St. Catharines unable to force seventh game
Junior A lacrosse’s winningest team during the regular season wasn’t able to duplicate that success in the playoffs.
After going 9-1 at home in league play, the St. Catharines Athletics went 2-3 at Jack Gatecliff Arena during the post-season. Those losses were all against the Burlington Chiefs, the team going on to play the Orangeville Northmen for the Ontario final and the right to represent the province in the Minto Cup.
The A’s had hoped to be that team, but their hopes for a seventh Canadian title and first since 2003 were dashed in a heartbreaking 8-5 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday night at the Jack.
Brayden Mayea, with two goals; Latrell Harris, Liam McDonald and Carter Zavitz scored for the No. 3 seed A’s who lost the best-of-seven semifinal to the second-seeded Chiefs four games to two.
“We went in against a very good club, with a very good goalie. They outplayed us,” head coach Steve Toll said. “They scored at the opportune time.”
The A’s were built to win this year and throughout the season Toll stressed the message that “little things always add up to big things.
“As good as we played all year, we made little mistakes during the season,” he said. “Certain matchups and this and that didn’t work out in our favour.
“We lose one game all year at home, and we lose three games in the playoffs.”
The A’s played Burlington in the semifinal without sniper Alex Simmons, who is recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered in the quarterfinal against the Six Nations Arrows.
“I’m not an excuse maker, but when you lose a player of Alex Simmons’ stature, it’s huge. He had 48 points in seven games,” Toll said. “I’m not an excuse guy, but losing Sidney Crosby would hurt the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“But it is what it is, and that’s what I tell the guys, ‘Sometimes you have to learn to lose before you can win.’ The big thing is you have to know how to win. You have to know when to clamp down and all that, and we just didn’t do it at the right time.”
Toll, who was serving the final game of a three-game suspension, said it was difficult watching 18 players 21 years old and younger crying after the seasonending loss. “It’s painful and obviously to lose 10 players (to graduation) is unbelievable. It hurts.”
The coach took solace in all of the players having the opportunity to enjoy “long and prosperous careers in the NLL in senior A.”
“It’s not over for them. They will still get to play the game they love,” Toll said. “Some people don’t get to play lacrosse any more, because something
happened to them. But they still get to play the game they love. So enjoy every minute of it.”
Goaltender Nick Damude, who is among the players ineligible to return for another season in the A’s organization, took his last game wearing a St. Catharines jersey especially hard.
He came out of the dressing room a half an hour after the game still wearing his equipment and spent several minutes sitting silently on the bench.
“I’m just trying to soak in my last few minutes at the Jack. I’m just trying to let it sink in that it’s finally over,” Damude said. “I’ve played with most of these guys my entire life. It’s surreal to think that it’s come to an end.”
What the 20-year-old Fonthill native will miss most are the friendships he forged over the years with the A’s.
“I’ve played with some of these guys since I was three and five. I’m sure I’m going to get to play with a lot of these guys in the pros,” said Damude, who is returning for a second season in the National Lacrosse League with the Rochester Knighthawks.
“There are lots of good guys on this team who will have long careers.”