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| Ben McIntosh (left) and Billy Dee Smith were central figures in Game 4, which Six Nations won 9-7 to take a 3-1 lead in the 2016 Mann Cup. (Photo: Tim Prothero) |
For the second straight game the Maple
Ridge Burrards held a 7-6 lead in the third period and for the second
straight game the Six Nations Chiefs scored the final three goals to
win 9-7. Now the Chiefs have the Burrards on the ropes, leading 3-1
in the 2016 Mann Cup and with a chance to close out the championship
in Wednesday's Game 5.
After a blowout in each direction in
the first two games, a pair of tight matches have resulted in the
intensity ramping up as you'd expect in a best of seven series. That
intensity resulted in some chirping between the teams across the
centre line before each team headed off to its own dressing room
after the game.
The teams have a good hate on for each
other. As Chiefs defender Billy Dee Smith, one of the central
characters in the post-game drama, said, “Just chatting it up,
sharing some unpleasantries,” Smith said with a smile. “Guys are
starting to get sick of each other. That's the way it should be. I
don't like them right now.”
Not surprisingly, Maple Ridge head
coach Rob Williams wasn't quite as lighthearted about the squabbling.
“I will say there were some classless things said, we'll leave it
at that. I'm sure it can be said both ways. That's what happens in a
seven-game series played this tight and this tough,” said Williams.
The teams clearly don't like each other
much, but they also clearly respect each other on the floor. Smith
missed the first two games but has been a critical component of the
Chiefs ability to limit the Burrards potent offence to seven goals in
each of the last two games. He said keeping up with the Maple Ridge
forwards has been a demanding challenge.
“It's definitely a grind. It's what
you like to think the Mann Cup is about. No team's blowing out
another team, every shift means something,” Smith said. “I think
it shows at the end of the game, both teams are exhausted.
“When a team moves as well as them it
just comes down to communication,” Smith said of the Burrards
constant cutting and picking. “The second you're not talking,
someone's not letting you know what's going on, the ball ends up in
the net. They definitely have the best offence we've seen this year
and they're definitely here for a reason.”
Both goalies were excellent again.
Dillon Ward made 44 saves for Six Nations and Frankie Scigliano 41
for the Burrards.
Six Nations led 3-2 after a hard-fought
first period but Ben McIntosh tied things up just 16 seconds into the
second.
It's been the nature of this series for
each team to answer everything the other does. Maple Ridge responded
to Game 1's Chiefs blowout win with one of their own, then responded
with a goal each of the first six times Six Nations scored in Game 3.
The Chiefs, of course, replied with a goal to force overtime when the
Burrards were finally able to forge a Game 3 lead then took the game
with a pair of goals in the extra frame when Maple Ridge ran out of
time to provide an answer.
So it's hardly surprising that Six
Nations answered McIntosh's goal with a pair of their own from Dhane
Smith and Randy Staats, or that Maple Ridge turned that around with
goals from Connor Goodwin and Jarrett Davis.
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| Randy Staats ties the game 7-7 in the third period. (Photo: Tim Prothero) |
Very few goals came easily; both
defences continued to make forwards pay for venturing inside but both
teams' forwards continued to do so. When they got good looks, both
goalies continued to make some big saves.
Ryan Benesch scored on a back-door
quick-stick with 4.8 seconds to play im the second while Ward was on
the bench for an extra attacker to make it four on three thanks to a
series of penalties. The Chiefs almost extended their lead to two
goals when Brodie Merrill was sprung for an open look right off the
ensuing faceoff but Scigliano made a clutch save.
Dan Taylor tied things up with the
Burrards second shorthanded goal of the game 1:05 into the third then
McIntosh's hat trick goal gave them the lead at 2:47.
Maple Ridge couldn't make that lead
hold up, though. The Chiefs scored a pair—Randy Staats and then Dan
Dawson—less than two minutes apart, the second coming at 8:06.
The Burrards had chances to tie it up;
they outshot the Chiefs 16-10 in the third period, but Ward made the
lead stand. With Maple Ridge pressuring with the extra attacker in
the dying seconds, Billy Dee Smith jumped from a scrum to grab a
loose ball that had bounced out of it. He sprinted up the boards past
both benches, absorbing a check into the boards but hanging on to the
ball.
When Smith tossed the ball towards the
empty net from near the restraining line, it didn't really matter if
it went in because there were only seven seconds to play, but it
created a celebratory roar from the stands and the Chiefs bench when
it did hit the mesh.
Chiefs head coach Rich Kilgour said it
was fitting that Smith got the insurance marker with a rare goal
because of his strong efforts despite a painful calf injury.
“Billy got the game ball,” Kilgour
said. “It's probably his first goal in three or four years. JT
[offensive coach John Tavares] was teasing him that he's 100% because
that was his first shot, first goal. It was great having Billy get
that one at the end because he's another guy that's banged up but
said, if you guys need me I'm ready to go. The calf can wait till the
series is over.”
That's the approach both teams are
taking: there'll be time to deal with the assorted aches and pains
after the series. For now they're both battling hard to try to win
lacrosse's holy grail.
The Chiefs have an edge in experience
but Burrards alternate captain Jarrett Davis, who has won the last
two Champions Cups with the Rush, said Maple Ridge has youth and
desire on their side.
“It doesn't hurt them to have that
experience,” Davis acknowledged. “I think our hunger plays to our
strength. There's a lot of young guys trying to make a name for
themselves. I think the experience is great for them but it's
probably not the deciding factor in the series right now.”
Davis agreed that discipline is
important but said it's not always easy to edge up to the line
without crossing over it.
“That's the fine line that's hard to
stay on the right side of. Hopefully we'll stay in the moment and
just focus on doing the right things,” Davis said. “Our strength
is just to come out and play as hard as we can. Hopefully we'll stay
on the right side of that line but it's easier said than done
sometimes.”
Kilgour, meanwhile, emphasized that his
team isn't thinking the series is over by any means.
“We haven't won anything yet. Three
wins doesn't get you the Mann Cup,” Kilgour said. “They're
cliches for a reason, because they're true and they're tried and
tested. The fourth game's the hardest. I'm going to do my best to
have them ready for tomorrow night and let them know you don't get
the fourth win easy. We'd better be ready to do it.”
Game 4 goes Wednesday night at 8 pm and
can be seen
live on JVI Sports Network's webcast.
