After one of the tightest opening days of competition in recent memory, day two of the Minto Cup saw a combined goal margin of 17 goals. The Orangeville Northmen defeated the Raiders 13-6, while the Coquitlam Adanacs beat the Port Coquitlam Saints 17-7.
The Orangeville Northmen bounced back with a defiant victory over the Raiders, which included an 8-1 first period run for the Northmen. A five minute major penalty against the Northmen resulted in two Raiders goals, and saw them climb back into the contest.
Joey Spallina scored 9 points for the Northmen on 3 goals and 6 assists, bringing his total to 16 points in two games. But Liam Matthews was the story, finishing with 5 goals and 3 assists. After being held scoreless in game one, Matthews looked much more similar to the player who had 5 goals in the OJLL final game.
For the Raiders, it was Dylan Belliveau who led the scoring with 3 goals. It didn’t take him long either, as the three goals came within a period of just over five minutes, including two on the major penalty.
Then in the night-cap, it was close until it wasn’t. The Port Coquitlam Saints played an outstanding first half, and led 6-4 late in the second period. A late second period fury from the Adanacs was too much to handle though, and Coquitlam poured it on in the third period.
Jaxon Dillon was named game MVP and was the leading scorer with 4 goals. All of them came on shots from the outside over the top, and Orangeville will need to be on notice this afternoon. Noah Manning and Ryan Colsey had 3 goals each. Manning in particular was strong.
Silas Richmond led the scoring for the Saints with 4 goals.
In case you have missed our Minto Coverage, check it out here. And for links to stream the games, find that here.
Let’s get into some more notes from the games.
Northmen Offence Finds Stride
The Orangeville offence found their stride early and often in this game, showing why they should be considered amongst the best units in the country. Matthews scored twice in the first two minutes and completed the hat-trick within the first seven minutes.
They were sweet shots too, that looked indicative of the plays we have come to expect from the shifty lefty. It will be interesting to see what Coquitlam wants to do with Matthews. I would expect him to see a lot of Adanacs captain Ty Banks, and Matthews will need to do what he can.
Matthews and Trey Deere seem to be the barometer of success for the Northmen team. Joey Spallina has been a picture of consistency this year and has continued that throughout the playoffs. But when Deere and Matthews get rolling, so too do the Northmen.
Another storyline were the fresh faces in the lineup for Orangeville. Cam Sanderson drew in and scored twice, making his Minto Cup debut alongside brother Cam.
Zack Poirier and Donny Scott came in on the back end as well, and handled themselves well. In a tournament where injuries and fatigue can sink teams, the Northmen have quality players ready to insert. Credit to those players for being ready when their number was called.Â
For the Raiders, it was a good lesson of what a high-powered and highly talented group can do. This game was essentially over before it started, with the winning goal being scored at 6:07 of the first period, just before the Raiders scored their first goal.
It’s not too late for the Raiders. With a win today, they will have a chance at continuing on. By my math, the Raiders will hope for a win and a Northmen win. In that scenario, Orangeville would get the one seed, Coquitlam the two, and the Raiders would beat the Saints in a head to head tie breaker.
So you’re saying there’s a chance? Yep, the Raiders are still alive.
Adanacs Flex MuscleÂ
In front of a sellout crowd at the palace, the Saints put together an incredible first 30 minutes. Ashton Brown was again very solid, and they played solid defence on the deep Coquitlam offence.
The battle between Silas Richmond and Ty Banks was fierce and incredible. Especially early in the game, it was clear that Banks was making it a point to cover Richmond. And when I say cover, I mean press coverage, sticky all the way to the boards coverage. To Richmond’s credit, he fought through the press and never looked to the refs.
Richmond wound up with 4 goals, but only one on Banks. That came on a nice shot with Banks sitting back a step too far. Richmond’s high release point affords him the opportunity to shoot over people.
But the TSN (LCD?) turning point was a non-contact injury to Jordy Neary late in the second period. The Saints led by two with just 5:13 remaining in the second. But a nice shot from Jaxon Fridge got the Adanacs within one, then two goals in 23 seconds gave them the lead. Another one from Noah Manning put the home team ahead by two, and the game was essentially over from there.
Dillon led the scoring but it was an impressive effort from Manning. He’s played a lot of lacrosse in 2024, going to the final four with the Denver Pioneers before joining the Adanacs for the 2024 playoff push. He also has Minto Cup experience, competing in 2022 with the Victoria Shamrocks.
Manning was all over the goal in this one, with several excellent looks throughout the first half of the game. Eventually, the dam was going to break. And break it did.
Manning is a sweet shooter who also has some ability to get to the net. He was special in this one for Coquitlam.
Lets Talk Tie BreakersÂ
As it has been explained to me, the tie-breaking scenarios are as follows. If two teams are tied, the tie-breaker is head-to-head winner. If three teams are tied, and they all have a win against each other, then a goal differential formula comes into play.
However, the goal differential is used only to select the first team out of the three-team tie. Once the top team is selected, then the next two teams are ranked based on their head to head.
So what does that mean? Well, a lot can still happen. The Saints need to win to be safe. A loss to the Raiders, combined with an Orangeville win, would put them out of the tournament. Even with an Orangeville loss, it would go to a goal differential formula. As a reminder, the Saints lost to Coquitlam by 10, while the Raiders only lost by two. The result and score will be important.
Assuming the Saints win, then the order will likely be Adanacs in first, regardless of the result. The order of the Saints and Northmen makes essentially no difference. It will only determine which bench each group uses and which jersey they wear.
It’s another big day here. Make sure to follow along.