MILLIGAN LEADS WAY WITH EIGHT POINTS AS HARD WORK PROPELS COBOURG TO 13-12 WIN OVER OAKVILLE


Week 2 - Game #8 of the 2021 Major Series Lacrosse Classic had the Oakville Rock hosting the Cobourg Kodiaks.  Both teams and the referees were wearing new uniforms provided by sponsor Uncommon Fit through the courtesy of Jamie Plunkett.  Both teams looked sharp as the Rock wore red and the Kodiaks burgundy.

Oakville entered the game with a 2-0 record, whereas the Kodiaks were winless at 0-2.

The game had plenty of action with the teams trading scoring chances in the end-to-end play.  At times it was quite physical particularly on face-offs.  There were some nasty slashes dished out.  As usual with the skilled athleticism of MSL players, goals resulted from slick playmaking, dynamite shooting and superlative individual efforts and team play.

1st Quarter

The Rock scored first at the 1:07 mark as Ryan Lanchbury smoked a shot glove side low by Cobourg goalie Kevin Orleman.  The Kodiaks tied the game with a slick powerplay effort as Brandon Robinson beat Rock goaltender Nick Rose on the crease after a nifty pass from Cam Milligan at 7:42.  Just over a minute later, Cobourg scored a second power play goal at the 6:48 mark as Brandon Robinson showed great patience before blasting a shot Nick Rose appeared to be screened on.  Ryan Lanchbury tied the game with his second goal with a bullet side arm shot on an Oakville power play. Dan Litner put the Rock ahead as he drove his way to the net before tucking the ball in the net at the 10:13 mark.  The Kodiaks tied the game when Cam Milligan scored with 20 seconds left in the first quarter.

2nd Quarter

Cobourg scored two quick goals to begin the second quarter.  Jackson Nishamura beat Rose in the five-hole on a breakaway at 1:50. This was followed up quickly when Travis Longboat beat Rose giving Cobourg a 5-3 lead. Oakville tied the game with consecutive goals off of the sticks of Zack Manns on an outside shot and Billy Hostrawser who corralled a loose ball after Kodiak goalie Orleman had made a huge save.  Once again, Cobourg took the lead when Cam Milligan sniped a ball by Rose. Cobourg added to their lead when Curtis Romanchych placed a driving down shot into the net at 10:18.  Brandon Robinson put the Kodiaks up by three as he fired an underhand shot from outside the dotted line beating Rose cleanly off of his left hip.  Dan Litner with his second of the game notched a beauty as he flew through the air on the tip of the crease directing the ball past Orleman at the 12:38 mark of the quarter.  With the Kodiaks outscoring Oakville 5-3 in the second session, the score was 8-6 at halftime.

3rd Quarter

The scoring in third quarter began at 1:28 with a Ryan Smith placing a laser shot glove side on Orleman to close the gap to one. Cobourg retook the two-goal lead when Scott Dominey displayed tremendous athleticism after picking up a loose ball that had rocketed off the boards after a missed shot at the net quickly dumping the ball in the net at 2:14.

By this point in the game, the battles for possession on face-offs was becoming fierce.  Less than five minutes into the quarter, Ryan Smith scored a power play goal on a beauty of a precision pass from Brandon Slade, once again closing Cobourg’s lead to a single goal.

Cam Milligan restored the Kodiaks two goal lead when he took a lights out shot on a delayed penalty call at 7:38. Again, Oakville responded as rookie Dylan Watson scored his first ever MSL goal on an absolutely picture-perfect pass from Ryan Lanchbury with just ten seconds left in the quarter.  It was truly a pass that had to be seen to be appreciated.  The third quarter ended with a 10-9 Cobourg lead.

4th Quarter

The fourth quarter opened with Ryan Smith notching his third goal on an outside shot that eluded Orleman at the 3:14 mark tying the contest at 10-10. With just under ten minutes left to play, once again, Cobourg responded to take the lead as Colton Armstrong beat Nick Rose with a well-placed shot low to the glove side.

Oakville tied the score at the 8:00 minute mark when Zack Mann unleashed a super underhand shot just after he had circled from behind the net.  Just 26 seconds later, Curtis Romanchych put Cobourg ahead when he fired a blast waist high stick side that blew by Nick Rose.

Not giving up, the Rock tied the game five minutes later at 13:22, as Ryan Lanchbury faked a pass, drove to the net and placed the ball behind Kevin Orleman.  Game tied 12-12.

With thoughts of overtime looming, unexpectedly - Cobourg went ahead when after battling numerous checks, Cam Milligan deftly bounced a shot that Rose simply did not stop. It was Milligan’s fourth goal of the game. Some observers questioned whether Milligan was in the crease, but there was no official protest from Oakville.

In a thoroughly entertaining fast action, hard checking, incredible passing and shooting and at times superlative goaltending, the final score 13-12 for Cobourg.

Special Teams

Both teams scored two power play goals.  There were no short-handed goals.  Of note however, Oakville drew 9 minor penalties compared to Cobourg’s 4.

 Goaltending

Although not vintage Nick Rose, the veteran Oakville goaltender was solid in the pipes, particularly in the 4th Quarter. Cobourg ball stopper, Kevin Orleman was superb in picking up the win.

Top Scorers

Leading the scoring parade for the Cobourg were Cam Milligan with 4 goals and 4 assists; Brandon Robinson with 3 goals and 3 assists and Dylan Hutchison with 5 assists.  For Oakville, Ryan Lanchbury had 3 goals and 4 assists; Ryan Smith collected a hat trick and added 2 assists; Zach Manns scored twice along with 3 assists and Dan Lintner scored twice with one helper.

Next Action

With the loss, the Oakville falls to 2-1in the 2021 Major Series Classic. Cobourg picked up their first win and have a record of 1-2.

Week 3 games in the 2021 Major Series Classic beginning next week include:

Tuesday, August 10 – Brooklin vs. Cobourg – 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 11 – Brooklin vs. Oakville – 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, August 11- Owen Sound vs. Cobourg – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, August 12 – Six Nations vs. Oakville – 8:00 p.m.

Reserve your tickets by CLICKING HERE. You can also watch all games online at JVI Video CHANNEL 1 and CHANNEL 2.