Both semifinals knotted at 1-1

No one expected to see any sweeps this year in the Major Series Lacrosse playoffs. Now we know for sure there won't be any in the semifinals.

One night after the Oakville Rock evened their best of seven series against Peterborough at 1-1 with a 12-9 win fuelled by seven goals in transition, the Six Nations Chiefs got the other semi to 1-1 as well with a 9-4 win over the Brooklin Redmen on Saturday.

The second period was the difference in Six Nations. After a 3-3 opening frame, the Chiefs blanked Brooklin 5-0 over the middle 20 minutes. Each team scored only once in the third. Oddly enough, those third-period goals came just 27 seconds apart.

Craig Point sat out Game 1 for the Chiefs. Despite an offence loaded with big names and big talent, Six Nations had trouble scoring in that game, falling 6-4. Point helped rectify that issue with 3 goals Saturday. Rookie Austin Shanks answered Point with a hat trick of his own for the Redmen.

Shanks and Mark Matthews scored power play goals for Brooklin but the Chiefs were much more dangerous with the extra man. Ryan Benesch, Cody Jamieson and Point all scored power play markers and Point's third-period goal came with Dillon Ward pulled for an extra attacker.

Both semis get back in action Monday night. Six Nations travels to Brooklin and Peterborough is in Oakville for their respective Games 3.  

Brooklin takes 6-4 win in Game 1 defensive battle with Six Nations

Kiel Matisz scores a big goal for Brooklin in their 6-4 Game 1 win of the MSL semifinals. (Photo: Tim Prothero)

Consider the message sent.

If there was any doubt that the Major Series Lacrosse semifinal between the Brooklin Redmen and Six Nations Chiefs was going to be a series, that doubt was removed Wednesday night when the Redmen won a defensive battle 6-4 on their home floor.

The Chiefs have been to the last four MSL finals, winning two Mann Cups in that span. Brooklin missed the playoffs last year. So, says Redmen goalie Mike Poulin, Wednesday night was about “Holding home court and sending a message that we're in this series. I talked to a lot of people and when they asked me who we're playing and I said Six Nations, they kind of gave me the look of death. Winning Game 1 is really just sending the message, we're here to play.”

Even without Chris Corbeil, who was acquired by Brooklin at the trade deadline but is missing the first couple games of the series for his honeymoon, the Redmen's defence put on an impressive display. They limited the Chiefs' scoring chances. When Six Nations was able to create good shots, Poulin was there to make some excellent saves.

None among his total of 38 stops was bigger than the one he made in the dying seconds with his counterpart Dillon Ward on the bench for an extra attacker. Cody Jamieson received a cross-floor backdoor pass that he redirected quickly towards what looked like it would be the tying goal.

“He came from the other side, so I thought he was a righty,” Poulin said of the play. “I wasn't expecting it, to be honest, but I jumped over and was lucky enough to get the leg out so it worked out.”

Redmen vs Chiefs semifinal previewed on IL Indoor

As promised, IL Indoor editor Stephen Stamp posted his preview of the Brooklin vs Six Nations MSL semifinal today. As everyone who has watched the regular season unfold, he had a difficult time making a pick in this series. See his article and who he wound up going with here.

Grant leads Lakers to 8-3 Game 1 win over Oakville after pregame jersey retirement ceremonygr

John Grant Jr won the Mann Cup with Peterborough the last time he appeared in one, in 2012. He's hoping Tuesday's Game 1 semifinal win was the first step towards one more. (Photo: Dave Fryer)

The Peterborough Lakers held a ceremony to announce they are retiring John Grant Jr.'s jersey at the end of the season before Tuesday night's Game 1 of the Major Series Lacrosse semifinals against the Oakville Rock. Then Grant went out and reminded everyone why his #24 now hangs in the rafters alongside other all-time greats from the franchise.

Grant had 3 goals and 2 assists to lead the Lakers to an 8-3 win. Taking the first game at home was extra important to Peterborough since the next two games in the series will be played in Oakville; the Memorial Centre is unavailable for the the next week because of the annual Peterborough Exhibition.

