Team Canada stayed unbeaten all-time at the World Lacrosse Box Championships with a 14-10 victory over Team USA on Tuesday night.
It was a closer game than some may have predicted, with Canada leading 8-7 at the half. It wasn’t until Jack Hannah tied the game at 8 early in the second half that Canada finally put a run together. They scored the next six goals and led 14-8 before the Americans got a few back near the end of the game.
Jeff Teat led all scorers with 4 goals and 3 assists, while Dhane Smith added 4 goals of his own. Shayne Jackson had a hat-trick for Canada.
For the Americans it was a more balanced scoring effort, with Joe Resetarits, Joey Spallina, and Blaze Riorden each scoring twice. Jack Hannah added another as well to continue his very strong tournament.
Gowah Abrams put in a solid effort for the Americans, while Christian Del Bianco secured the victory for Canada. The Canadians have given each goaltender a start throughout the tournament and their rotation from here on out will be something to monitor.
The game certainly represented progress for the Americans, who have had their most competitive tournament ever. After defeating the Haudenosaunee in game one, they kept it close for a while last night. In 2019, the Canadians beat team USA 16-6, so significant strides have been made.
Both teams will now have looming roster decisions to make. Jackson and Latrell Harris drew into the lineup for the Canadians in substitution for Ryan Smith and Nick Chaykowski. Given that Smith played well against the Haudenosaunee, this seemed like a predetermined rotation. Obviously they will have to decide what they want to do for the medal round.
And for the USA, Joe Nardella and CJ Kirst were the scratches on Tuesday, which left Tim Edwards at the faceoff dot with Jake Withers. Official stats were not kept but Canada dominated unofficially. Barring an injury for Nardella, it is reasonable to expect him to play in the medal rounds.
Elsewhere in Pool A, the Haudenosaunee took care of business against Team England, winning 18-2. They were led in scoring by Eli McLaughlin. The Haudenosaunee will now have to play the winner of Israel vs Finland, with an obvious rematch coming down the line against the USA team that beat them in round one.
As for the rest of Pool A, Canada will play the winner of Japan vs Netherlands. The USA will play the winner of Ireland vs Australia, and Team England will play the winner of Czechia vs Germany.
That meant that Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and Finland all won their play-in games yesterday, and are all still in medal contention. Those teams will all have to win again today to earn the right to compete against the Pool A squads.
On the women’s side, it is a quiet day today with just two games. Ireland will take on Hong Kong, while Netherlands will play Finland for a birth in the playoffs. Canada’s next game is tomorrow against the winner of the Netherlands and Finland.
Stay tuned to LCD for more coverage all week!