(Photos Courtesy of World Lacrosse)
By: Matt Kinnear
The United States proved they belong. The Canadians proved they still rule the box.
A rematch could prove explosive.
Canada beat USA, 14-10, to earn the top overall seed and close out pool play at the World Lacrosse Box Championships. The game was held on the Oneida Nation at the Mary C. Winder Community Center.
Jeff Teat had four goals and three assists, Dhane Smith had five points (4G, 1A) and Josh Byrne threw five assists.
“It was just sticking to the gameplan,” Smith said. “Give them credit, this is probably the best U.S. team we’ve ever played. We knew they were going to come out flying, but if we could stick to the game plan, we would be in good shape by the end.”
The U.S. stood toe to toe with Canada for 30 minutes, with goals from Blaze Riorden and Jack Hannah tying it at 8-8 in the third quarter. But Canada proved quickly and effectively why it is unbeaten in box play.
A man down, Byrne darted toward the U.S. net and looked like he was going to shoot. Instead, he directed the ball to the pipe, where Shayne Jackson was diving from behind the net to place it in. Smith snuck one with a quick shot through traffic, and for a stretch of about 12 minutes, every ball went Canada’s way.
Ian MacKay snuck underneath in early offense to make it a three-goal game and capitalize on a heady Steve Priolo loose ball. Robert Church cut to the inside and finished, then Teat slipped in and finished almost immediately to start a power play after Josh Byrne was slashed in the face by Ryan Terefenko.
Wesley Berg’s dive along the crease, which featured a series of fakes and the ball in the net, showed the tension that had been building throughout. Riorden cross-checked him after the play and was penalized. The final minutes were plagued by fisticuffs after the play, with four roughing penalties called after the whistle before Brandon Robinson was ejected.
Riorden, Joe Resetarits and Joey Spallina each had two goals. Gowah Abrams made 32 saves before Drew Hutchinson came in the final minutes, made several saves and didn't allow a goal.
The next time USA and Canada would meet — unless the No. 3-seeded Haudenosaunee intervene — would be for a gold medal. The four Pool A teams advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals.
Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and Finland won in the play-in round. They will face Czechia, Japan, Ireland and Israel, respectively on Wednesday in the first round of the playoffs.
Haudenosaunee Beat England For First Pool A Win
The Haudenosaunee beat England, 18-2, to finish third spot in Pool A. The defense shut out the English in the second half while the offense was balanced.
Five different players scored twice, and nine players scored overall. Eli McLaughlin led the way with four goals and four assists, and Lyle Thompson and Cody Jamieson had five points each.
Tuesday’s Play-In Results
Germany 12, Hong Kong, China 9
Netherlands 11, Italy 7
Australia 21, Scotland 7
Finland 20, Slovakia 4
Tuesday’s Top Performers
- Logan Schmidt, Netherlands: 8 goals, 1 assist
- Robert Raittila, Finland: 3 goals, 6 assists
- Jesse Whinnen, Australia: 2 goals, 4 assists
- Julian Laux, Germany: 38 saves, 81% save percentage
- Eli McLaughlin, Haudenosaunee: 4 goals, 4 assists
- Jeff Teat, Canada: 4 goals, 3 assists
Wednesday’s Playoff Games
Japan vs. Netherlands, 1 p.m.
Czechia vs. Germany, 5 p.m.
Ireland vs. Australia, 7 p.m.
Israel vs. Finland, 8:15 p.m.
Wednesday’s Placement Games
Belgium vs. China, 10 a.m.
Hong Kong, China vs. Chinese Taipei, 10:45 a.m.
Puerto Rico vs. Poland, 11:30 a.m.
Austria vs. Switzerland, 1:45 p.m.
Jamaica vs. USVI, 2:30 p.m.
Italy vs. Greece, 4:45 pm.
Scotland vs. Hungary, 5:30 p.m.