Saints lacrosse returns to throne as CISAA champs

June 8, 2016 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

It was business as usual for the two most dominant teams in CISAA lacrosse over the past decade, but this time, the Saints of St. Andrew’s emerged the victors.

St. Andrew’s College defeated St. Michael’s College of Toronto 10 – 7 in late May to clinch the Independent School championship, their first time doing so since 2009. The powerhouse teams have met in the final each season for the past ten years, the Saints earning the title from 2006-09 while St. Mike’s has rattled off the last six.

As is the case year after year, the Saints and Blue Gaels engaged in some tough battles all season. In mid-May, SAC toppled St. Mike’s 10 – 7 for their first win over the Blue Gaels since 2010, while the teams ended their regular seasons with a 9 – 8 victory for the Gaels after the Saints led 8 – 7 late in the fourth quarter.

Hosting the championship in front of a hometown crowd on Yuill Field on campus, the Saints fell behind early when the Gaels scored the opener on the first possession of the game. Some stellar defending allowed the Gaels to hold on to the 1 – 0 lead after the first quarter, but penalty trouble allowed the Saints to get on the board and take a 3 – 1 lead heading into the half.

St. Mike’s dominated the third quarter, however, notching five unanswered goals and taking a 6 – 3 lead into the final frame.

It was the Saints’ chance to turn on the jets in the most important minutes, putting on a come-from behind show when Lucas Thorne tied the game at sevens with just over three minutes remaining. Corey Andonovski and Jacob Miller, who together had eight points in the contest, combined to take the lead on the next possession.

Cam McDonald added a late empty-netter, while Caleb Creasor was a wall between the pipes for SAC in the dying minutes of a 9 – 7 victory.
John Buchan also scored for the Saints.

“This was an emotional win for our 14 grads who have waited four years to both beat St. Mike’s and also to bring home the CISAA Championship trophy,” said head coach Greg Reid. “Gorilla of the Game goes to the whole team for their selfless and tireless efforts to put the team first and grind out an incredible come-from-behind win.”

“A special shout-out to Jason Knox who is home with a broken collarbone and senior Cam Lawrence who is in Scotland visiting St. Andrews University – we have medals for both of you.”