Minto Cup Media Day

Photo Credit Sportswave

Locally the 2024 Minto Cup Championship is underway and being played in Coquitlam at the  Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex that has four teams competing for the championship.

The Coquitlam Adanacs finished first overall in the BCJALL giving them the chance to host the event with Port Coquitlam Saints as BC’s second seed.

Opening night proved successful for both teams as the Saints pulled off a 12-7 win over the Orangeville Northmen in the opening game considering that the Northmen were one of the ones to watch.

One might say that the Northmen might have a bit of “jet lag” as they never really seemed to get rolling until the ten minute mark allowing the Saints to jump out to an early 2-0 lead.

The Northmen got their first goal from sniper Tre Deere which looked as tho they were settling in albeit slow. 

Deere finished the first with two goals while Joey Spallina, an American field lacrosse player who switched to Box Lacrosse finished the first period saw the Adanac’s with a 3-2 lead. 

Over the course of the season as the Saints’ played against the Delta Islanders we watched Saints “tender” Ashton Brown stop 16 of the 19 shots he faced. 

Brayden Laity led the Saints in the contest that at times was physical and aggressive by both teams.
One could assume that the coaching staff gave them a “what for” between periods as the second saw them come out with more of a jump.

Saints newcomer Silas Richmond with his first Minto Cup appearance managed to get his first goal of the tournament evening, the score at 3-3. 

He appeared to be what the Saints were looking for considering that he finished with four points which worked out for two goals and a pair of assists.

Finn Halladay of the Saints netted two of the three goals to make it 6-4 reclaiming the two-goal lead while Halladay finished with three goals while both Halladay and Joey Spallina both finished with three goals each.

Saints Brown stopped 43 of 50 total shots which included 12 of the Northmen’s 13 third-period shots on goal allowing him to finish as game MVP. 

Two late second-period goals pushed the game back to level, now at 6-6, but this was clearly any team’s ball game heading into the final frame.

The Northmen’s second game of the tournament would see them face the Raiders Lacrosse Club while the Saints face the Coquitlam Adanacs with a 7 pm face-off.

Game two saw the Adanacs square off against the Raiders onto their home floor playing in front of a full house in search of keeping the winning streak going. 

In fairness to the Raiders Lacrosse Club who are the rep from Alberta they are the youngest team at this year’s Minto Cup.

Watching them attack in the first period you would never know they are extremely young and will be a force to be reckoned with in a couple of years.

In a pre-event media event in conversation with the coach he mentioned that they came out on the bus with a stop in Sicamous overnight also mentioning they play disciplined which is instilled by the coaching staff.

Wyatt Viste potted their first goal of the tournament which seemed to push the score to 2-1 Adanacs but we all know the game they played.  

To no surprise Jack Kask played exceptional between the pipes in the first allowing one goal which was his normal game but the Raiders had few answers for Kask and his “D” in the second scoring three goals in the opening five minutes of the second period.

The floodgates opened for both teams offensively in the second frame.

Both the Raiders and the Adanacs scored five that saw steller goaltending at both ends matched them and scored five goals of their own.  

The Raiders found themselves trailing after both the first and second but kept it close through the first 40 minutes with a 9-7 score heading into period three with the third somewhat a lack-luster period with only two goals in the last 20. Both Ryan Colsey and Cody Malawsky of Ridge Meadows each netted a pair as well as three assists. 

In the end it was Raiders Wyatt Viste who scored a pair of goals in a contest that saw the Adanacs pull out a 10-8 win.