The Oakville Hawks are back on top at the Jack Crosby Novice All-Star lacrosse tournament.
The Ontario-based Hawks won the 30th instalment of the annual Crosby memorial novice jamboree, winning for the third time with a convincing 8-1 victory over Coquitlam Gold in the Tier 1 A final at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre on Sunday.
The Oakville association is turning the Crosby final into a tradition of sorts, having won back-to-back competitions in 2011 and ’12 before losing to Coquitlam in the 2013 gold-medal game. The Hawks were also the silver medalists last year in an all-Ontario final against Orangeville.
“Why do we keep coming back? I just think it’s a good experience for the boys coming to the West Coast,” said head coach Rob MacDougall, who was with Oakville on its first trip to the Crosby in 1998, when they won the bronze medal against host Burnaby. The club returned to Burnaby in 2005 and made it to its first tournament final.
“We just want to see the other side of the world and see what (the lacrosse) is like,” added MacDougall.
Oakville coasted into the gold-medal game, winning its group with a 5-0-0 record before earning a spot in the final with a 12-5 win over Ridge Meadows.
The Maple Ridge association upset group winner Burnaby on the A side of the draw, handing the hosts their first loss of the season – 5-4 in the crossover matchup.
In the Tier 1 final, Oakville goalie Keith Allan conceded the game’s first goal on a power play in the opening five minutes of play but was perfect the rest of the way, stopping 25 shots for the win.
The Hawks’ player of the game described Oakville’s record run at the Crosby as “exciting and fun.”
“We just keep trying,” Allan said after the game.
Oakville took over midway through the first period, scoring four unanswered goals, including the first of a pair by both Quaid Beaudry and Cody O’Neill. The Hawks added three more in the middle period and another one in the third.
Ridge Meadows won the bronze.
Ryden Evers of Burnaby was named his team’s Tier 1 all-star MVP.
Luke Misa of Oakville and Coquitlam Gold’s Devon Graham were also named all-stars.
Burnaby did not go home from the Crosby empty handed.
The Tier 3 Lakers finished third in their group, but played their best when it really counted, taking the gold medal with a 4-1 victory over Juan de Fuca in the tournament final.
Game MVP Josh Ward had a pair of goals for the A3 Lakers, including the team’s opening goal in the first period.
The two teams remained knotted at 1-1 until the final frame, when Gavin Garrett sparked a three-goal finish with the eventual game-winning marker.
Nicholas Svetic and Ward finished off the win with goals in the final seven minutes of the period. Brendan Walters got the win in goal, stopping more than 40 shots for the novice Lakers.
Burnaby defeated group runner-up Ridge Meadows 6-3 in the placement game behind a four-point outing, including a hat trick, from captain and tournament all-star Sean Richards. Chase Malmquist and Reece Anderson were also among the semifinal goal scorers. Richards tied for top point-getter, while Garrett, an assistant team captain, led the team with eight goals. A second assistant captain, Alex Dragan, led a strong Burnaby press and tied for second most points.
“We just played a good all-around game,” said Burnaby head coach Mike Richards. “Every single game we never scored first, they’re just a bunch of really good little battlers.”
Nanaimo defeated Juan de Fuca 9-2 in the Tier 2 final. Calgary took the third-place medal.
