Canadian Lacrosse Association – OTTAWA, ON (September 8, 2016) – The host St. Albert Miners were crowned Canadian Senior ‘B’ national champions this past weekend, capturing their first ever President’s Cup with a 12-7 win over the Kahnawake Mohawks in Leduc, Alta. It was a fairytale ending to their season, which saw them follow a combined 20-0-1 regular and playoff record in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) with five straight tournament wins against the country’s best teams.

This year’s championship welcomed eight teams from across the country, including a historic appearance from the Saskatoon Brewers, who were the first Saskatchewan based team to participate in the event since 1981.

St. Albert was in tough during the gold medal game as they faced off against perennial President’s Cup participants the Kahnawake Mohawks, who were representing the Federation of Quebec Lacrosse. While the Mohawks had the experience, winning two silver medals and three bronze medals since 2000, the Miners had a hometown crowd of over 1,700 people cheering them on.

A potent offence propelled them to victory, led by six point performances by Keegan Ball, who led all tournament scorers with an incredible 36 points (12 G, 24 A) in five games, and Richard Lachlan. Goaltender David Marrese did his part, backstopping the winner’s with a tournament leading 4.80 GAA.

The home team broke out with eight straight goals to start the game, however Kahnawake was able to claw their way back with five unanswered of their own, cutting their opponent’s lead to 9-5 after the second period. Two quick goals from Lachlan, 24-seconds and 37-seconds into the third frame respectively, put the game out of reach.

Peter Jacobs and Patrick Saunders each scored three points for Kahnawake in the loss.

“For fans of Senior ‘B’ lacrosse, the tournament was a resounding success,” stated organizing committee chair Norm Shaw. “The atmosphere inside Sobey’s Arena was electric during the championship game. Fans were treated to a great, hard fought gold medal game, with the Miners ultimately prevailing and capping an undefeated season in style.”

In the battle for bronze, the Ontario Lacrosse Association’s Brooklyn Merchants defeated the Native Sons, who are based out of New York State and play in the Canadian-American Lacrosse League, in a closely contested 13-10 match.

For more information on the tournament, including box scores and post-game recaps, visit http://pointstreaksites.com/view/presidentscup/home.

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