 |
| Connor Sellars had a pair of transition goals for Brampton but it wasn't enough as Six Nations won 7-6 to take a 2-0 lead in the semifinals. (Photo: Dave Fryer_ |
The underdog Excelsiors jumped ahead 1-0 when Mike Mawdsley grabbed a rebound right on the Six Nations crease and fired it behind Chiefs goalie Dillon Ward. Tyler Carlson shook off a hard shot right to the face mask to make 20 saves in the first period, keeping the Chiefs off the board. Thanks to a pair of transition goals from Matthew Bennett and Connor Sellars, that allowed the Excelsiors to head into the first intermission with a 3-0 lead.
The second period went back and forth. Six Nations outscored the Excelsiors 4-3. Dhane Smith had a pair of goals for the Chiefs and Sellars added another breakaway marker for Brampton, who led 6-4 heading into the third period.
The final frame saw Six Nations fire 20 shots at Carlson. Kasey Beirnes pulled them within one when he was able to connect at 8:29. Almost five minutes later, David Brock took off with the ball from his own end and beat Carlson to tie things up.
Both goalies continued their excellent play as the period wound down. With about two and a half minutes to play, Randy Staats--who wound up with three assists--took a shot that ricocheted off the back boards to the opposite side of the net. Beirnes was there, on his off side, to snatch the ball from above his head and quickly redirect the winning goal into the net before Carlson could react.
Carlson made 53 saves on the 60 shots Six Nations directed at him while Ward stopped 46 of the 52 shots he faced. Game 3 goes Saturday at 7 pm at Six Nations' Iroquois Lacrosse Arena.
