann Cup title with 8-5 win in Game 6

Rory Smith with the Mann Cup. 

(Photo: Kevin Light)

The Six Nations Chiefs took the final step up the mountain Friday night, beating the Victoria Shamrocks 8-5 to win the 2013 Mann Cup four games to two. As they have done throughout the post-season, Six Nations dominated the third period to earn the win. They scored the only 4 goals of the final 20 minutes, turning around a game they had trailed 5-4 and in the process securing the first Mann Cup for the Chiefs since their run of three straight ended in 1996.

Head Coach Rich Kilgour was a member of that '96 team, and he said it's been a hard climb to get back atop the mountain. In his previous three years as head coach of the team, they had lost to Brampton in the semi-finals twice and then to Peterborough in the finals last year. “I haven't won one of these since 1996. It was a lot of hard work,” Kilgour said. “I've been here four years and we've had a lot of bitter disappointment up to this point. I think that makes it even sweeter, though, to have a lot of those tough losses along the way. Basically with the same team. There've been a few coming in here and there but basically we've had the same 12 or 14 guys. I kept believing in them and I think they kept believing in me, and that's what makes this championship so sweet.”

Kilgour was quick to give praise to everyone who helped the team reach its ultimate goal. “It takes 25 guys, 3 coaches, a great owner and a whole bunch of support crews. Dave Sowden, Brian Miller, Paula our tee shirt lady...so many more people. No one realizes, that stuff all adds up. You need it all to win a Mann Cup. It's not easy, that's what we've said all year. If it was easy everyone would have one.”

Mann Cup Game 6 goes Friday night

Ben McCullough (left) and Stephen Keogh get up close

and personal during Game 5 of the 2013 Mann Cup.

(Photo: Kevin Light)

Friday night will be the first time in the series there's a chance that the Mann Cup will be presented after the game. The Six Nations Chiefs lead 3-2 and can wrap up their first title since they took the last of three consecutive Manns in 1996.

Six Nations' Cody Jamieson is leading the series in scoring with 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points, just ahead of Victoria's Jeff Shattler, who has 8 and 12 for 20 points. Stephen Keogh is tied with Shattler for second in goals, although he is only officially credited with 7. One of his goals was awarded to Jamieson.

In total, 3 Six Nations' goals have been misawarded, so keep that in mind when you are viewing the overall stats for the series. Jamieson was given a goal that was scored by Keogh, but the former's totals are accurate because Kasey Beirnes was awarded one goal that Jamieson scored, the very first of the series, in fact. Tom Montour scored a key goal in Game 5 but it was awarded to Kedoh Hill.

Even without the phantom goal he was given, Hill is leading the series in shooting percentage at 38.5, connecting for 5 goals on 13 shots. Keogh is just behind him at 33%, scoring his 8 goals on 24 shots. Jesse King of Victoria is also at 33%, having scored his 4 goals on 12 shots. That's not counting the two players who are perfect, having scored their only goal on their only shot of the series: defenders Ben McCullough of Victoria and Colin Boucher of Six Nations.

The Life of a Third-string Goalie: Brenner Jacobs role with the Six Nations Chiefs

If you've been following the Mann Cup, you're aware that Colin Doyle was thrust into the role of third goalie for the Six Nations Chiefs as they won Game 5 11-7 to take a 3-2 lead in the championship series. But while Doyle's turn between the pipes is historic and certainly memorable, the team does actually have a third goalie. It's just typical of the way things go for the position that everyone knows about Doyle's goaltending stint but very few people know about Brenner Jacobs' role with the team.

Jacobs is the actual third goalie on the team, playing the overlooked and underappreciated but important role for the Chiefs. Jacobs makes no bones about what he's with the team to do. “I take it as my role to be the first guy out there and the last guy off the floor, just so everybody feels comfortable shooting and having a goalie in there” he says of what he does at practices and pre-game warmups.

While regular goalies Brandon Miller and Evan Kirk play the games, Jacobs is there to give players someone to shoot at while Miller and Kirk are doing what they need to do to prepare physically and mentally. So Jacobs gets out right at the start of practice or pre-game and lets anyone who wants to shoot for as long as they like and does the same thing at the end of practice.

Doyle dons the goalie pads for final 11 minutes of strange 11-7 Six Nations Chiefs win in Game 5 of Mann Cup

Cody Jamieson fought through swarming Shamrocks defence to have a 

9-point night as the Chiefs won Game 5 11-7 to take a 3-2 lead in the

2013 Mann Cup. (Photo: Kevin Light)

Colin Doyle has done a lot of things in his long and illustrious lacrosse career, but until Wednesday night playing goalie in the Mann Cup was not one of them. That all changed when both Brandon Miller and Evan Kirk were ejected for having shin pads a little too wide in the third period of Game 5. Doyle made six saves on nine shots and even earned an assist while playing net as the Six Nations Chiefs held on for an 11-7 win to take a 3-2 lead over the Victoria Shamrocks in the best of seven Canadian senior lacrosse championship series.

Lost to an extent amid the weirdness of Doyle having to go in and play net was another huge night from Cody Jamieson, who had 3 goals and 6 assists to lead all scorers. Stephen Keogh was also instrumental in the Chiefs win. He scored 3 goals, all of them huge ones in the third period.

The Chiefs led 3-2 after the first period thanks to a Johnny Powless goal with 27 seconds to play. Powless then got the first goal of the second period, but it wasn't until the 9:32 mark as both goaltenders, Miller and Matt Vinc, were outstanding. Another late-period goal gave Six Nations a 7-4 lead heading into the second intermission. This time it was Doyle connecting with less than a second to go when he took a pass from Jamieson, who was cutting across the top of the zone to where he had scored the previous goal exactly two minutes earlier, and tucked a shot between the post and Vinc's foot.

Tom Montour relishes return to action in Mann Cup Game 4

Tom Montour was just hoping to get a chance to get into a game at the 2013 Mann Cup and show what he can still do. Game 4 was his chance and he made the most of it, helping the Six Nations Chiefs to push the ball up the floor and giving the offence more time to work with in an 8-3 win that evened the series at two wins each.

The veteran transition player had been out of action since late June, when he had a mishap while fooling around. He fell and drove his right arm through some glass. As he instinctively yanked it back out, the glass caught his wrist and sliced a tendon. It's been a long road back to being ready to play for the 31-year-old, but he was the most excited player to be on the floor in Game 4.

He had said earlier in the series that he felt like he was ready to play, but the training staff were concerned about whether his wrist was back to full strength and functionality. For his part, Montour said he just wanted to help out the team. “For sure I could help them out in the running game, I think,” Montour said. “It's the coach's decision and I'll agree with whatever they decide. I'll just bide my time again and hopefully I get back in there before this series is over and bring the cup back home.”

