League MVP backstops Orangeville to Game 1 victory
Rylan Hartley stops 44 shots as Athletics lose for the first time in playoffs
There’s a reason Rylan Hartley was named the Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League’s most valuable player this season.
And the St. Catharines Jr. A Athletics found that out firsthand Sunday night at Jack Gatecliff Arena in Game 1 of their best-of-seven semifinal series against the Orangeville Northmen. Hartley made 44 stops, while team-leading scorer Kyle Waters had five goals and one assist as the Northmen handed the Athletics their first playoff loss of 2018.
“I told the boys it’s hopefully going to be a long series,” A’s head coach Steve Toll said after the 9-5 loss. “It’s only one game, just keep your heads up.
“We have a stick to our game plan. We wanted to shut down 23 (Waters) and he got five goals tonight.”
While Waters was scoring at one end of the floor, Hartley was denying the Athletics at the other. The 5-foot-9, 155-pound player is relatively small for a lacrosse goaltender, and plays a very athletic, almost hockey-like style.
“It’s funny you should say that,” Toll said. “A lot of my parents on my kid’s lacrosse team said they were watching last (Orangeville) series against Whitby and he reminded them of Grant Fuhr the way he flops around in there.
“He is like an old-school hockey goalie. He didn’t give us much, and we had some good chances on him.
“It doesn’t matter how he looks, he gets the job done.”
Nick Damude made 33 saves in goal for St. Catharines, who opened a 2-0 lead just 5:50 into the game before Waters reeled off a natural hat trick to give the Northmen the 3-2 lead less than four minutes later.
Orangeville would never trail past that point, leading 5-3 at the end of the first period and 7-5 heading into the third.
“Kamminga said it best: we’re not going to sweep our way to the Minto Cup,” said A’s interim captain Alec Tamas talking about fellow defender Mason Kamminga’s comments after the game.
“We definitely got away from
the game plan, defensively and offensively.
“Nicky (Damude) said after the game he wanted a couple (of goals) back, but he’s played so good for us all year.
“We have to play tighter in front of him, and for him. We have to have his back, and can’t leave him out to dry back there.”
Athletics leading scorer Alex Simmons, not surprisingly, drew most of the attention from the Orangeville defenders. Toll knows Simmons’ play away from the ball is key moving forward in the series.
“I told him he has to start working off-ball, not just on (with) ball,” Toll said. “That’s when you get slashed the most.
“The reason our guys are getting slashed is because they stand around off-ball. If you move around, they have to move around and they don’t have time to slash you.”
Game 2 goes Tuesday night in Orangeville, with Game 3 back at Jack Gatecliff Arena Wednesday. Game time is 8 p.m.
“It’s simple, we have to bring our intensity up a level,” Tamas said.
A’s Acorns: Jake McNabb and Liam Ham were not in the A’s lineup … Mario Caito was called up from the junior B St. Catharines Spartans … Athletics defender Kyler Kilgour left the game in the first period with an ankle injury and is listed as day to day … St. Catharines captain Latrell Harris, who competed for silver medallist Canada at the World Field Lacrosse Championships that wrapped up Saturday in Israel, arrived at the start of the second period and watched from the stands. Harris should be available for Game 2 Tuesday night in Orangeville … The Northmen feature eight players from Orangeville’s 2017 Founders Cup Ontario junior B championship team.