Whiteford's hat trick seals overtime victory for Excelsiors

James Whiteford scored his third goal of the game in overtime to lift the Brampton Excelsiors to a 10-9 win over the Owen Sound North Stars in Major Series Lacrosse action Saturday night.

The game began with the North Stars dominating the first period. Tyler Brown opened the scoring just a minute into the game, before Will Cecile followed up with another goal at 14:54. Jackson Reid then scored twice, first at 8:17 and then again at 7:50. The Excelsiors managed to get on the board at 1:55 with a goal from Jeremy Searle, ending the period at 4-1 in favor of Owen Sound.

In the second period, Brampton began their comeback. Jordan Medeiros scored at 12:48. Owen Sound responded with a goal from Steven Portelli at 4:44. Brampton struck back quickly with an unassisted goal from Adam Wiedemann at 4:36 and another unassisted goal from Pent Eistrat at 3:38. Whiteford added another goal at 2:57. Wiedemann scored a power-play goal at 1:35, narrowing the gap to 6-5.

The third period saw intense back-and-forth action. Whiteford completed his hat trick at 17:52, tying the game. Tyler Brown of the North Stars scored at 13:43, regaining the lead for Owen Sound. Eistrat equalized for Brampton at 11:27. Johnathan Peshko’s power-play goal at 8:14 put Owen Sound back ahead. However, Brampton responded with a goal from Josh Medeiros at 0:52, sending the game into overtime at 9-9.

In the overtime period, the Excelsiors and North Stars both had several chances to score. But Whiteford clinched the victory for Brampton with his game-winning goal at 6:08. This goal not only marked Whiteford’s third of the night but also sealed a remarkable comeback win for the Excelsiors.