Six Nations Chiefs win Game 4 8-3, even Mann Cup series at 2-2

Cody Jamieson had a hat trick to help the Chiefs win

Game 4 by an 8-3 score. (Photo: Kevin Light)

Brandon Miller made 47 saves and Cody Jamieson scored 3 goals to lead the Six Nations Chiefs to an 8-3 win over the Victoria Shamrocks, tying the best of seven Mann Cup championship at 2-2 and setting the stage for an exciting best of three close to the series. Miller came into Game 3 late in the first period and allowed just 3 goals as the Chiefs fell to the Shamrocks. He was even better in Game 4.

The Chiefs took advantage of the opportunity he gave them by outscoring Victoria 6-1 in the final 40 minutes of the game to earn the win. Miller said he's just on one of those rolls goalies sometimes get on where he's seeing the ball well. “Sometimes a goalie gets into that kind of streak and it's definitely happening right now,” Miller said. “I felt good coming out here, too. Every time in practice I've been working on my game and just hope to maybe get the call. Everyone's here for a reason. It's not a vacation. It's just nice to get in there and contribute a little bit.”

Miller said he was a little surprised to get the call to start Game 4 and will leave the decision about who goes in Game 5 up to the coaches. “I actually thought they'd go back to [Evan Kirk] tonight. He's the guy that got us here. He went 8-0 in Ontario and he had two great games out here as well. Kirky and I are roommates, we're really good buddies, and either one of us is going to go in there and do a good job, I'm sure.”

Shamrocks take 2-1 Mann Cup series lead with 8-6 win after 6-goal first period

The Victoria Shamrocks scored six times in the first period to produce a lead they would never relinquish as they beat the Six Nations Chiefs 8-6 in Game 3 of the 2013 Mann Cup in Victoria, taking a 2-1 lead in the best of seven Canadian senior lacrosse championships in the process. Cory Conway scored 3 goals in the first period and Jeff Shattler led the Shamrocks with 2 goals and 4 assists for the game. Kasey Beirnes and Stephen Keogh each scored twice for Six Nations while Colin Doyle had 4 assists, which moved him past J.J. Johnston into eight place in all-time Mann Cup scoring with 109 points (50 goals, 59 assists).

“There's a long way to go,” said Victoria coach Bob Heyes of needing two more wins to claim the title. “It was a battle tonight. That's exactly what a Mann Cup game is all about. We came out in the first period, I kind of focused the boys and said you've got to come out and have a good first period. We had that then just kind of hung on a little bit there.”

The Shamrocks seemed to be able to create some seams to get shots off from mid-range and buried five of them in the set offence in the first period. Six Nations pulled starting goalie Evan Kirk after the fifth goal, although their coach Rich Kilgour wasn't laying the blame on his goaltender. “That first period really wasn't his fault,” Kilgour said. “They were good quality shots. It wasn't like any hit him in the belly and trickled in. They were right in the corner. It was more I think on the defence than on Kirky. Sometimes you've just got to pull the trigger on something like that to get the boys going again. It's been done a million times in all sports. It's nothing on Kirky, but at the same time, we've got to try to change momentum.”

Webster is a regular at 2013 Mann Cup

Manny Lewis enjoying a round at Olympic

View Golf Course with the Chiefs.

Manny Lewis is in Victoria enjoying the Mann Cup as part of Six Nations Chiefs' owner Ken Hill's entourage. You more likely remember him as Emmanuel Lewis. Even more likely is that you remember him simply as Webster, from his title role in the 1980s sitcom in which he played the adopted son of linebacker Alex Karras. Yep, Webster's in the house.

Lewis says he met Hill years ago in Atlanta, where Lewis went to university. He isn't thoroughly familiar with the game. “It's not a sport that I grew up on, but it's very interesting,” Lewis said. “The sport of lacrosse is very interesting, it being created by the First Nations people. I thought that was very interesting in itself.”

The first game he saw in person was during the Chiefs' Major Series Lacrosse championship victory over the Brooklin Redmen, and “I think it was pretty awesome. I don't necessarily know all the rules yet, but there's a lot of technique and running around.” Lewis is sitting with the rest of the Chiefs' fans in a section of Bear Mountain Arena. He even got the feel of a stick in his hands. The diminutive former child star tried out a stick that Kasey Beirnes had cut down for his son.

These days, Lewis spends a lot of his time working with charitable causes in the Atlanta area and elsewhere. “Wherever there's somebody in need, that's the cause that we're looking at,” he says. “Whether they be health issues, cancer, AIDS or elderly. There's lots of great causes and I like working with various different organizations and charities to help bring awareness.”

Rich Kilgour kickin' it old school in a

light-hearted moment at Bear Mountain Arena

Six Nations Chiefs Head Coach Rich Kilgour made a fashion statement at Bear Mountain Arena when he broke out his 1994 Chiefs' jacket. That was the year of the first in a three-year run of Mann Cup titles for the Chiefs. Kilgour was a key figure in those Chiefs' wins, scoring 2 or 3 points a game while contributing defensive prowess and leadership. Now he's running the show with the team that it trying to win Six Nations' first Mann since those mid-90s glory days. So while the jacket may be fun to pull out and wear around the arena for a bit, it does bring with it some deeper meaning. It says, it's time to get back to winning championships. The Chiefs are tied 1-1 in the 2013 series with the Victoria Shamrocks, so they are three wins away from making it happen. Game 3 goes Monday night at 7pm PT/10pm ET and can be seen via live pay per webcast.

Chiefs take Game 2 10-8, even Mann Cup at one game each

Kedoh Hill had a hat trick to help Six Nations even the

Mann Cup with a 10-8 win. (Photo: Judy Teasdale)

Kedoh Hill hadn't played a game of lacrosse in over a month. The young Six Nations Chief's last action was Game 3 of the Major Series Lacrosse semi-finals against Kitchener-Waterloo on August 6. But when called on to play in Game 2 of the Mann Cup championship series Saturday night, Hill stepped up big for the Chiefs, scoring a hat trick to help them win the game 10-8 and even the series 1-1.

“This morning, [Head Coach Rich Kilgour] said be ready for anything,” Hill said. “I didn't even think I was going to get a chance, really, but I knew that if there was a chance that I might get to play I had to make the best of it. When he told me I was in, I was like holy man. I was just excited.”

Hill scored once in each period and played a big role on the penalty kill. The PK was critical to the Chiefs' success in winning last night because Victoria had 15 power plays including at least half a dozen two-man advantages. The referees had called just 11 penalties resulting in a total of seven power plays in Game 1, but Saturday night the whistles were blowing fast and furious. The refs called 29 infractions leading to 26 power plays, including an astonishing number of 5-on-3's for a Mann Cup game.

