Pat Coyle has been through the lacrosse wars.
The coach of the Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs won Mann Cups as a senior player, and six championships in the pro leagues as a player and coach.
But even he was having a hard time processing the joyous celebration playing out on the floor of the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex Friday, after his charges defeated the Orangeville Northmen 9-6 to sweep their best-of-three Minto Cup championship final in two straight games.
“My brain is still trying to catch up with this,” Coyle said above the din that rocked the arena. “It’s pretty exciting. I’m pretty happy for the organization.”
And the Adanacs are probably overjoyed they brought him in from the senior team at the beginning of the year with the expressed intent of securing the club’s fourth Minto Cup, to be played on its home floor as the tournament’s host.
After securing the series’ first game with a barrage of goals in the third period to bury the Northmen, 14-7, in Friday's second game, the Adanacs locked down the defensive end to protect a narrow 6-4 advantage heading into the third period, winning 9-6 despite being outshot 22-15 in the final 20 minutes.
“I just feel we went to business the last two games,” Coyle said. “These guys just seem to be very driven.”
Keen to even the series and force a decisive third game on Saturday, Orangeville took command of the floor early. Their efforts paid off 7:16 after the opening face off when Liam Matthews beat Coquitlam goalie Jack Kask
But the Northmen’s advantage lasted all of 22 seconds as Nathan Chalmers got the Adanacs back on even terms.
Noah Manning put the home team in front with three minutes left in the frame on a peek-a-boo goal as he was driven from behind into Orangeville goalkeeper Connor O’Toole sending both players to the ground in a tangled heap and tensions on both teams ramping up.
The Northmen fought back, though, with Liam Matthews tying it up 1:14 later.
A pair of goals by Cody Malawsky, along with Chalmers' second of the night and another by David Charney powered the home team to its 6-4 advantage after two periods.
The Northmen came out of the dressing room after the break pressing to get back into the game. But time and again their shots bounced off Kask’s hulking pads or were absorbed into his gaping stick, and on one notable play late in the game, scooped off the goalline by defender Brodie Kent after his goalie had been beaten.
Goals by Malawsky and Manning 18 seconds apart midway through the frame seemed to deflate some of the sting of Orangeville’s attack, and boosted the party vibe in Poirier's packed seating area that overflowed into the mezzanine.
Trey Deere got one back for the Northmen, but another goal by Malawsky — his fourth of the night — pretty much sealed the Adanacs' first Minto Cup championship on its home floor since it won the trophy for the first time, in 2010.
Bowie Horsman rounded out the scoring for Orangeville. But the remaining 2:36 on the clock just ended up serving as the countdown to a boisterous celebration as Adanacs players dogpiled Kask at the final buzzer and elated fans pounded the glass.
Coyle said the hometown atmosphere at Poirier definitely played a role in the Adanacs’ championship drive.
“It was such an advantage for us,” he said. “Everybody was asking if it’s pressure and it’s pressure for the other team. When we scored that second goal in the third period, like it took off.”
• Malawsky's four goals earned him the award as the game's most valuable player while Kask was named tournament MVP.
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