The Raiders Lacrosse Club out of Alberta is one win away from making Minto Cup history.
Only one team from outside B.C. or Ontario has ever won a Minto Cup, but after Friday night’s 9-7 win over the Victoria Shamrocks in Game 1 of the championship final, the Raiders could change that.
Game 1 had a little bit of everything, with two goals coming off weird bounces and one empty-net goal due to confusion over a delayed penalty.
Both goaltenders were spectacular. Greyson Beggs stopped 42 of 51 shots for Victoria, while Nathan Whittom stopped 38 of 45 for the Raiders.
Luke McNamara led the way for the Raiders with a hat trick and an assist. Cash Frijters continued his outstanding tournament with a goal and an assist, while Wyatt Viste added two points.
For Victoria, Evan McDougall led the team in points with three assists. Ryan Lowe had two goals, while Jett Klassen had two assists. Four other players finished with a goal and an assist.
First Period
The Raiders took an early lead in the first period off some weird bounces.
McNamara opened the scoring at 5:08 when his shot was stopped by Beggs. However, the ball got caught up in his equipment, rolled down the back of his leg and went into the net.
Victoria answered back at 6:21, with Greysen Thompson cutting in front of the crease to tie the game.
Brinley Wilson took an outside shot for the Raiders at 7:05 that ricocheted off the end boards, bounced off the back of a Victoria defender and into the back of the net to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead.
Brody Tweit then scored in transition with 3:11 left on the clock to give the Raiders a 3-1 lead after the first period.
Second Period
McNamara put the Raiders up by three with an outside shot through traffic at the 9:11 mark. Cohen Fluet then scored a beauty behind-the-back goal with 6:26 left on the clock to make it 5-1.
Victoria would score three straight goals to end the second period and get back within one.
More craziness ensued with 4:36 left. Whittom left his net as the Raiders’ bench thought there was a delayed penalty. However, Quinn Cramb picked up the ball for Victoria and the whistle didn’t blow. He scored into the empty net to the dismay of the Raiders’ coaching staff.
Just over a minute later, Ryan Lowe let a shot go between two defenders to get the Shamrocks within two.
Carter Quested made some slick moves to get close in on goal with 25 seconds left, narrowing the Raiders’ lead to 5-4 heading into the third.
Third Period
The offences came alive in the third period, as both teams combined for seven goals.
Viste scored for the Raiders, leaping over the crease, 4:40 into the third period to restore their two-goal lead.
Lowe answered less than a minute later, cutting across the front of the crease to make the score 6-5.
Cole Morris picked up a rebound on the doorstep at the 7:54 mark to put the Raiders back up by two.
Dylan Belliveau made a nice pass to McNamara, who rolled off his defender at 8:33 to put the Raiders ahead 8-5.
The Shamrocks continued to keep the game close. Phillip Busenius scored off a dive from behind the net with 9:52 left on the clock, and Marcelo Carreiro scored 35 seconds later to make it a one-goal game again.
Cash Frijters cashed in on an open look with 6:12 left on the clock to make the final 9-7 and put the Raiders one win away from making Minto Cup history.
Top Scorers
Raiders Lacrosse
- Dylan Belliveau, 6a
- Luke McNamara, 3g 1a
- Carson Mann, 3a
Victoria Shamrocks
- Evan McDougall, 3a
- Ryan Lowe, 2g
- Breckyn Williams, 2a
- Carter Quested, 1g 1a
- Phillip Busenius, 1g 1a
- Greysen Thompson, 1g 1a
- Marcelo Carreiro, 1g 1a
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