Family day at the Mann Cup

The Six Nations Chiefs' Saturday morning practice took on a distinctively family flavour when some of the players' partners and children showed up to watch. Colin Doyle's wife and three young daughters were on hand, as were Kasey Beirnes' wife and son and Rob Marshall's girlfriend. The children got to head out onto the floor to stretch with the players, did some laps around the concourse level of the arena and watched their fathers shoot.

Spirits were clearly higher than they had been 12 hours earlier, after the Chiefs lost the opening game of the 2013 Mann Cup 5-4 to the Victoria Shamrocks. Coaches ran through some adjustments they want to make for tonight's Game 2 and the defensive players enjoyed some shooting practice with backup goalie Brandon Miller and third goalie Brenner Jacobs. The mood was light as the team left practice, looking like a club that is ready to get back to the game that made them the Major Series Lacrosse champions after an undefeated playoff run.

Shamrocks take Game 1 of Mann Cup finals 5-4 behind hat trick from Jesse King

Craig Point had a pair of goals for Six Nations but they

managed two others in a 5-4 opening game loss to Victoria. 

(Photo: Judy Teasdale)

The Victoria Shamrocks showed that they're just as fast in transition as advertised, but it was Junior A call-up Jesse King's 3 third-period goals in the set offence that pushed them to a 5-4 win in the opening game of the 2013 Mann Cup. King, who will only be able to play one more game before he has to return to school at Ohio State, scored the only goals of the third frame in which the Shamrocks had just eight shots, after they had fired 22 at Six Nations goalie Evan Kirk in the first and another 14 in the second. 

The Chiefs led 3-1 after the first period and 4-2 after the second and seemed to be getting a handle on controlling the Victoria transition game that had created numerous scoring opportunities in the first period. King was spectacular in scoring all the goals Victoria would need in the third, particularly on the final goal when he caught the ball in traffic on top of the crease and fought off a double team to whip a behind-the-back shot into the top corner. 

Colin Doyle poised to move up on Mann Cup scoring list

Colin Doyle, Mohawk and all, is tied for 10th in all-time

Mann Cup scoring and should move up several spots this 

year. (Photo: Judy Teasdale)

Over the last few years, Mann Cup series have seen some serious climbing up the all-time scoring charts. Last year's big mover was Shawn Evans, whose 31 points bumped him from 56 and a tie for 50^th in all-time Mann scoring to 87 and a tie for 22^nd. A pair of other Peterborough Lakers moved closer to the very top of the list. Scott Evans' 15 points took him from 9^th to 5^th with a total of 118. John Grant, Jr. was already third among the elite group of scorers in Mann Cup history, but his 30 points leapfrogged him over legendary Geordie Dean into second place with 174 points.

This year, there's only one player who will likely be making a big mark in the scoring history books. Six Nations' Colin Doyle currently sits tied for 10^th spot with 49 goals and 53 assists for 102 points. He has a realistic shot at taking over 4^th from former Shamrocks' great Gary Gait, who finished his career with 120.

Chiefs are letting team unity go to their heads

Kasey Beirnes

If you want to see a mark of the team unity the Six Nations Chiefs have found in what has the potential to be a championship year for the club, look no further than the heads of some of their players. Colin Doyle, Rob Marshall and Kasey Beirnes are all sporting Mohawks and there are more to come. Beirnes says there was a special feeling in the dressing room right off the bat this summer. “Walking into the dressing room at the beginning of this year was totally different than last year,” Beirnes said. “The demeanour seemed to be so enthusiastic. There was no segregation amongst players. Everybody was in, we were all mixed together having a great old time, right from day one. It was evident at the beginning of the year—I knew we were going to have a successful year just because of that.”

The haircuts are part of that collegiality, Beirnes says. “Coming to a Native reserve, we're kind of doing our role to fit in with them. It's always very common among a lot of the Native players on our team and it was just something that we felt was going to show we're here and we're committed to this. It was all part of that. Now we're here and I think there are three or four more guys who are going to get them [Thursday]. It's showing that we're coming together really well as a team.”

Now the players, young and not so young alike, just want to get the series going, to start playing the games. “It's tough to grasp right now. The jitters are here right now. It's hard to believe we have a full day [Thursday] before the first game even happens on Friday,” Beirnes said. “It's hard to get over that part. I'm anxious, I'm excited. We have a good group of guys. It's new to a lot of us, so we're actually enjoying the ride with everyone else.”

Plenty of new blood seeking Mann Cup glory in 2013

Recent Mann Cup winning teams have generally been loaded with experience. That won't be the case this year. Only four players on each team have played in Mann Cups before, so there are plenty of guys experiencing the Canadian championship for the first time. One of the Six Nations Chiefs veterans, 3-time Mann winner Colin Doyle, says it's actually refreshing having a bunch of young and even not so young players who are getting their first taste of the Mann.

“I think there's only one way to gain experience” Doyle said. “At one point 10 years ago those Peterborough and Brampton [teams that have won 8 of the last 9 Mann Cups between them] didn't have much experience either. That's the way it goes. You've got to get into these to get experience. I'm hoping that the guys don't know any better, they just go out and play. There's something that you gain in experience from having been on a Mann Cup on the road, that's for certain. I think we'll help out along the way. But the idea is you just learn as you go and play like you have been all year. The experience will come with the games you play.”

Mann Cup information at your fingertips

The 2013 Mann Cup between the Six Nations Chiefs and Victoria Shamrocks opens Friday September 6 at 7 pm in the Bear Mountain Arena just outside of Victoria. To find information about the tournament, visit the Mann Cup web site that is now up and running.

The web site includes links for schedule, stats, scoreboard, game recaps, team information, Mann Cup history and more.

To watch the live pay per view webcasts of all the Mann Cup games, go to this link for playfullscreen, the webcaster for the WLA.

Mann Cup schedule

Six Nations Chiefs vs Victoria Shamrocks
at Bear Mountain Arena

All games at 7 pm

Game 1  Friday, September 6
Game 2  Saturday, September 7
Game 3  Monday, September 9
Game 4  Tuesday, September 10
Game 5  Wednesday, September 11 (if necessary)
Game 6  Friday, September 13 (if necessary)
Game 7  Saturday, September 14 (if necessary)

Victoria Shamrocks win WLA title, will face Six Nations Chiefs in Mann Cup

The Victoria Shamrocks downed the Langley Thunder 8-3 Thursday night to win the Western Lacrosse Association championship series 4-2. The Shamrocks will now be the hosts for the Mann Cup, facing off against the MSL champion Six Nations Chiefs in the Canadian national senior championship that will begin September 6.

Six Nations Chiefs are Major Series Lacrosse 2013 champions

Shooter Davis award winner Cody Jamieson
(Photo: Larry Palumbo). 

The Six Nations Chiefs have won their first MSL title since 1996, the last of a three-year run of Mann Cup championships. Six Nations finished off a sweep of the Brooklin Redmen with a 9-7 win in Game 4 of the MSL finals. Cody Jamieson led the way for the Chiefs, scoring the first two and the last two goals of the game in a dominating performance. He also added a pair of assists. For his efforts in the playoffs, Jamieson was awarded the first Johnny Shooter Davis award as the Most Valuable Player of the MSL playoffs.

