Huge win for Lakers over Kodiaks on Sunday evening
McDonald notches first MSL goal
The Peterborough Century 21 Lakers began warming up for the playoffs on Sunday night with a big 16-7 win over the Cobourg Kodiaks at the Cobourg Community Centre. Sixteen goals and 67 shots made it their biggest offensive output of the season.
“Once playoffs roll around we want to be playing our best lacrosse,” said head coach Mike Hasen. “The power play was cooking tonight; the short man was really good. [Drew Hutchison] was good tonight, too. We’re getting there. We have a couple more games against Brooklin and then a series against Brooklin.”
The Lakers only need to win one of their last two games to secure second place in Major Series Lacrosse and home-floor advantage in the first round. Should Brooklin win both of those games, second place would come down to goal differential, which currently favours Peterborough +10.
“It’s going to get heated,” said Blake McDonald. “We had a good battle with them last year. The next two games will set the tone for the following four to seven games after that. It’ll be playoff lacrosse right away.”
McDonald scored his first MSL goal on Sunday night, finishing off a two-on-one with Colton Armstrong. At the time, it put the Lakers up 3-0 and was the first of three impactful transition goals scored by the team.
“I saw [Armstrong] flying down the floor; he made a good hustle play,” the second-year defender described. “He was stopped and the ball popped out right in front of me and there just happened to be an open net.”
Armstrong followed up McDonald’s goal 2:15 later, scooping up a rebound of his own and finishing with a dive across the crease, chasing Kodiaks’ starter Jackson Brown in favour of Laine Hruska. Armstrong added breakaway goals in the second and third periods for a hat trick.
“[Transition is] something that we’ve been trying to get going a little more, to be a little more cognizant about our back end pushing the pace a little bit,” Hasen said. “It was great to see those guys get rewarded, especially Blake getting his first with us.”
McDonald said his teammates were more excited than he was.
“I couldn’t help but laugh; it’s been awhile!” he said. “I’ll take it when I can get it.”
A goal in the third period was announced at the time as being scored by McDonald, but he quickly set the record straight with a chuckle: “That’s Holden [Cattoni]! He made a good shot. That’s not my game.”
Armstrong has only played a few games with McDonald but recognizes how valuable a defender he is becoming.
"He’s a big guy and he talks a lot on the floor so it’s nice to play with another guy like that," Armstrong said. "The whole defence plays and talks. Obviously we play on different teams in the NLL but it’s nice that we can all bring our different games together here."
Cattoni sniped a shot top corner to put the Lakers up 5-1. Eli McLaughlin scored a power play goal to close out the first period with the Lakers up 6-2.
Peterborough outscored Cobourg 6-3 in the second. Taite Cattoni went with a low inside shot before Eli McLaughlin dodged a defender to get inside. Turner Evans picked up a rebound and passed the ball through his legs to Thomas Hoggarth who spun around and scored with one hand. In addition to his goal, Hoggarth contributed seven assists.
Armstrong then kicked off a three-goal run with goals coming from Turner Evans and Taite Cattoni who each made vertical leaps to put the ball home.
Armstrong agreed that Sunday's game was the most fun he's had in a Lakers uniform so far. The fact that he picked up a hat trick against his old team wasn't lost on him.
"It was different coming back to the arena and being on the other side, but yeah it was pretty cool to get three goals," he said. "My family and my fiancée were here. Usually they sit on the Cobourg side so this time they sat behind the Lakers bench so it was nice to look up and see them all happy and proud of me."
The Lakers continued their domination in the third with four goals in a row. Holden Cattoni potted back-to-back power play goals. D.J. Clark scored his second of the game after Armstrong’s hat trick goal, fooling Hruska with a desperation shot with one second left on the shot clock.
NOTES: With the Brampton Excelsiors’ 15-9 loss to Brooklin on Sunday night, the Kodiaks have clinched fourth place and will face the Six Nations Chiefs in the first round. Chad Tutton missed Sunday’s game after his wife Christina gave birth to their first child, a daughter named McKenzie Mae, on Friday night.
