CUFLA FINAL: LaCava scores 4 but Guelph wins war
Field Lacrosse Association championships Ron Joyce Stadium in
Hamilton, Sunday.
Led by attacker Braden Gallant’s three goals and three assists,
Guelph rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to capture the Baggataway
Cup as national champs.
The Redmen led 4-2 after the opening quarter but were no match for
Guelph’s high powered offence which featured a number of pro
players and exploded for six unanswered goals in the second quarter
to take an insurmountable 8-4 lead at halftime and an 11-7
stranglehold going in to the final stanza.
Attackman Jason Mainer, who scored four times and had one assist,
was awarded the UnderArmor player-of-the-game award for the
Gryphons, while LaCava earned similar honours for ۲ݮƵ.
“Saturday’s win (over top-seeded Brock) was such a big victory for
our program, that it was tough for us to produce back-to-back great
performances,” said ۲ݮƵ head coach Tim Murdoch. “It was a little
bit like having a hangover out there today and we were outplayed by
a better team.”
“We weren’t as disciplined, took a few penalties and it hurt us,”
he added. “We let the game get away from us in the second quarter.
Most of their scoring came on transition plays and EMOs (extra-man
offence, the equivalent of a power play in hockey).
Junior Nick Moreau of Trumball, Conn., and sophomore Mike Ting of
Sudbury, Mass., scored two goals apiece for the Redmen, with a
single marker going to Scott Bailey, a third-year midfielder from
Calgary.
Rounding out the scoring for Guelph was Justin Kirby-Wilson and Jay
Thorimbert with two apiece, plus Scott Fitchett, Mike Gillan and
Paul Ryan.
۲ݮƵ finished at 11-5 overall, including a 7-3 second-place
standing in the CUFLA Eastern Conference.
“We had a great season and the (Baggataway) Cup was only a few feet
away from us,” said Murdoch. “We were third last year and second
this year. You can do the math. Once I get over this loss, I will
reflect back and no doubt be happy with the way the season went. We
swept all three games from Bishop’s, then beat Brock, two teams
that have been traditional powerhouses in the league. We only have
three graduating seniors and expect to have 32 returning players,
so the future is bright.”
The only expected losses are midfielders Arthur Phillips of
Portland, Me., Ben McBeth of Keene, N.H., and team captain Dave
Pinckney of Williston, Vt.
SCORING SUMMARY
(NOTE: all times count down from 20:00)
۲ݮƵ 9 @ Guelph 14
(@ Ron Joyce Stadium, McMaster University)
FIRST QUARTER:
Scoring:
1. ۲ݮƵ: Luke LaCava (Pinckney), 18:18
2. ۲ݮƵ: Nick Moreau (unassisted), 14:55
3. ۲ݮƵ: Nick Moreau (unassisted), 12:39
4. Guelph: Justin Wilson-Kirby (Johnston), 5:30
5. Guelph: Paul Ryan (unassisted), 5:05
6. ۲ݮƵ: Scott Bailey (Moreau), 3:06
Penalties:
9:00 ۲ݮƵ: Safarik (Technical 0.5 minutes)
7:23 ۲ݮƵ: Farrer (Personal 1 minute)
20:00 Guelph: Gillan (Technical 0.5 minutes)
SECOND QUARTER:
Scoring:
7. Guelph: Braden Gallant (unassisted), 18:32
8. Guelph: Braden Gallant (unassisted), 11:42
9. Guelph: Jay Thorimbert (unassisted), 10:01
10. Guelph: Scott Fitchett (Wilson-Kirby), 7:01
11. Guelph 25 Jason Mainer (Thorimbert), 6:27
12. Guelph 25 Jason Mainer (Gallant), 0:20
Penalties:
(none)
THIRD QUARTER:
Scoring:
13. ۲ݮƵ: Luke LaCava (unassisted), 17:06
14. ۲ݮƵ: Mike Ting (Edwards), 15:00
15. Guelph: Jason Mainer (Gallant), 12:03
16. Guelph 21 Justin Wilson-Kirby (unassisted), 2:30
17. ۲ݮƵ: Luke LaCava (unassisted), 1:41
18. Guelph: Braden Gallant (Wilson-Kirby), 0:03
Penalties:
(none)
FOURTH QUARTER:
Scoring:
19. ۲ݮƵ: Mike Ting (Edwards), 18:08
20. Guelph 25 Jason Mainer (Gallant), 14:30
21. Guelph 7 Mike Gillan (unassisted), 10:26
22. Guelph 75 Jay Thorimbert (Mainer), 8:15
23. ۲ݮƵ 22 Luke LaCava (unassisted), 6:12
Penalties:
11:00 Guelph: Wilson-Kirby (Personal 1 minute)
SCORING BY QUARTER :
۲ݮƵ : 4-0-3-2 -- 9
Guelph : 2-6-3-3 -- 14