O/T Needed To Crown Champion

Game five is virtually anyone’s game, especially the way the teams have matched up in all previous games.

Given the play of Coquitlam’s ace “tender” Christian Del Bianco who has a SV% of 0.885 and Orangeville’s Nolan Clayton SV % of 0.840 this game is too close to call, unless you’re a bookie in Vegas!

Each team has talent with several looking at advancing to the pro ranks of the game, while others are currently at the pro level of the game.

In conversation with each coach prior to the game, I was told that Orangeville relaxed focused on game film, while Coquitlam was told to “stay the line” and play the style that got them to this Championship.

If either team could focus on the “wow” factor, it would be the Adanac’s who clearly had the majority of the fan base pulling for them, but the shot tally showed otherwise.

Game four saw just over 800 on hand, but the crowd for game five easily doubled this reaching well into the four didgets category.

While both Calgary and Delta were eliminated, looking around you could see a number of Delta Islanders supporters on hand, some even wearing Islanders jerseys.

While the first was physical and shots favouring Orangeville by a margin of 22-8, the second was more of finesse, run-and-gun game by both teams, with Orangeville still out blasting Coquitlam by a 41-21 margin.

Hoggarth probably had the most impressive opportunity to give Orangeville the lead mid-way through the period only to have a tenacious back-check by the Adanac’s stop him 30 feet out.

Coquitlam’s Tyler Pace had a close in chance with less than five minutes remaining in the second, but was foiled by the strong defensive play of the Northmen.

After two it was anyone’s game and no one was leaving the building, especially the massive crowd of Adanacs supporters.

Entering the third the teams were tied, but it was the Adanac’s that scored first led by Captain Tyler Pace, at which some spectators might have thought it’s over and time to lift the trophy.

Never say never Orangeville added two with the first at 15:53 from Matt Vangalen tying the game at three only to be followed by a second at 12:36 from Hoggarth taking a 4-3 lead.

Pace got his second 28 seconds later tying the game at four, then the game began more like a chess match with the coaching staff watching each move, trying to counter the opponent’s move.

It wasn’t until 6:44 that Armstrong put the Adanac’s up 5-4 after sending a bullet past Orangeville net minder Nolan Clayton, which seemed to seal the deal – for the time being!

With Clayton on the bench and Orangeville pressing Vangalen got his second of the game at 1:33 tying the game sending it to O/T.

The first O/T would consist of a full 10 minute period and then followed by 20 minute periods with breaks between each period, if we went that far.

Caution was the name of the game as the “boy’s” entered the next chapter of their lacrosse career’s and it proved to be some finish.

Tight checking, fast play, exceptional goaltending many of which were extremely acrobatic in Del Bianco’s crease.

He made one that was simply a desperation move as he was turned himself around and threw himself at the ball and somehow to the shock of Orangeville made the save of the game.

It wasn’t until 6:28 of the O/T that Dereck Downs got what proved to be the game winner as he hammered one past Clayton giving the Adanacs the lead and the eventual 2016 Minto Cup Championship Trophy.

This was Junior “A” Lacrosse at its finest and many of these young men will go on to have an exceptional career at the pro level, some of which have currently signed with a NLL club.

The event was exceptionally run by the BCJALL and hosted (again) at the Langley Events Centre and thanks to Media Co-Coordinator Trevor McManus, who played host to Sportswave.

Final shots saw Orangeville control the shots in both the first and second (22, 19 respectively) outshooting Coquitlam through three periods by a 64-44 margin.

Full credit must be given to the officiating crew who were never a factor in any game and when required made the call.

All photo’s taken by Sportswave official photographer D. Laird Allan.