Brooklin put out their best effort of the series, but were just unable to contain the Chiefs down the stretch. The Redmen responded from Jamieson's opening pair with a 4-goal run that allowed them to head to the dressing rooms leading 4-3 after the first period. The teams were tied 6-6 after an exciting back and forth second period, setting the stage for some drama in the third.

Chiefs down Redmen 8-4 to take 3-0 lead in MSL finals

Johnny Powless had 3 goals and an

assist to help the Chiefs take a 3-0 lead

over Brooklin. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Six Nations Chiefs are one win away from going to the Mann Cup for the first time since 1996. They downed the Brooklin Redmen 8-4 Friday night to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Major Series Lacrosse championship series thanks to hat tricks from Colin Doyle and Johnny Powless and another excellent performance from Evan Kirk in net.

The Chiefs, as they have been wont to do in the series, took a lead in the first period. Brooklin actually created more chances and seemed more into the flow of the game than they had in the first two games, but they couldn't beat Kirk and wound up trailing 3-0 after 20 minutes. Doyle ripped home another outside shot to get things rolling for Six Nations in the second period and when Kasey Beirnes quick-sticked home a perfect pass from Doyle with an extra attacker as Brooklin had a delayed penalty coming, it was 5-0 and the Redmen were in trouble.

Brooklin pulled starting goalie Steve Fryer and put in Zach Higgins, and the tactic seemed to work to change the momentum of the game, kickstarting the Redmen into producing some transition chances and putting home some of their scoring opportunities. Kiel Matisz scored a pair of goals in the second period, both on chances where he received a pass right on top of the crease and buried them. Between those, Shawn Williams scored an unassisted goal, so the score after two periods was 5-3 and Brooklin appeared to be right in the game.

Six Nations extended the lead back to 3 goals when Cody Jamieson scored at 3:23 but Scott Campbell got that one back immediately, receiving the ball after a scrambled ensuing faceoff and running a perfect give and go with Williams, who was parked in the corner. The Redmen couldn't beat Kirk again, though, thanks largely to the exemplary work of the Chiefs defensive corps. And, while Higgins was outstanding in the Brooklin net, Doyle and Powless both managed to beat him to complete their hat tricks and put the game out of reach.

Chiefs down Redmen 11-5 to take 2-0 lead in MSL finals

Once again, the Six Nations Chiefs controlled the first and third periods to take a solid win over the Brooklin Redmen in the Major Series Lacrosse championship series. This time it was an 11-5 win in Brooklin that gives them a 2-0 lead in the series. The Chiefs reined in the Redmen's potent transition game in the first period and goalie Evan Kirk was impeccable in the Chiefs net as Six Nations took a 4-0 lead into the dressing room after 20 minutes.

Brooklin rebounded, got their running game going and outscored the Chiefs 4-1 in the second period to pull within a goal. They had a chance to do even more damage when Sid Smith was given a 5-minute slashing major with 4:10 to go in the period, but the Six Nations penalty killers stepped up and killed the penalty. That seemed to swing the momentum back to the Chiefs, as they scored 3 goals in the first two and a half minutes of the third period to extend their lead to 8-4. From there on, the Chiefs controlled play and closed out the win that gives them a stranglehold on the series heading back to Six Nations for Game 3 on Friday at 8 pm. All games in the series are available to view on pay per view webcast. Click on the Webcast Sports link in the right hand column of this site to purchase the games. 

Chiefs take first game of MSL finals with 12-7 win over Redmen

Colin Doyle scored 6 points in Six Nations' 

Game 1 win in the MSL finals. 

(Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

In the end, the Six Nations Chiefs were just too much for the Brooklin Redmen in Game 1 of the Major Series Lacrosse championship finals. The Chiefs won each period en route to a 12-7 win. Kasey Beirnes had a hat trick and 2 assist to lead Six Nations. Craig Point, Jesse Gamble and Cody Jamieson all added 2 goals and Colin Doyle scored once and added 5 assists for the Chiefs. Shawn Williams topped the Redmen with 2 goals and 2 assists, although it was a goal with which he wasn't credited that had the Brooklin players shaking their heads after the game.

With the score 7-6 for Six Nations late in the second period, Williams broke in on Chiefs goalie Evan Kirk and shot the ball low to the far side of the net. It appeared to bounce into the mesh and back out but was not signalled a goal by the officials. The replay didn't make it clear whether or not the ball had gone in, but Williams said “From all the players on their team that told me it was in, I'll say it was in.”

The play and what followed proved to be a critical turning point in the game. The Chiefs went back down to the other end of the floor and got a shot from a scramble in front of the net. Zach Higgins made the save but the rebound bounced up high to the edge of the crease, where Johnny Powless jumped to catch it and get off a shot that hit a falling Higgins and went back into the net with him. Just 23 seconds later, Gamble scored on a breakaway.

Game 1 of MSL finals to be webcast

The first game of the Major Series Lacrosse finals, tonight at 8 pm from the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena, will be webcast. You can purchase the game by clicking Webcast Sports link in the right hand column of this site and following the link there to the pay portal.

Important note: a new system is being introduced to try to make the internet stream at the ILA strong enough to successfully webcast. It appears that it will work, based on testing done today. There is also a backup plan in place. If, for some reason, neither system proves able to webcast the game without breaking down, anyone who purchases this game will receive a pass for the next game in the series. Please accept our apologies in advance if the stream does not work. JVI Video and MSL are doing everything possible to make sure that it does.

Schedule set for Major Series Lacrosse Finals

GAME 1: TUESDAY AUG. 20 BROOKLIN @ SIX NATIONS 8PM
GAME 2: WEDNESDAY AUG. 21 SIX NATIONS @ BROOKLIN 8PM
GAME 3: FRIDAY AUG.23  BROOKLIN @ SIX NATIONS 8PM
GAME 4: MONDAY AUG. 26 SIX NATIONS @ BROOKLIN 8PM
GAME 5: WEDNESDAY AUG. 28 BROOKLIN @ SIX NATIONS 8PM
GAME 6: THURSDAY AUG. 29 SIX NATIONS @ BROOKLIN 8PM
GAME 7: MONDAY SEP. 2 BROOKLIN @ SIX NATIONS 8PM

Major Series Lacrosse finals start Tuesday August 20

The first game of the Major Series Lacrosse championship series will be held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena on the Six Nations Reserve Tuesday, August 20. Game 2 will follow Wednesday August 21.

The full schedule for the series, including webcasting information, will be released soon.

