Athletics stop Arrows to pick up first win of the season
If the St. Catharines Athletics needed a boost of confidence early in the junior A lacrosse season, they got it — and then some — Monday afternoon on Six Nations.
The A’s downed the defending Minto Cup champion Six Nations Arrows 5-2 to improve to 1-1 on the season. It was head coach Steve Toll’s first official win in charge of the Athletics.
“Any time you go to Six Nations and pick up a win, it’s huge,” said a smiling Toll minutes after the game. “It’s probably the hardest place in junior A lacrosse to get a win.
“They (Arrows) were obviously missing some guys, but so were we.
I was proud of the boys, they worked hard for 60 minutes.”
Toll was right as the A’s were missing their three leading scorers from last season. Carter Zavitz and Alex Simmons were still away at school while Jeff Wittig continues to battle a hamstring injury.
Enter former Six Nation Arrow Jake McNabb, who came to the Athletics via a trade in 2017.
“I gave McNabb the old ‘They didn’t want you’ line before the game,” Toll explained with a laugh. “He kind of giggled about it, and went out there and had a great game.”
A great game might be an understatement.
McNabb, an Owen Sound native, notched the hat trick and
added an assist while Nick Damude turned aside 35 Arrows shots in goal for St. Catharines.
“Nick has been unbelievable,” Toll said.
“I heard he was good, I thought he was good, but he’s definitely the real deal.
“I’ve been more than impressed with him.”
Kealon Pilon and Kyler Kilgour both added a goal and two assists in the win as the Athletics host the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves in their home opener today. Game time at Jack Gateliff Arena is 7:30 p.m.
A’s Acorns: Toll continues to call up a number of junior B players, including defender and St. Catharines Spartan Trent Jackson, who will see more action with the Athletics after Monday’s win, according to the A’s head coach … Former Athletic Drayden Patey took the loss in goal for Six Nations ... It was the Arrows’ first game of the season … Both teams failed to connect on the power play.