SIX NATIONS – The Six Nations Chiefs took Game #1 by a narrow 9-8 win in their best-of-seven Major Series Lacrosse semi-finals against the first place finishers, the Brooklin Redmen.
Cody Jamieson and Colin Doyle were the one-two punch to open the series while Brandon Miller kept the door closed on the Redmen throughout the first period.
Shane Jackson made good on a Brooklin powerplay at 4:59 of the second period. But the Chiefs reeled off three more, two from Jamieson for an early game hat-trick, and one from Dan Coats. Mike Triolo scored Brooklin’s second goal at 12:27, which Kasey Beirnes answered at 16:53. Curtis Knight closed the second period for the Redmen to make it 6-3 in favour of the Chiefs with 20 minutes remaining in the game.
But the Redmen were not about to quit, and they came back with a strong third period effort. Jeff Shattler made it 7-3 at 5:17 but the Redmen laced together the next three from Steve Priolo, Kyle Aquin, and Shayne Jackson to draw within one of the Chiefs at 13:28.
Doyle turned the tide for Six Nations at 13:56 and Stephen Keogh added a short-hander at 14:54.
With 5 minutes left and three goals in the bag, the Chiefs seemed to relax a bit too early as the Redmen poured it on scoring at 15:38, by Aquin, and again at 18:53, with Gavin Prout’s goal to come within one of the leaders again. Miller and the Chiefs defense withstood the pressure for the last minute to preserve the win and take the momentum into Tuesday night’s Game #2.
Game #3 will be in Brooklin, Thursday night, Aug. 7th and Game #4 is back at the ILA Saturday, Aug 9th at 7 pm. Game #5 is in Brooklin Monday, Aug. 11th. Game #6 is next Tuesday at the ILA at 8 pm, with Game #7 if necessary, in Brooklin Aug. 14th.
In the other series, the Peterborough leads Kitchener/Waterloo one game to none after the Lakers defeated Kitchener, 14-4 in Game #1, last Sunday.