Redmen down Lakers 13-8 in Game 7 of semis, move on to championship series against Chiefs

For the first time since 2002, the Peterborough Lakers will not be in the Major Series Lacrosse championship series. The Brooklin Redmen took care of that Sunday night by downing the Lakers 13-8 in Game 7 of the MSL semi finals before a crowd of over 3,500 in Peterborough. Shawn Williams led the Redmen with 3 goals and 4 assists. Gavin Prout (3 assists), Mike Melnychenko (2 assists) and Cam Holding each added 2 goals for Brooklin. Zach Higgins was brilliant again in the Redmen net, allowing just the 8 goals on 57 shots. He also got a lot of help from his posts, with the Lakers ringing at least 10 shots off the iron.

John Grant, Jr. led the Lakers with 2 goals and 4 assists and Shawn Evans had 2 goals and 1 helper. Jimmy Purves played an outstanding game for Peterborough in a defensive transition role and added a goal and an assist to the cause.

Peterborough appeared to have more scoring chances in the first period, but the Redmen were able to capitalize on theirs and left the period leading 4-1, thanks largely to Williams scoring all 3 of his goals in the frame. Purves got the Lakers rolling in the second when he made a perfect cut to open space as the Lakers broke out with numbers then buried a shot past Higgins. Grant's power play laser from outside pulled Peterborough within one, but the Redmen had a response as Kiel Matisz scored a power play goal for Brooklin a minute and a half later.

Lakers and Redmen meet in Game 7 tonight

It's been quite a series. Brooklin took the first two games. Peterborough won the next three. Brooklin bounced back to take Game 6 in double overtime. That all leads to Game 7, Sunday night at 8 pm in Peterborough. The game is expected to be sold out or close to it as the teams take the floor to determine who goes on to the Major Series Lacrosse championship series, where the Six Nations Chiefs are waiting after sweeping the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks in their semi.

You can catch all the action live via MSL's pay per view webcast. Just click on this link to purchase the game and get ready for the excitement of Game 7. 

Redmen win 7-6 in double overtime, force Game 7 with Lakers

Derek Hopcroft, here after a goal earlier in the series, had

reason to celebrate again after scoring the game winner in 

double overtime last night. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

Derek Hopcroft scored 34 seconds into double overtime to give the Brooklin Redmen a 7-6 win over the Peterborough Lakers, forcing a seventh game to decide their Major Series Lacrosse semi final series. Game 7 will be played Sunday night at 8 pm in Peterborough. On the winning goal, Kiel Matisz drove towards the net, drawing a pair of Peterborough defenders, then flipped a pass back towards Hopcroft. With Jimmy Purves rushing out towards him, Hopcroft quickly released a shot that skipped off the concrete and found a way through Lakers goalie Tyler Carlson.

The Redmen felt a huge sense of relief when that ball went in. Veteran forward Shawn Williams said “It usually happens quick like that. It was a little bit of 'oh my god' on both sides. We're still alive. Game 7 in Peterborough...we'll take it.” If Game 7 is anything like this Game 6, it'll be an exciting ride for players and fans alike. The Redmen came out of the gate pushing hard and controlling much of the territorial play. They scored 3 goals, all from players getting loose and receiving the ball right on top of the crease. The Lakers got goals on accurate outside shots from Shawn Evans and John Grant, Jr. to stay close, trailing just 3-2 after the first period.

Evans, Corbeil, O'Connor, Chiefs goalies and coaches earn MSL awards

Shawn Evans is MSL's scoring champion and MVP for 2013

(Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

Shawn Evans has added the Jim Murphy Award for the league's most valuable player to the Bucko McDonald award he earned as Major Series Lacrosse's leading scorer, MSL has announced. Evans won the scoring title by putting up 7 points in the last game of the season to overtake Shawn Williams. Evans wound up with 29 goals and 77 assists for 106 points while Williams finished with 27 goals and 776 assists for 103 points. Williams played all 20 of Brooklin's games; Evans managed to pull out the scoring title despite missing one game while on a brief honeymoon after getting married during the season.

The Brampton Excelsiors, despite suffering their first losing season since 1990, took home a pair of league honours for individual players. Chris Corbeil was named the winner of the Merv McKenzie Award for top defensive player. Corbeil had an outstanding season in his own right and was a tremendous leader and role model for the group of young defenders with whom he played. He scored 4 goals and 10 assists while playing in 18 of the Excelsiors' 20 games, all the while being matched up against opponents' top offensive threats.

Lakers take 3-2 lead in MSL semis with 15-9 win over Redmen Monday night

John Grant, Jr. had 5 goals and 4 assists to lead the Lakers 

over the Redmen in Game 5, giving Peterborough a 3-2 

lead in the series. (File photo: Tim Prothero)

John Grant, Jr. finally snapped out of his series-long drought and helped the Peterborough Lakers take control of the Major Series Lacrosse semi finals with a 15-9 win over the Brooklin Redmen Monday night, giving them a 3-2 lead in the series. Grant scored 5 goals and 4 assists in a dominating performance that displayed his shooting and passing prowess and how much of a difference they can make in a game. The Lakers transition game also played a huge role, with Brad Self adding 2 goals and 5 assists and Mark Steenhuis contributing 3 goals and an assist.

Grant's 9 points almost equalled the total of 10 he had produced in the three previous games he had played in the series, but he'd had only 1 goal over those three. He was visibly frustrated throughout the series as his shooting woes mounted. “It's been frustrating because I've been awful. I've been the worst player on the floor,” Grant said. “I've been letting the team down. Even tonight in the first period, I think I was the direct result of three of their goals.”

The Lakers' star forward said he's been trying everything he could think of to turn things around, but finally it was a simple bit of advice from teammate Scott Evans that seemed to do the trick. “I'm just trying to get out of my head, I'm switching sticks, I'm doing a bunch of stuff. I've just got to play. Scott Evans said just close your eyes and shoot it, so I did and a couple went in. I think the team all in all played well tonight so I was just contributing when I could.”

Lakers tie series thanks to MacIntosh goal with 3 seconds left

Jordan MacIntosh scored with 3 seconds to play to lift the Peterborough Lakers to a thrilling 12-11 win over the Brooklin Redmen in Game 4 of the Major Series Lacrosse semifinals, evening the series at 2-2 and returning home floor advantage to Peterborough.

“It's probably the biggest [goal of my career],” Macintosh said. “I've never really scored a late goal like that in a game so it's pretty cool. The play was basically just to get it over to John [Grant, Jr.] for a shot or a good look. He usually makes the right play there and I just kind of kept my stick in an area where he could get it to. I was fortunate enough that he got it there and I put it in.”

Grant made the pass from near the boards, across the crease and high enough that MacIntosh had to jump to get to the ball, but no Redmen defenders had an opportunity to intercept or knock it away. MacIntosh caught the ball at the peak of his jump and released it before he came down. Redmen goalie Zach Higgins caught the ball with his arm and knocked it away, but it was behind the goal line in the net when it made contact with him.

