The Minto Cup is going back to Whitby for the first time since 1997.
The Whitby Warriors defeated the defending champion Coquitlam Adanacs 12-7 in the third and deciding game of the best-out-of-three finals to win the Junior A Lacrosse championship, Aug. 28 at Centennial Arena. Coquitlam took the series opener 12-9 on Friday, but Whitby won a nail-biter 5-4 in Game 2 and took the series clincher on Sunday.
“ We battled through a lot,” Whitby coach Derek Keenan said. “ We didn't play particularly well until the last two nights and finally the guys stepped up in the right moment against a very awesome team. We beat some good teams to get here but they're the defending champs and I just feel fortunate to have the opportunity to win and to actually do it is unbelievable for the kids.”
Coquitlam scored 23 seconds into the game through Matthew Dinsdale with Whitby replying minutes later when Kyle Lindsay notched his first goal of the tournament.
The Warriors kept up the pressure and held a 4-1 lead midway through the first period, prompting Adanacs coach Curt Malawsky to temporarily pull starting goalie Steve Fryer.
Coquitlam fought off a 5-2 deficit in the second period to tie the game at 6-6, before Ryan Serville and Mark Cockerton restored the Warriors' lead at 8-6. Coquitlam's Ben McIntosh scored with 13 seconds left in the second period, but it would be the last time the Adanacs beat Warriors goalie Zack Higgins.
The game hung in the balance until the last 10 minutes of the final frame, when the Warriors scored four unanswered goals to put the game out of reach.
“ We have a lot of character on this team,” Malawsky said. “ We never gave up. We saw it right to the very end. Even (Saturday) it comes down to one or two shots at the end of the game and it could go either way.
“ We could have went away early in the game when we were down 4-1. We could have went away when we were down in the second but we battled right to the end and these kids have a lot to be proud of and I'm very proud of them.”
Higgins, who stopped 42 of the 49 shots he faced, stymied the Adanacs in the third period with a sublime performance in net.
“ I thought (Higgins) was unbelievable,” Keenan said. “ I thought he made spectacular saves at key times in the third. He made unbelievable saves that were game savers, you know if one of those go in, I think it's a different game.”
The Warriors were battle-tested coming into the Minto Cup as they beat the Orangeville Northmen in seven games in the Ontario championships to advance to the Minto Cup.
“ We just tried to build off what we did (Saturday) and try to keep calm under the pressure,” Higgins said. “ We've been doing it all year in tight situations and we've battled back so we knew we could do it.
“ It feels unreal. It's been five years and we finally got it done.”
Cockerton had four goals and Dan Lintner added a goal and three helpers for the Warriors, while Travis Cornwall led the Adanacs with five assists.
In Game 2, a terrific contest, the lowest scoring and most evenly matched game of the tournament, the goalies stole the show. Higgins saved 33 of 37 shots while his Adanac counterpart Steve Fryer stopped 36 of the 41 shots he faced. Both goalies were deservedly named players of the game.
Coquitlam opened the scoring in the first period with a goal by Casey Jackson, but Whitby's Lintner responded with two quick goals of his own. The Adanacs replied shortly after when McIntosh notched a power-play goal. Fryer absolutely robbed Whitby's Mike Lum-Walker on a clear breakaway, but couldn't stop Emerson Clark who scored just seconds later. The Warriors held a 3-2 lead after one period.
The Adanacs carried the play to start the second period but were stymied by two acrobatic saves from Higgins. Coquitlam's persistence paid off as they tied the game with a shot from distance by Jackson Decker at the 6:31 mark. The Warriors called a timeout late in the second period and Whitby's Curtis Knight managed to sneak a vital goal by Fryer with just four seconds left in the frame to give the Warriors a 4-3 lead.
The Adanacs struggled through the tight checking of the Warriors in the third period. With less than five minutes to go, Jackson tied the game 4-4 with a wicked shot from the left point on the power play. But Whitby would not be denied the victory.
Mark Matthews answered right back for the Warriors, scoring the game winner just 1:14 later.
Cockerton and Jackson finished as the championship's top-scorers with 13 goals. Jackson and Matthews both tallied 30 points to lead the tournament.
Matthews, who won the Minto Cup as an Adanac last season, said the 2011 championship was especially meaningful because of his long-standing ties to his Whitby teammates.
“ This year was so special, these are guys I grew up with, lived with and played with my whole life.”
Though Matthews said it was bittersweet to win the championship at the expense of his former mates from Coquitlam.
“ There's a soft spot for them obviously in my heart, but it had to be done. Someone had to win,” he said.
Cornwall won the Jim Bishop Award as the individual who most displays the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and outstanding play.
Whitby's Knight, who finished the championship with 10 goals and 14 helpers, was honoured with the Jim McConaghy Memorial Award given to the outstanding player during the Minto Cup.
“ It was a big surprise,” Knight said of being named the outstanding player. “ We have a lot of good players and anybody could have deserved it, but it was a big honour.”
