National gold for city trio
Team Ontario bantams win national girls box lacrosse championship; midgets win silver
Three Peterborough girls struck gold with Team Ontario’s bantam team at the national box lacrosse championships on Friday.
Grace Dunn’s goal into an emptynet with 13 seconds left clinched Ontario’s 5-3 win over British Columbia in the gold medal game in Halifax, N.S. Taya Keast scored Ontario’s third goal while shorthanded, her team leading eighth tally of the tournament, and Mackenzie Flannigan was solid on defence despite playing with a broken bone in her wrist. Taya’s father, long-time Century 21 Lakers coach Bobby Keast, was an assistant coach for Ontario who were 6-1 overall. They were 2-1 against B.C.
Dunn has good lacrosse bloodlines with older brothers Josh and Zach Currier both playing pro lacrosse and for the Lakers.
“It felt really good because my brothers have a lot of medals downstairs in the basement from Team Peterborough's (l-r) Taya Keast, McKenzie Flannigan, assistant coach Bobby Keast and Grace Dunn helped Team Ontario win the Canadian Bantam Girls Box Lacrosse Championship Friday in Halifax. Ontario,” Dunn said. “I thought it would be cool to add it to the collection.”
This was Taya Keast’s second straight gold medal. She is a year older than Dunn and Flannigan.
“It means a lot because we won gold last year in Calgary and we wanted to keep the streak going,” she said.
It also meant a lot to win it with her father on the bench. Last year was a spectator.
“He’s won championships on his own and I’ve won championships on my own and winning it together is even better,” Taya said.
It was a special moment for dad, too, who is Coach Keast before and during games and dad following games. He’s won numerous Mann Cup and Minto Cup titles.
“I’ve never won a national championship with my daughter, it’s quite amazing. A great feeling,” he said.
Flannigan is also adding to her family’s gold medal collection as older sister Maddy had won with Ontario before.
“It’s pretty special because I got to watch my older sister experience this before,” MacKenzie said. “To finally experience what she felt when she won it was pretty cool.”
Bobby Keast said all three girls acquitted themselves well.
“MacKenzie played outstanding defence. She actually broke her wrist and never missed a game. She broke it in the morning, had it casted and played the next game in the evening and actually got better,” Keast said.
“Grace had a ton of opportunities; the ball just didn’t drop in for her but by creating those opportunities teams had to key on her. Taya played a really complete game. She played strong defence and transitioned the ball very well and ended the tournament with eight goals. When it was crunch time all three of them were counted on.”
Five Peterborough girls earned silver medals with Ontario’s midget team who fell 8-1 to B.C. in the final on Friday. They included Maddy Flannigan, Erin Preston, who scored Ontario’s lone goal in the final, Victoria Clark, Chelsea Campbell and Racheal King. Ontario was 4-3 with all three losses to B.C. ENNISMORE -- It was a unique situation not many of the Ennismore James Gang had experienced and they were able to prevail. The James Gang and Brooklin Merchants resumed the third and deciding game of their OLA senior B quarter-final Friday night with 7:24 remaining in the third period and Ennismore ahead 8-6. The game, at the Robert E. Young Recreation Complex, was postponed from Tuesday night when officials called the contest due to wet floor conditions. The James Gang outscored Brooklin 2-1 to claim the game 10-7 and series 2-1. Courtland Black-Araujo scored from Josh Wasson-McQuigge to make it 9-6. Tyler O'Brien scored for Brooklin and Cody McMahon clinched it with an empty-net marker assisted by goalie Cole Murray and Ryan McCrory. “You have to play smart and not throw the ball away but you can't sit back and just play defence,” said James Gang assistant coach and GM John Martin. “Getting the first goal tonight was huge in a seven-minute game. Your better players have to be ready to go more often. You're not saving it for anything, there are only seven minutes to go.” Ennismore has no time to rest as they start their best-of-five semifinal against first-place Six Nations Rivermen at 7 p.m. Saturday in Caledonia. Game 2 is at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Peterborough Memorial Centre with the Ennismore rink unavailable. Game 3 is Friday night at the Gaylord Powless Arena in Six Nations. If necessary, Game 4 is back in Ennismore at 7 p.m. July 29 and Game 5 in Six Nations on July 30 at either 2 or 4 p.m., time still to be confirmed. A special baseball game will take place Saturday night at George (Red) Sullivan East City Bowl. The Peterborough Challenger Baseball senior division team, for players with special needs, takes on the Peterborough Baseball Association's Mosquito Tigers Selects in an exhibition game. The Tigers are looking to avenge their 17-16 loss last year to the Challenger crew in a game played at Turner Park. This year's event will have all the bells and whistles of an official baseball game including official player introductions, national anthem, official first pitch, game announcer, illuminated field and scoreboard. The action gets underway at 7 p.m. and spectators are welcome.