Lakers down Redmen 11-3 to pull within 2-1 in MSL semis

The Peterborough Lakers have been in this situation before. Backs against the wall, looking like they’re in trouble and having a hard time finding their game. And just like they’ve done many times before, they came out firing and won a critical playoff lacrosse game to keep their playoff run from going onto life support. Last night it was an 11-3 victory over the Brooklin Redmen that pulled them within 2-1 in the Major Series Lacrosse semi finals. And after struggling at times all over the floor in the first two games, Peterborough controlled pretty much all phases of Game 3.

Lakers goalie Tyler Carlson, who did not play well in the first two games and didn’t get lots of help from his defence, looked far more confident and solid in the Lakers goal. “Our defence was playing amazing tonight, the second period was way better,” he said, referring to the fact that the Lakers gave up 8 goals in the second period in each of the first two games. “Personally, I was shaky a little bit but now I’m stepping into the groove and finding myself and we’re going to really finish this thing off with a bang.”

Redmen take 2-0 series lead over Lakers with thrilling 11-10 overtime win

The Brooklin Redmen trailed 4-2 after one period, outscored the Peterborough Lakers 8-2 in the second to take a 10-6 lead, squandered that lead by being blanked 4-0 in the third, then got the only goal of the overtime period from Kiel Matisz to pull out a roller coaster ride of an 11-10 win in the Major Series Lacrosse semi finals Monday night.

The win gives the Redmen a commanding 2-0 lead in the series, which resumes with Game 3 in Peterborough tonight. You can watch the game live on a pay per view webcast by clicking on the link in the right hand column of this web site. There is also a radio webcast of the game available through the Lacrosse Radio Network, which can be reached via the link to In Lacrosse We Trust in this site's links page.

Also, the KW Kodiaks head to Six Nations trying to avoid falling behind 3-0 in their semi final tonight. Game time is 8 pm.

Redmen take semi finals opener over Lakers, Chiefs move to 2-0 ahead of Kodiaks

The Brooklin Redmen won the opening game of their MSL semi final series 13-10 over the Peterborough Lakers. The game was a low-scoring affair for the first period with the Lakers taking a 3-2 lead into the intermission. Then it blew up in the second with Brooklin outscoring the home team 8-6.  The third was back to the pattern of the first, as the Redmen outscored Peterborough 3-1 to clinch the victory in the first game of the best-of-seven series.

Five different players scored twice each for Brooklin and Gavin Prout had a goal and 5 assists. Shawn Evans was the top scorer in the game with a hat trick and 4 assists for Peterborough while Scott Evans added 3 goals.

In Kitchener-Waterloo, the Six Nations Chiefs took a 2-0 lead in the other semi final series by edging the Kodiaks 9-8. Kasey Beirnes was the only multiple goal scorer for Six Nations with a pair. Rodd Squire, Jr. and Cody Jamieson each had a goal and 2 assists for the Chiefs. Dhane Smith score 4 goals to lead the Kodiaks and Aaron Wilson had 2 goals and 3 assists.

The Lakers travel to take on the Redmen in Game 2 of their series Monday at 8pm then the clubs return to Peterborough for Game 3 Tuesday at 8pm. Both games can be seen on live pay per view webcasts. Click on the Webcast Sports icon in the right hand column of this web site to watch the games.

Six Nations and KW resume their series with Game 3 Tuesday in Six Nations then Game 4 Thursday in KW, both at 8pm.

Redmen vs Lakers series available on pay per view webcasts

The semi final series between the Brooklin Redmen and Peterborough Lakers will be webcast live via pay per view, starting Thursday August 1 from Peterborough at 8 pm. The cost to purchase a game is $7. To purchase games, click on the link at the top of the right hand column of this page.

Six Nations Chiefs open 2013 playoffs with dominating 13-7 win over KW Kodiaks.

Cody Jamieson, here scoring against Peterborough, had 6

points to help Six Nations take the opener of their semi 

final series against Kitchener. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Six Nations Chiefs opened the 2013 Major Series Lacrosse playoffs the same way they went through the regular season; they combined a balanced offensive attack with stingy defence and goaltending to win, in this case taking out the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks 13-7 in the first game of their MSL semi final. Craig Point was the top gunner this time, with 4 goals and 4 assists, including the first 2 goals of the game and a pair in the 7-3 second period that gave the Chiefs control of the game. Colin Doyle scored 3 goals and 3 assists and Cody Jamieson added 2 goals and 4 assists for the Chiefs. Defensively, Six Nations limited the Kodiaks to 34 shots, of which Evan Kirk stopped 27 to earn the win in goal.

Seven different players scored for KW, who came back to tie the game up through the first period after Six Nations had scored the first 3 goals of the game. They couldn't come back from the Chiefs scoring the first 3 goals of the second period as well, though. Drew Petkoff's unassisted marker 18 seconds before the midway mark of the game stemmed the Six Nations' momentum briefly. Very briefly. Six Nations responded with 2 goals in the next 40 seconds and KW was never able to challenge again. The score was 10-6 after the second period, then once again the Chiefs opened the third with the period's first 3 goals.

Peterborough vs Brooklin first round playoff dates set

The schedule has been released for the Major Series Lacrosse semi final series between 2nd-place Peterborough and 3rd-place Brooklin.


Game 1 - August 1st Brooklin at Peterborough @ 8PM
Game 2 - August 5th Peterborough at Brooklin @ 8PM
Game 3 - August 6th Brooklin at Peterborough @ 8PM
Game 4 - August 8th Peterborough at Brooklin @ 8PM
Game 5 - August 12th Brooklin at Peterborough @ 8PM*
Game 6 - August 14th Peterborough at Brooklin @ 8PM*
Game 7 - August 15th Brooklin at Peterborough @ 8PM*
* if necessary

Chiefs wrap up first place season with 10-5 win over Rock

The Six Nations Chiefs have finished alone atop Major Series Lacrosse for the first time since 1996. They finished their regular season with a 10-5 win over Oakville in which they outscored the Rock in each of the three periods. Roger Vyse led the way with 3 goals and 3 assists; Scott DeFrancesco added 2 goals and 2 assists for the Chiefs. Five different players scored for Oakville, with Kyle Davis their top points man as he added 2 assists to his goal.

Brenner Jacobs got the win in goal for Six Nations in his first MSL start. "It was the utmost surreal moment in my career," Jacobs told the Brantford Expositor. "Oakville's goalie, Tye Belanger, was my goalie coach in Wallaceburg (Jr. B) last year. He told me all last year to just keep working hard so you can get to where you want to go. That's what I've been all about this year."

