SIX NATIONS – The double Minto Cup Champion Six Nations Arrows take another step towards a three-peat as National Jr. A lacrosse champions by eliminating the St. Catharines A’s in the quarter-final round last week.
Monday night, at the ILA, they opened the divisional semi-final against the Mimico Mountaineers.
Mimico finished fourth in the regular season, but carry a decent amount of fire-power into the series. Tanner Thompson, #17, leads the Mountaineers in scoring accumulating nine goals and eight assists in the three games against Burlington in the first round.
Another hot stick the Arrows will have to contain is #22, Matthew Lee who is bringing eight goals and eight assists into the series. Derek Downs #77 and Jonathan Donville will also have to be closely watched.
But the Mountaineers will have their own hands full trying to contain the likes of Austin Staats, Chris Cloutier, Tahoka Nanticoke, Brendan Bomberry and more.
That is something Mimico was unable to do in Game 1 of the best-of-seven, Monday night as the Arrows won 8-5.
Staats scored the only two goals of the first period to put the pressure on the Mountaineers to catch up.
Mimico had a much better second period outscoring the Arrows 5-2 to even the game at 5-5 after 40 minutes.
Nanticoke, Staats and Owen MacDonald kept Mimico from blowing the doors off the Arrows in the second.
Steady, methodic pressure paid off for the Arrows in the third as Nanticoke, Zach Miller and Nolan Apers slowly pulled ahead while Goaltender of the year, Doug Jamieson closed the door on Mimico shooters.
The series continues Tuesday night in Game 2, which will miss our deadline.
Game 3 is set for 8 p.m., Thursday, July 28th back at the ILA before returning to Mimico for Game 4 of the best-of-seven series. If necessary, Game 5 will be a 7 p.m. start at the ILA, Game 6 in Mimico Aug. 2nd, and Game 7 at the ILA Wednesday, August 3rd at 8 p.m.
The Jr. A Arrows were no match against the St. Catharines Athletics in the Quarterfinal round of the OLA Jr. A post season, falling to the Chiefs 14-6 in Game 1, 8-6 in the second and finishing them off July 21st, 7-5 at the ILA.
Meanwhile the Orangeville Northmen were eliminating the Kitchener/Waterloo Braves in three straight. Mimico eliminated the Burlington Chiefs in three games as well. It was a little closer matchup in the Brampton/Whitby series as that series went four games with Brampton coming out on top to move on into the semi-finals.
Austin Staats led the Arrows offence in the first round with six goals and 10 assists in three games.
Meanwhile, the Orangeville and Brampton duke it out in series B with the winners of each moving into the league championship finals.
