Lakers Falter In Game 3

By Anna Taylor
Photo Credit: Anna Taylor

 

PETERBOROUGH, ON – The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers lacked a spark on Monday night, said team captain Robert Hope. The Lakers fell 7-4 to Brooklin Lacrosse Club in Game 3 of their best-of-seven MSL semifinal. Peterborough leads the series two games to one, with Game 4 on Wednesday in Whitby and Game 5 back in Peterborough this coming Thursday.

 

“We just weren’t sharp,” admitted head coach Mike Hasen. “Right from the get-go, we didn’t have the energy we had the last two games. We were a little bit planted, passes were off, we were dropping passes. It was just one of those nights where it was not good. Second period we had a lot of energy, but we just couldn’t find that consistency.”

 

Brooklin made a major change, starting backup goaltender Steve Orleman in place of Zach Higgins. Orleman played a solid game, making 48 saves on 52 shots. Meanwhile, as Hope noted, Brooklin’s offence scored five-on-five, in transition and on the power play.

 

“We were a little sluggish to get going,” he said. “They worked really hard as a team, their goaltender played well, they made some small adjustments. We had some lulls. The first period wasn’t great for us. We picked it up in the second, and the third you’re playing catch up against a good team, so we struggled there a bit.”

 

The Lakers trailed 2-0 after the first period on goals from Eddie Renaud and Ryan Barnable.

 

Sean Westley, who led Brooklin with a hat trick, put his team up 3-0 only 44 seconds into the second period. Peterborough responded with a four-goal run. Thomas Hoggarth kicked it off at 3:55 with a low crease dive, which was followed by a snipe from Holden Cattoni 27 seconds later. After a time, Braedon Saris capitalized on a power play opportunity, which Hoggarth followed 30 seconds later, fighting off two defenders as he darted to the net.

 

Westley tied it back 4-4 with a low shot from the right side with 2:21 left in the period. Brooklin captain Connor Kearnan parked himself by the side of the net to give BLC a 5-4 lead 30 seconds later.

 

Westley and Will MacLeod scored in the third period while Orleman shut the Lakers out.

 

“They were a lot faster coming out on the back end, pushing pace really well, and offensively I think they were a little more deliberate in their two-man game,” said Hasen. “It’s a series and we have to make a couple of adjustments going forward.”

 

Game 3 scratches included Broedie Birkhof, Jordan Stouros, Eric Shewell, Dustyn Birkhof and Taite Cattoni, the latter of whom served a one-game suspension stemming from a late-game incident on Saturday. Adam Thistlethwaite and Ben Trumble drew back into the lineup on defence. 

 

Nick Rose made 27 saves.

 

Game 4 will be streamed on YouTube. Watch the Lakers’ social media channel for the link. Tickets for Thursday’s Game 5 are now on sale at the box office.

 

 

Thomas Hoggarth (2-1)

Braedon Saris (1-1)

Holden Cattoni (1-1)

Joe Resetarits (0-2)

Justin Sykes (0-1)

Colton Armstrong (0-1)