The Chiefs finish the season with a 16-3-1 record and will be at least 7 points ahead of second place (Peterborough will reach 26 points if they beat Oakville Monday night). 1996, their last solo finish in first place, was the last of three straight Mann Cup seasons for the Chiefs, who haven't been back to the national championship since then. They did tie for the MSL lead with Brampton in 2009, when Cody Jamieson became just the second player to win the MSL MVP, scoring title and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season. 

Six Nations vs Kitchener-Waterloo first round playoff dates set

The dates for the Major Series Lacrosse semi finals between the Six Nations Chiefs and Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks have been established.

Game 1  KW @ Six Nations, July 30 8pm
Game 2  Six Nations @ KW, August 1 8pm
Game 3  KW @ Six Nations, August 6 8pm
Game 4  Six Nations @ KW, August 8 8 pm
*Game 5  KW @ Six Nations, August 11 2pm (time may change to 7pm)
*Game 6  Six Nations @ KW, August 13 8pm
*Game 7  KW @ Six Nations, August 15 8pm

Hopcroft, Priolo, Gamble and Fowler named MSL Players of the Week for week 9

Currently first in goals (27) and second in assists (31) and points (58) for the Brooklin Redmen Derek Hopcroft has been named Offensive Player of the Week. Hopcroft recorded one goal and one assist in both the 11-5 loss to the Six Nations Chiefs on Wednesday and the 7-6 win in Brampton on Thursday and added five goals and three assists, his highest single game points count this season, in the Redmen’s 14-10 win in Brampton on Sunday.

Also from the Brooklin Redmen, Steve Priolo has been named Defensive Player of the Week. Priolo, currently in his first year with the Redmen, has been a solid member of the defense all year. Last week, Priolo recorded one assist in both of the Brooklin wins in Brampton.

Acquired last month by the Six Nations Chiefs in a trade with the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks, Jesse Gamble has been named Transition Player of the Week. Having his best week yet, Gamble recorded eight points in the Chiefs’ three wins last week with a single game high four points (2G, 2A) in Sunday’s 11-10 win versus Gamble’s former team, the KW Kodiaks.

Going from Six Nations to Kitchener-Waterloo in the Gamble trade, forward Corey Fowler has been named Rookie Player of the Week. Fowler, who has missed about half the season because of injury, was the 2013 CLax leading scorer and subsequently named top rookie and most outstanding player in the league. Last week Fowler recorded one goal and two assists in KW’s 12-10 win versus the Brampton Excelsiors on Tuesday and six points (5G, 1A), including the unassisted power play equalizer in the third and overtime game winner, in the 13-12 win in Peterborough on Thursday.

Brampton at Oakville live webcast tonight at 8 pm

The Brampton Excelsiors at Oakville Rock game Monday night will be webcast live by JVI Video. So if you can't make it down to the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre to see the game in person, just go to the Major Series Lacrosse web site and click on the Webcast Sports link in the right hand column.

Chiefs edge Kodiaks in preview of semi final matchup

With the Brooklin Redmen beating the Brampton Excelsiors 14-10 Sunday and the Six Nations Chiefs edging the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks 11-10, the semi final series for Major Series Lacrosse are settled. Since KW can only tie Brooklin and the Redmen won the head-to-head season series 3-1, Brooklin has clinched at least third place (they can still catch Peterborough for second to earn home-floor advantage in the semis). That means the Kodiaks and Chiefs will meet in a semi final that, if the regular season games they've played are any indication, should be a barn-burner.

Six Nations won all four games between the two teams, but the last three were by 2, 1 and 1 goals. KW led 7-5 past the midway point of the second period. Then Kasey Beirnes went to work. He scored 3 of his 4 goals in a 4-goal run that gave the Chiefs a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Six Nations led 11-8 when Craig Point scored at 14:06 of the the third period, but the Kodiaks showed their never-say-die spirit by scoring the last 2 goals of the game to make it close.

Kodiaks solidify grip on playoff spot with 12-10 win over Excelsiors

The Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks virtually assured themselves a playoff spot by downing the Brampton Excelsiors 12-10 Tuesday night. The win gives KW 15 points for the season, seven more than Brampton. Each team has four games left to play. That means the Excelsiors would have to win all four of their remaining games while the Kodiaks lost all four of theirs for Brampton to slip into the playoffs.

The game itself served as a pretty good reflection of the season as a whole: the Kodiaks got out to a fast start while Brampton was slow out of the blocks, then Brampton got things together and put on a push towards the end, but ultimately it wasn't enough.

Mike Teeter had a huge first period for the Kodiaks. He scored 4 goals in the period to help give KW a 6-2 lead. They were up 10-4 by the 12:41 mark of the second frame. Then Brampton started chipping away at the lead, getting 1 goal back in the second and outscoring KW 5-2 in the third.

Excelsiors down Lakers 9-7 to bolster playoff hopes

Joe Resetarits, here against Brooklin, scored 6 points to 

lead the Excels over the Lakers Sunday night. 

(Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

The Brampton Excelsiors took a 5-1 lead against the Peterborough Lakers Sunday night, squandered it, then scored the last 2 goals to pull out a 9-7 win. The Excelsiors victory came a night after the Lakers had crept closer to the top of the standings with a win over the league-leading Six Nations Chiefs. Peterborough entered the game in Brampton hoping to pull within a single point of Six Nations. Instead, they ran into a Brampton team that had recently moved out of last place in Major Series Lacrosse and looks like it has no intention of slipping back into the cellar.

Joe Resetarits led the Brampton attack with 3 goals and 3 assists. Mike Hominuk had 2 goals and 2 assists and Mike Burke scored once and added 3 assists. Josh Gillam responded with a hat trick for the Lakers and John Grant, Jr. added 2 goals and 2 assists.

Brampton, which led 3-1 after the first period and 7-6 after the second, outshot the Lakers 55-43. Anthony Cosmo made 36 saves to earn the win while Tyler Carlson made 46 saves in a losing effort.

Brampton's next action is Tuesday night, when they travel to Kitchener-Waterloo to face the Kodiaks in a game that the Excelsiors hope can pull them closer to KW in the playoff race. They are back home Thursday night against the Brooklin Redmen. The Lakers return to the floor Thursday when they play host to the Kodiaks.

Lakers down Chiefs 11-9, pull within three points of first place

John Grant led the Lakers over the Chiefs with 6 points.
(Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

On their third try of the season, the Peterborough Lakers finally found a way to beat the Six Nations Chiefs. The Lakers won 11-9 Saturday night, in the process drawing within three points of the Chiefs for first place in Major Series Lacrosse with five games left to play for each team. The teams meet one more time.

John Grant, Jr. led Peterborough scorers with 3 goals and 3 assists while Scott and Shawn Evans each added a pair of goals for the Lakers. Tyler Carlson stopped 26 of the 35 shots he faced to earn the win. Colin Doyle and Cory Bomberry each had hat tricks for the Chiefs. Evan Kirk suffered his first loss of the season (12-1-1), making 33 saves on 44 shots. It was also Six Nations' first loss at home this summer.

