Lakers remain confident
Peterborough can advance to Mann Cup series with a win tonight
Even in a loss the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers were able to take some confidence away from Game 4 of the MSL final.
Trailing 10-5 entering the third period the Lakers outscored the Six Nations Chiefs 5-1 in the third period falling just short of a full comeback. They lead the best-ofseven series 3-1 and will look to clinch the league title on home floor at 8 p.m. Thursday at the Memorial Centre.
No one for gets the Lake rs blew a 3-0 series lead to Six Nations last year and had Six Nations closed out Game 4 in convincing fashion, maybe, it could have planted a seed of doubt in the Lakers minds. By nearly pulling out the game, one the Lake rs probably didn’ t deserve, the confidence remained high.
“We’re a confident group,” said Lakers captain Robert Hope.
“At the start we didn’t play our game. I feel as a group when we play our game defensively and play our system and offensively we move the ball and do what the coaches are asking of us then the outcome is what happened in the third period. It was something to reassure us we have to stick to our process.
“We know it’s only going to get tougher and tougher and tougher.”
Lakers defender Eric Shewell said the Chiefs were desperate on Tuesday.
“If we match that desperation and decide we want to earn it, then I think we’re in good shape,” Shewell said. “We’re trying not to focus on what happened last year and, hopefully, we’ ve learned from it. The third period was something to build on, for sure, and carry into Thursday. We just have to come out and have a better effort.”
Shewell has earned a full-time role with the Lake rs this year after a couple of seasons of being in and out of the lineup.
“I decided this year to come in with a bit of a different mindset and try to prove that I can be a regular in the lineup. They’ve shown a lot of faith in me and I can’t ask for much more,” he said.
Chiefs coach Rich Kilgour said the final score was what mattered the most on Tuesday, not how the Lakers finished.
“Sure, I always want to win 10-0,” Kilgour said. “They dominated us again in the third and we have to fix that and thank God we had a big enough cushion that their comeback didn’t get all the way there. You always want to finish better and there is always something you can do better but this is playoff lacrosse and I’ ll take the win any way we can get it.
“I don’t care if it’s 10-0 or 11-10 or 19-18, as long as I walk off that floor with the game ball I’m a happy guy.”
The Chiefs inserted junior star Austin Staats into Game 4 and Kilgour hopes to have him for the rest of the series. Staats is travelling back and forth from classes at Onondaga College in Syracuse. He had one assist in Game 4.
The Chiefs had hoped to get Cody Jamie son back as well another key contributor, like Staats, in last year’s comeback. Jamieson had knee surgery in February and visited his surgeon on Monday hoping for clearance to return to action.
“He got into see his doctor early and he said ‘You probably could, but shouldn’ t especially after tearing it twice in a year .’ It old him I’ m not even thinking about it because there is no way I’m putting him at that risk. I told him don’t feel you have to play because we got enough talent here, knock on wood, to get, hopefully, another couple of wins.
“I just want the kid healed up and coming back at 100 per cent.”
The series winner will travel to B.C. to face the New Westminster Salmonbellies for the Mann Cup.