Canadian Lacrosse Association – OTTAWA, ON (August 25, 2016) – The Orangeville Northmen and the Coquitlam Adanacs will battle for the title of Canada’s best Junior ‘A’ lacrosse team in the 2016 Minto Cup championship series, after the Northmen advanced thanks to a 12-7 semi-final win over the Calgary Mountaineers.

 

The loss ended a historical Minto Cup tournament for the Mountaineers, who put themselves in the record books by defeating team’s from both Ontario and British Columbia in the same event for the first time ever.

 

Their 13-5 win over the Delta Islanders in their tournament opener marked the first time an Alberta-based team beat a BC-based team since the Alberta Tomahawks defeated Burnaby Cablevision at the 1979 Minto Cup. They continued their incredible run by besting an Ontario-based team for the first time in Minto Cup history, a 5-3 win over the Northmen in yesterday’s round robin finale.

 

But it was not to be for the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) champions, as Orangeville got the best of them in their semi-final rematch.

 

The Northmen played a fast-paced game and scored in bunches, including four unanswered goals to end the first period with a 5-2 lead. The teams exchanged tallies early on in the second frame, but Orangeville once again pulled away thanks to 6-0 run which spanned the late second and early third periods. Calgary added a few goals in the final minutes of the game, but were unable to claw back.  

 

The tournament’s leading scorer Adam Charalambides (4 G, 3A) guided Orangeville’s offence with seven points, while Matt Gilray (1 G, 3 A) and Scott Del Zotto (2 G, 2A) contributed with four a piece. Sean Tyrell (1 G, 3 A) led the way for Calgary, while Lyndon Bunio added a hat-trick.

 

While they may not have advanced to the finals, the Mountaineers showed that Junior ‘A’ teams from the RMLL can compete on the national stage at the Minto Cup.

 

The Northmen’s finals opponent from Coquitlam earned a bye into the winner-take-all series by finishing in first place after the round robin. They managed an 8-7 win over Orangeville and a 10-3 win over Calgary, while falling 7-4 to their BC rivals from Delta, a game in which they rested many of their regulars.

 

The Adanacs, who went undefeated in the BCJALL regular season compiling a 21-0 record, will be led into the championship series by a balance scoring attack and great goaltending. Colin Munro (2 G, 7 A), John Hofseth (5 G, 4 A), Jean-Luc Chetner (3 G, 4 A) and Tyler Pace (3 G, 4 A) have all made contributions on the offensive side of the ball, while Christian Del Bianco will hold down the fort in goal, looking to add to an already impressive Junior ‘A’ resume. In three BCJALL seasons, Del Bianco has yet to lose a regular season game (34 wins, 0 losses).

 

The best-of-five championship series between Coquitlam and Orangeville kicks off on Thursday, August 25 at 8:00PM PST at the Langley Events Centre.

 

Schedule

• Thursday, August 25 at 8:00PM PST

• 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