The game was prefaced with an emotional 20-minute pregame ceremony during which the crowd of 2,724 gave Grant three standing ovations. His parents, wife Raygen, daughter Gabby and other family members were on the floor for the ceremony. Long-time friend and teammate Tracey Kelusky spoke. “When we were young we wanted to be the Gaits,” Kelusky said. “Kids today want to be John Grant Jr.”

The Lakers presented Grant a framed collage of photos from his legendary career with the team. National team chairman Dean French was also on hand to present Grant a framed Team Canada jersey. To conclude the ceremony, Grant addressed the crowd. He finished up saying, “Now if you don't mind, I need to wear this jersey for another month or so,” and ran to the Peterborough bench to get ready to play.

A few minutes later, appropriately, he got the Lakers on the board. Grant fought through a couple of defenders and fired a bouncer. Nick Rose got some of it but the ball dribbled across the goal line before Rose could spin and stop it.

MSL playoffs previewed on IL Indoor and In Lacrosse We Trust

The countdown to playoffs is well underway. The first game of the first semifinal gets underway Tuesday night at 7:45 pm when the Peterborough Lakers play host to the Oakville Rock in a rematch of last year's series won in five games by the Lakers.

Wednesday night, the Six Nations Chiefs visit the Brooklin Redmen to kick off the other semifinal. Six Nations beat Brampton in five games last year to advance to the final against Peterborough, which the Lakers won in seven games.

IL Indoor and In Lacrosse We Trust have both run previews. Indoor's Stephen Stamp published a look at the Peterborough/Oakville series and will post his preview of Brooklin/Six Nations Wednesday before their first game. Anna Taylor of ILWT ran a single column covering both series.

Lakers to honour John Grant Jr at Tuesday's playoff opener vs Oakville

John Grant Jr. will be the last Laker to wear the #24 and he'll begin wearing it in his last playoff run Tuesday night.
(Photo: Tim Prothero)

John Grant Jr. was in diapers when he grabbed his first lacrosse stick, probably a wooden one because his legendary lacrosse father didn’t like those “Tupperware ones.”

To say that the Peterborough Grants’ family life centred around lacrosse is an understatement; it was life. John Sr. was a phenomenal player who grew up in the Civic Arena area of Park Street with either a hockey a lacrosse stick in his hands, admiring the play of another legend Bob Allan who he watched and copied. Senior went on to an excellent career with the Peterborough Lakers and starred in the pro league for Philadelphia where fans stuck to him like ants on honey.

John Jr. was showing the same kind of talent at a young age joining, and growing up with, the Peterborough Minor Lacrosse Association house league and Lakers’ all star teams.

The kid was incredible and the junior team couldn’t wait to get hold of him. He jumped intermediate lacrosse and went to junior winning the OLA Junior A MVP award in 1994.

The Senior Lakers were anticipating his arrival and he didn’t disappoint them winning the Major Series Lacrosse league rookie of the year award in his first season with the big squad. In that year his #24 wasn’t available but he grabbed it the next season and has worn it ever since, playing most of those years alongside his friend and now Lakers’ assistant coach Tracey Kelusky. That was  a long time ago.

Major Series Lacrosse announces year-end award winners

Shawn Evans of the Peterborough Lakers has won the Jim Murphy Award for most valuable player in Major Series Lacrosse for the second time. Evans also led the league in scoring, with is 82 points being 13 more than anyone else scored even though he sat out the last two games of the season.

The Lakers also took the Harry Lumley Award for fewest goals against. The award is shared by Matt Vinc and Evan Kirk who gave up just 120 goals between them.

The league's top defensive player and winner of the Merve McKenzie Awards is Graeme Hossack of the Brooklin Redmen.

Tyson Bell of the Brampton Excelsiors and Jordan Durston of the Six Nations Chiefs tied for the Gene Dopp Memorial Trophy presented annually to MSL's outstanding rookie.

The Oakville Rock trio of Matt Sawyer, Jon Harasym and Pat Campbell won the Terry Sanderson Award for the top coaching group.