Orangeville Banner
Login | Register
Register User
Close

Northmen eliminate Brampton in six
Friday July 25 2008
By Mike Rawn, Staff Writer
 
The Orangeville Junior A Northmen played the role of road warrior perfectly, as they eliminated the Brampton Excelsiors from the playoffs Wednesday night.
The Rayburn Construction Northmen won 6-4 for their third straight victory at Memorial Arena in Brampton, capturing the Ontario Lacrosse Association quarterfinal series four games to two.
“It feels good,” Northmen captain Glen Bryan said. “We knew what we had to do [in game six] and we got it done. Who would have thought that we’d win all three [in Brampton] and lose two at home?
“Memorial [Arena] is one of the toughest barns in the league to win in. It’s so small; it doesn’t play to our run-and-gun game. We came down and battled all three times, and we got it done.”
The Northmen spotted Brampton a 2-0 lead, but the game was tied after 20 minutes following goals by Jeremy Noble and Stephen Keogh.
Noble’s second of the game gave Orangeville its first lead early in the second period. The teams exchanged goals the remainder of the period, with Mat MacLeod scoring for Orangeville.
In the final period the Northmen broke away, beginning with an Adam Jones breakaway goal. Jon Harnett scored to give Orangeville a 6-3 lead, a goal that Brampton answered just over a minute later. Brampton’s Tyler Collins hit the post with four and a half minutes left in the game, but that was as close as the Excelsiors would get. Orangeville goalie Nick Rose turned aside the remaining Brampton shots to secure the win.
“It was a one [seed] versus eight, and that’s just standings and statistics,” Northmen coach Matt Sawyer said. “We didn’t approach it that way. They weren’t a true eight seed. Give them all kinds of credit; give [Brampton coach] Brian Beisel all kinds of credit for getting that team to play. They gave us all we could certainly handle.”
“The difference was just a couple of bounces,” Beisel said. “Both teams worked hard, both teams played hurt. I don’t think anybody wanted it more than anyone else. It didn’t fall our way.”
Brampton prolonged the series with a 9-7 win in Orangeville on Monday. After losing only once in 11 home games in the regular season, the Northmen lost two of three to Brampton at the Tony Rose Memorial Sports Centre in the playoffs.
“Everyone forgets that we’re a young, young team,” Sawyer said. “Maybe our regular season record clouded that a little bit. But it’s one thing to win in the regular season, and another thing to win in the playoffs. These kids had to learn how to do it, and they did against [Brampton].”
The top seeded Northmen face the winner of the Burlington/Akwesasne series in the OLA semifinals. Game seven of that series will be played tonight (Friday). The other semifinal pits defending Minto Cup champion and second seed Six Nations against third seed St. Catharines. 
Comments & Ratings
 
Be the first to
comment