SIX NATIONS – Last Tuesday night, July 14th, the Six Nations Chiefs hosted the Brampton Excelsiors 13-11 at the ILA and recorded their 13th win against only two losses, good enough for first place in the OLA Sr. A Major Series.
The big showdown happened this Tuesday night July 21st, between the Chiefs and the second place Peterborough Lakers. Unfortunately, the results missed our Tuesday night deadline.
The Chiefs did not get a free ride this time against the Excelsiors whom Six Nations demolished 22-14 in their previous matchup July 9th.
Brampton is in a battle with Oakville for third place and better playoff positioning and offered a strong game against the double Mann Cup Champions.
Once again, Ryan Benesch, Jeff Shattler and Dhane Smith powered the Chiefs, who have been without scoring machine Cody Jamieson all season while recovered from a hamstring injury he sustain in the NLL Championship series as a member of the Rochester Knighthawks.
Benesch scored first 48 seconds into the game and Smith made it 2-0 seconds later at 1:08. Benesch scored again to put a three-goal cushion under the lead, but Brampton fought back to end the first period with the Chiefs leading 3-2.
Randy Staats took the momentum back in the second period, but only for a while as the Excelsiors pounded in the next two to even the score at 4-4.
Kasey Biernes began a five-goal run in which Benesch scored his third of the game, and Shattler added three second period goals to end the middle frame with the Chiefs in control with a 9-4 lead.
The Excelsiors would not go away and launched a comeback rally in the third after Shattler netted his fourth of the game early in the third. But the 7-4 Brampton third period was two goals shy of overtime and the Chiefs made it out of Brampton with the two points.
In total Shattler scored five and assisted on one, Benesch scored three and assisted on two as did Dhane Smith. Staats scored one and assisted on two.
Wednesday night, July 22nd, the Chiefs are on the road against the Brooklin Redmen. On Monday, July 27th the regular season in Oakville against the Rock.