Peterborough led 4-2 after the first period and extended their lead to 7-3 at one point in the second. They also had a 10-6 lead in the third, but the Chiefs kept battling back part way. A pair of goals from Doyle and one from Kedoh Hill pulled them back within a single goal, 10-9, late in the third. But Grant sealed the deal with a goal with 25 seconds remaining.  

Brampton downs Oakville to climb out of the MSL basement

The Brampton Excelsiors leapfrogged the Oakville Rock for fifth place in Major Series Lacrosse with a 10-5 win at home on Thursday. Brampton outscored Oakville 5-1 in the first period and led 7-2 after two periods. Chris Attwood was the Excelsiors' top gun with 4 goals. Recently signed Tyler Patterson added 2 goals and an assist and Ryan Learn had a goal and 3 helpers. Anthony Cosmo made 42 saves to earn the win, which moved Brampton to 3-11 and puts them 1 point ahead of Oakville, who falls to 2-10-1 but has a game in hand on the Excelsiors. Brendan Muise scored twice for the Rock.

Lakers down Redmen 11-7 to hold on to second place

Josh Gillam was named player of the game for his 

7-point performance in Peterborough's 11-7 win.
(Photo: Anna Taylor)

The Peterborough Lakers' offensive players didn't like the look of the scoreboard after two periods Thursday night, so they came out in the third and made it look better. An 8-goal third period propelled them to an 11-7 win over the Brooklin Redmen that solidified their hold on second place in a likely preview of the first round of the playoffs. The score was tied 2-2 after the first and Brooklin led 4-3 after the second period.

Josh Gillam and Shawn Evans each posted 3 goals and 4 assists to lead the Lakers attack. Gillam said it was largely a matter of making the most of their shots. “We came in after the second period looking up at the scoreboard and only seeing three goals up there, so we knew we had to step it up, get the ball moving and just stick our shots,” Gillam said. “We had pretty good shots in the first couple of periods but we just weren't hitting our spots.”

It appeared that it took the Lakers a while to get used to playing again without John Grant, Jr., who had to miss the game. Gillam acknowledged that there is an adjustment period to having him in the lineup and then another one to having him away. “Junior is the best player in the world and when he's here he does amazing things with the ball, and you let him do that. That's just the way it goes,” Gillam said. “He wins us games left, right and centre. When he's gone we try to fill the spots, have a bit of a different game style, maybe move the ball a little quicker.”

Redmen at Rock game postponed because of power outage

With the power out to the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre, as it was in much of the Toronto area Monday night, the game between the Brooklin Redmen and the Oakville Rock was postponed. There is no word yet on the when the game will be played.

MSL Media Relations Director Stephen Stamp to appear on CKWR radio Sports Show Monday at 6 pm

The Community Sports Show on CKWR radio in Kitchener-Waterloo will have some Major Series Lacrosse talk tonight. Show host Ron van der Zwaag interviews MSL Director of Media Relations Stephen Stamp about the league and more specifically the KW Kodiaks. The show is on from 6 to 6:30. If you're not in the KW area, you can listen live to the station via their website.

Team coaching and playing personnel will appear on future episodes of the Community Sports Show.

Chiefs down Excelsiors 15-7

The Six Nations Chiefs maintained their three-point lead ahead of Peterborough atop the Major Series Lacrosse standings with a 15-7 win over the Brampton Excelsiors Thursday night. The Chiefs won each period, outscoring Brampton 3-2, 6-2 and 6-2 en route to the victory. Cody Jamieson continued his hot play of late, scoring 4 goals to lead the way for Six Nations. Three other players scored 5 points each: Colin Doyle (2g, 3a), Kedoh Hill (1g, 4a) and Cory Bomberry (1g, 4a). Evan Kirk earned his tenth win of the season, twice as many as anyone else in the league has. Mike Hominuk led the Excelsiors with 2 goals and 3 assists. Ethan O'Connor added a pair of goals.

Six Nations is back in action Saturday night when they play host to the third-place Brooklin Redmen. Brampton returns to the floor next Wednesday, July 10 when they visit Brooklin.  

Lakers hold on to pull out 13-11 win over Rock Thursday night

Mark Steenhuis had a hat trick to help the Lakers down

the Rock 13-11 Thursday night. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Peterborough Lakers won the game 13-11, but the Oakville Rock continued to earn respect by winning the third period 7-1 in Major Series Lacrosse action Thursday night in Peterborough. The last time the Rock were in Peterborough, they took a 7-1 lead and were ahead well into the third period before the Lakers came back to win 14-13. This time, it was the Lakers who jumped out to an early lead. Peterborough were up 3-0 when Pete Rennie took a checking from behind double minor at 15:40 of the first. What looked like a chance for Oakville to bet back into the game instead turned into a 5-0 first period lead for Peterborough when Mark Steenhuis and John Grant, Jr. connected for shorthanded goals.

Oakville got on a bit of a roll opening the second, scoring 3 of the period's first 4 goals including a pair from AJ Masson just 12 seconds apart in the first two minutes. The Lakers then took control, though, scoring 4 goals in 1:36. Josh Gillam gathered in a rebound of a Grant shot off the back boards and tucked it home for the first goal at 10:09. Shawn Evans took a long pass from Tyler Carlson and found the back of the net behind Tye Belanger exactly a minute later. Jordan MacIntosh—who won 17 of the 20 faceoffs he took—gained possession of the ball after a scramble off the following draw and threaded a perfect 80-foot pass to Steenhuis for the third goal. MacIntosh and Steenhuis then combined to set up Evans' second goal of the run 23 seconds after that.

Redmen overcome third-period deficit to earn 13-10 overtime win over Kodiaks

Shawn Williams led the Redmen with 7 points

in their overtime win over the Kodiaks.

(File photo: Tim Prothero)

The Brooklin Redmen's recent trade acquisition paid immediate dividends Wednesday night. Kyle Aquin, suiting up in his first game for Brooklin since coming over from the Oakville Rock in a deal just before the trading deadline, scored the goal that tied the game and forced overtime then completed a natural hat trick by netting the first two goals of a 4-1 overtime that gave the Redmen a 13-10 Major Series Lacrosse win over the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks.

Aquin had a slow start to the night, not doing anything particularly notable for the first two periods, but started to feel more comfortable as the game went on. “I came a little nervous,” Aquin said after the game. “It's good when you have leaders like [Shawn Williams] and [Derek] Hopcroft and what not constantly talking you through it, so I kind of got it together there in the third and overtime and it worked out.” That's a bit of an understatement, as Aquin suddenly seemed to find open seams in the KW defence and exploited them.

“I think in the first couple of periods I just tried to read and adjust to what the other guys were doing. Later in the game I kind of felt what they were doing so I could react off of that and then eventually things came together,” Aquin said.