It was a first day to remember at the Minto Cup, which started with a 12-7 upset victory by the Port Coquitlam Saints over the OJLL champion Orangeville Northmen. The second game was exciting as well, with the Coquitlam Adanacs defending home floor by defeating the Raiders 10-8.
The Orangeville loss was the first time an Ontario team had lost (to a non-Ontario team) in the round robin since 2016. That year, the Northmen actually lost twice to the Calgary Mountaineers and Coquitlam Adanacs. They would wind up defeating the Mountaineers to get into the finals, before losing a five-game thriller against the Adanacs.
It was also the best crowd that I can recall seeing at a Minto Cup. The Palace on Poirier seats approximately 2,200 people with room for plenty more standing. Unofficial numbers are not available, but my guess is that there were at least 1500 people there. Especially for Adanac games, I expect the bowl to be mostly filled for the rest of the week.
The other major takeaway I had from day one is that the quality of the goaltending play looks to be strong this year. In previous years, I think teams were automatically eliminated because of goaltending that wasn’t quite at the Minto Cup level. All four starters looked comfortable on Saturday, and it is probably fair to say that some of them will want to elevate even further.
Finally, it was pointed out to me that the playing surface at the Palace is roughly five feet more narrow than a regular surface. This shrinks the zone ever so slightly, and makes it just a bit easier to get double-teams in. Also, players can get off the bench and into the zone a half-step quicker, which impacts the game on offence and defence.
As a reminder, the games can be streamed through Trickshot and Jr. Adanac tv. The link to those games can be found here.
If you missed our preview of the tournament, find that here.
Lets get into some notes from the games.
Saints 12 – Northmen 7
The Saints looked comfortable from the jump in this game and dictated the tempo throughout. If there is one thing that jumps out about the Saints, it is their size. In a tournament that is mostly being dictated by speed (a strength of the three other teams), the Saints have the right bodies to really play physical.
The other thing that size provides is the ability to win the middle of the floor on both sides. The Saints were able to get to the middle and score from the interior, while keeping Orangeville out of the middle on the other side.
The obvious leaders on that front are Brayden Laity and Caelan Mander. I wrote about them earlier in the week and they are as advertised, playing the top of the penalty kill together. Laity was very good in this game and looks to be positively no fun to play against.
My broadcast partner Teddy Jenner noted correctly that he has a great feel for Kyle Rubisch one-handed check against left-handed players. This makes it tough to go at him, as drives over top welcome a heavy cross check, and drives underneath typically result with the ball hitting the concrete.
Up front, the Saints got lots of secondary scoring, a great sign for them. While Silas Richmond did the bulk of the scoring in the BCJALL playoffs for them, it was Finn Halladay who had a hat-trick, and Anahalihs Doxtator who led with 6 points.
I also liked the play of Austin Lamoreaux for the Saints. He made some nice plays on the right side of the offence and looked dangerous. Richmond was also very good, and looked as advertised.
Lastly, goaltender Ashton Brown was very good. He made a crucial stop on a Trey Deere breakaway when the game was tied at 6. It could have been a different result had that gone in.
For Orangeville, the Northmen will hope that their experience going a full seven in Ontario. It was obviously a difficult turnaround coming out west on short notice, so Orangeville will need to shake off the loss quickly.
The Minto is a shockingly quick tournament. Whether things go your way or not, the games keep coming. Orangeville’s staff has more experience at this tournament than anyone though, so you can expect that they will have their guys prepped for today.
I would expect to see some fresh legs today for Orangeville, and wonder if some size might be coming into the lineup.
The main thing for the Northmen is to not look towards Sunday. They need to win today against a good Raiders team that will be smaller and faster than Port Coquitlam. Orangeville needs to create more turnovers and find a way to score some easier goals. Their shots should start falling soon as well.
Adanacs 10 – Raiders 8
In the night-cap, the hometown Adanacs took care of business against the Raiders, winning by a score of 10-8.
Overall this was a very good lacrosse game and the Raiders are a better team than outside viewers might expect. I thought Coquitlam played well and hard, and looked the part of a BCJALL champion.
It is obvious that the home-floor is an advantage for Coquitlam. The crowd was very full, very (very) loud, and impacted the game.
Coquitlam’s game starts from the back. Their defence is very aggressive and caused a lot of turnovers early in the game. Ty Banks is as good of a Junior defender as you will see, and leads the way for a group that has the athletes to really pressure from board to board. I liked the play as well of Connor Nock and Remo Schenato, two big bodies who help accomplish the goal of being miserable to play against.
In net, Jack Kask was solid but the general feeling in the building was that he will continue to get better throughout the week. One thing I noticed was his ability to throw the ball. He is an incredibly willing and incredibly accurate thrower. The Raiders did their best to limit the opportunities from those passes, but the Saints and Northmen will need to take note as well.
Up front, Cody Malawsky is the headliners, but Coquitlam looked deep and well coached.
The Raiders didn’t show their youth, either in composure or athleticism. WIth just two graduates, and two fourth year players, I was expecting them to get over-powered by a physically impressive Adanac team. They held up well and hung in there for the whole game.
Offensively, they hit some big shots. Wyatt Viste had 2 goals, and they got goals from six other players. Unlike some other offences where the ball goes through predictable hands, the Raiders really share it well and keep the ball moving. Now that also means they don’t have an apex ball carrier as well so it is a give and take, but the ball movement helped them avoid the Coquitlam double-teams.
Looking ahead
For the Raiders and Northmen today, I am monitoring the psyche and energy level of Orangeville. I am also looking for them to turn up the forecheck and get their game going in the right direction. They need to get off to a fast start as well.
The Raiders need to continue to hit shots, and be responsible in defensive transition and avoiding penalties.
The Saints need to parlay day one success against a team who has had their number recently. If they can force Coquitlam into outside shots, they will have a chance.
Coquitlam needs to continue to impose their will and control the pace. They are likely considered the front-runners at this time.
I’ll be on the call tonight and back tomorrow with updates. Thanks for reading.