A’s sweep away Six Nations in thriller at The Jack
Ten years in the making.
The year 2018 is quickly becoming one to remember for the St. Catharines Jr. A Athletics.
The A’s have now picked up their first playoff win since 2010, first road post-season victory since 2009 and Sunday night, inside a hot and steamy historic Jack Gatecliff Arena, picked up their first playoff series win since 2008 sweeping away the Six Nations Arrows in three straight games with a 6-5 victory.
The Athletics will now advance to the second round of the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League playoffs against a yet to be determined opponent.
Two players who have seen it all for the A’s are fifth-year defender and interim captain Alec Tamas and fifth-year forward
Jeff Wittig.
Wittig’s goal 13:15 into the third period tied the game at five and set up Alex Simmons game-winner 42 seconds later.
“It’s massive, I can’t really put into words right now,” said Wittig, who scored two goals on the night. “We battled three hard games with these guys (Six Nations) and to come out on top, I couldn’t be happier.
“That was brotherhood coming together at the end of the game like that. It was a lot of relief for a lot people in this building tonight.”
St. Catharines head coach Steve Toll continues to heap a lot of praise on his two, local, fifthyear players.
“They’re both leading by example right now,” Toll said. “Tamas has been huge all season long, and Wittig was huge tonight. That goal to tie it was unbelievable.
“He could have a long NLL (National Lacrosse League) career if he continues to play like this.”
Wittig’s goal broke a 31-min-
ute, 40-second scoreless drought for the Athletics, who took a 4-1 lead 1:35 into the second period only to see Six Nations storm back and send the game into the third tied 4-4.
The Arrows would take a 5-4 lead on the power play midway through the final frame setting up the Athletics’ comeback win.
The soft-spoken Tamas perhaps summed things up best when reminiscing over the lows he’s experienced, and the high he felt as the final buzzer sounded Sunday night.
“It’s an honour,” explained Tamas. “We (Athletics) have such a long history, and such a proud history, and for this organization it means so much.
“I know we had a lot of alumni here to support us. It’s just big for the city and the organization.”
As for Toll, the first-year head coach of the A’s: “We’re starting new memories right now,” the franchise’s all-time leading scorer said with a smile.
A’s Acorns: Jake McNabb, Tanner Vail and Liam Ham were the regulars out of the Athletics lineup as Mario Caito got the call up from the St. Catharines Jr. B Spartans, and scored the A’s fourth goal of the game ... The Arrows outshot St. Catharines 43-36.