Six Nations Wins the Mann Cup

The Six Nations Chiefs are back-to-back Mann Cup Champions. They defeated the Victoria Shamrocks 13-9 Wednesday night to complete the 4-1 series victory at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. 

Eli McLaughlin was the star for the Chiefs, finishing with 5 goals and 2 assists. Dhane Smith, Lyle Thompson, and Shayne Jackson had 5 points each.  

For Victoria, it was a balanced scoring effort, with no player scoring more than two goals. Clarke Petterson was the only Shamrock with multiple goals, while Mike Messenger led the points category with a goal and 3 assists, 

Doug Jamieson made 34 saves on 43 shots to secure the victory for the Chiefs, while Chris Oriligeri made 30 saves on 43 shots in the loss. 

The victory was the second straight for the Chiefs and their eighth in their history. They previously brought home the championship in 1994,1995, 1996, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2023, and now have done it again in 2024.

The 2024 team was one of the most dominant in history. They completed a perfect regular season, and lost only three games cumulatively in the MSL playoffs and Mann Cup, finishing the season with a record of 23-3. 

Game five was a version of groundhog day for the Shamrocks and their fans. They again jumped out to an early lead, getting goals from Patrick Dodds, Petterson, and Gautier. Victoria led early in four of the five games during the series. 

But Six Nations responded early in the second period, although a good push back from the Shamrocks gave them a 7-6 lead going into the final period. But it was pretty much all Six Nations from there, as the Chiefs scored the first four tallies of the third period and never looked back. 

Lyle Thompson led the scoring for the Mann Cup with 21 points in 5 games, marking the second straight year that he accomplished that feat. 

The Chiefs became one of several teams to have won repeat Mann Cup victories over the championship’s history. Only one other team has won three in a row since the Chiefs last did it in the mid 1990’s. The Peterborough Lakers won four straight Cups in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022 (there was no tournament during the pandemic). 

The hunt to once again be Mann Cup Champions will continue next summer for the Chiefs. With the awarding of the Cup, the 2024 summer lacrosse season in Canada is officially over.