Canadian Lacrosse Association – Coquitlam Win Defensive Battle, Take Minto Cup Opener 3-2 Over Orangeville

 

OTTAWA, ON (August 26, 2016) – The Coquitlam Adanacs won the opening game of the 2016 Minto Cup, a low scoring defensive battle, by a score of 3-2 over the Orangeville Northmen. They now lead the best-of-five series 1-0.

 

While they may not have lit up the scoreboard, these closely matched teams still managed to treat fans at the Langley Events Centre to a highly entertaining game of lacrosse, with back-and-forth action throughout.

 

Both squads did a tremendous job shutting down their opponents potent offenses, swarming playmakers with double teams and eliminating second chance opportunities by fighting hard for each and every loose ball.

 

Coquitlam’s Christian Del Bianco and Orangeville’s Nolan Clayton were both outstanding in goal, turning away 44 and 38 shots respectively, and earning Player of the Game honours for their efforts. It was a shame that one of them had to come out on the losing end after such a performance.

 

“To win 3-2 as an offensive coach is obviously not a perfect game, but we dug deep and our defense played well enough to hold them to two goals,” said Adanacs assistant coach Kyle Sorensen. “It was a weird game.”

 

Things got off to a very slow start, as the teams used their first few possessions of the game to feel each other out, settling for safe passes and shots from the outside. The only goal in the period came off the stick of Coquitlam’s Dereck Downs at the 9:10 mark.

 

Orangeville tied things up early in the second period when Jeffrey Henrick, a member of the Canadian field lacrosse team that won silver at the 2016 U19 Men’s World Championship, scored on a bullet shot that seemed to catch goaltender Del Bianco by surprise.

 

Jean-Luc Chetner put the Adanacs back in the lead at the 8:28 mark, however it was short lived as Matt Gilray replied with an unassisted goal in the dying seconds of the frame to tie things back up, this time at 2-2.

 

The Northmen were able to string together some sustained offensive pressure early in the third period, collecting rebounds after rebound and quickly transitioning back into their offense sets after any Adanacs possession. While they outshot their opponents and had some quality scoring chances, they failed to convert.

 

Coquitlam’s Dennon Armstrong went on to break the tie at 8:47 of the final period, a goal that would turn out to be the eventual game winner.

 

Orangeville was unable to take advantage of a late power play, as Coquitlam cycled the ball around and kept it out of their reach long enough to kill the clock and end the game.

 

Northmen head coach DJ Clevely was confident that his team would bounce back tomorrow, saying “We’ve got to forget about tonight and go out and play. They’re are home and we’re on the road so it’s obviously and advantage for them, but you have to win three times. The longer this thing goes, the better we get.”

 

The best-of-five championship series continues on Friday, August 26 at 8:00PM PST at the Langley Events Centre.

 

 

Schedule

• Thursday, August 25 at 8:00PM PST (Coquitlam 3, Orangeville 2)
• Friday, August 26 at 8:00PM PST
• Saturday, August 27 at 8:00PM PST
• Sunday, August 28 at 8:00PM PST (if necessary)
• Monday, August 29 at 8:00PM PST (if necessary)

 

Tickets

• Both single game tickets and event passes can be purchased in advance via Ticket Rocket or at the door.

 

Webcast

• All games will be available to watch via live pay-per-view webcast thanks to TFSE TV.

 

Social Media

• Follow @LacrosseCanada and @BCJALL the on Twitter for updates and visit the Canadian Lacrosse Association on Facebook for photos and post-game news stories. You can also join the conversation by using #MintoCup.

 

 

About the Canadian Lacrosse Association           

Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 80,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA’s mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. We strive to accomplish this while adhering to our core values of health, excellence, accountability, respect and teamwork. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners – New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, Westjet, and Baron Rings – as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

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For more information, please contact:
 

Alain Brouillette

Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 302
Email: alain@lacrosse.ca