The Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs are a win away from winning its first Minto Cup junior national lacrosse championship since 2018.
The Adanacs outscored the Orangeville Northmen 6-1 in the third period to blow open a tight 8-6 game and win the first of the best-of-three final series, 14-7.
Both teams struggled to find offence early as the host Adanacs finally opened the scoring 10:40 into the first period when Nathan Chalmers beat Orangeville goalie Connor O’Toole.
The Northmen tied it less than a minute later, then took the lead 1:06 after that.
But Jaxon Dillon got Coquitlam even 56 seconds later and Noah Manning put the Adanacs back in front with 4:18 to play.
It didn’t last.
Less than two minutes later, Orangeville’s Bowie Horsman tied it, 3-3, with a shorthanded goal.
Dillon’s second goal of the period with 1:30 remaining sent the Adanacs to the dressing room with a 4-3 lead.
Coquitlam never trailed again.
Dillon scored a third time just 1:18 after the break to put the Adanacs up 5-3 and after the Northmen’s Liam Mathews got that back, consecutive goals less than two minutes apart by Coquitlam’s Ryan Favard ballooned their advantage to 7-4.
Horsman, with his second goal of the game, and Owen Rahn, with his first got Orangeville back to within a goal but again Dillon stuck a knife in any hoped-for comeback by the Northmen when his fourth goal of the night restored Coquitlam’s two-goal margin with 1:32 remaining in the second period.
The momentum carried into the final frame as the Adanacs scored four times in the first 10:11 to put the game out of reach.
Dillon ended the night with five goals to lead Coquitlam’s offence while Ryan Colsey, Favard and Manning each scored twice.
The Adanacs fired 50 shots at Orangeville goalies O’Toole and Lindyn Hill while Coquitlam goalies Jack Kask and Tristan Lomas, who finished out the last 2:33, faced 49 shots.
Coquitlam can clinch its fourth national title Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m., at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
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