PARIS, ON – Paris is becoming home for the Southwest Cyclops this year after they used the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Six Nations as a temporary home floor last season.
Saturday night, they defeated last year’s Creator’s Cup Champions 12-9 in Canadian professional lacrosse action. Their only loss came at the hands of the Ohsweken Demons in Six Nations last week, but it took everything Ohsweken could muster to overcome a deficit and win it against the much-improved Cyclops.
Saturday in Paris, the Monsters got out of the shoot early and took a 2-0 first quarter lead.
In the second quarter, after Kyle Childerhose and Ryan MacGregor put the game even at 2-2, Niagara strung together the next four goals to take a 6-2 lead. With 3:34 remaining in the half, Childerhose scored his second of the game to cut the Niagara lead to 6-3. Then, with 17 seconds remaining in the half, Monsters’ Cody Ward restored the four goal lead heading into the second half, with the Monsters leading 7-3.
Dylan Llord opened the third quarter for Niagara, and with the score 8-3, the Cyclops flexed their scoring muscle. Brady Heseltine scored two for Southwest a little over a minute apart, and Dan Keane kept the sting alive with the next two goals, scored within a minute of each other. Mike Burke notched another before the end of the third quarter to take the Cyclops into the last frame tied at 8-8.
Southwest kept the peddle to the metal and scored four more for a 12-8 lead, but with 11 seconds left, Niagara’s Scott Johnson scored the Monsters’ last goal.
The Demons got last week off, but return to action Friday, Feb. 6th when they host the Barrie Blizzard at the ILA for an 8 p.m. start. The Cyclops visit the Durham Turf Dogs for a Saturday night matchup.
