The Links: Whitby Warriors a win away from capturing 2022 Minto Cup
Parker Pipher, Whitby Warriors (Photo: Dave Fryer)
We spent Sunday morning collecting all the media mentions of last night’s Game 1 of the Minto Cup Finals between the Whitby Warriors and Miners Lacrosse Club, the Warriors coming away with a 12-8 win over the already record-setting side from Alberta.
Minto Cup Finals
Whitby leads best-of-three series 1-0
Game 1: Whitby 12 over Miners 8
Game 2: Sunday, August 28, 7pm ET
*Game 3: Monday, August 29, 7pm ET
*if necessary
Teams taking part in the Jr. NLL Tournament at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in nearby Oakville have been taking in Minto action over the last few days, including the Jr. Roughnecks, who were cheering on their fellow Albertans last night. The team’s stetson hats, which the Jr. Roughnecks regularly wear to the tournament, always turns heads.
Jr. Roughnecks, Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (Photo: Christian Bender)
As he was earlier in the tourney, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was in attendance at the CAA Centre for Saturday’s Game 1 of the Final.
Patrick & Theodore Brown (Photo: Twitter/patrickbrownont
“The Voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs” & former Toronto Rock sportscaster Joe Bowen was joined by another former Leafs & Rock broadcaster, Paul Hendrick, and long-time lacrosse media member, Brian Shanahan, for last night’s Minto Cup Final opener.
While he hasn’t received the same level of recognition in comparison to other top goalies during the OJLL playoffs or Whitby’s round-robin games, Warriors’ backstop Kaleb Martin was outstanding on Saturday night, allowing just 8 goals on 45 shots in the victory. Martin was named Whitby’s Player of the Game, while Jacob Power was recognized as the Miners’ top player last night too.
Martin, who spent his winter winning the Rock Elite League 21U trophy, was a co-winner of the TRAC-based league’s Bob Watson Award (Goalie Team of the Year alongside Evan Constantopoulos) and was a Jim Veltman Award (MVP) finalist too, as was Whitby teammate Riley Knox. Although TSN called him Kaden Martin in last night’s post-game report, remember the name Kaleb Martin as he continues to develop into a dominating & difference-making netminder.
The Miners, who had been receiving really strong stopping from starter Keegan Lutsch-Melenychuk, pulled him partway through the first. Jace Simington-Lesanko played well in relief.
With a four-assist effort last night, Miners power-forward Mathieu Gautier took over the points lead a the top of the tournament leaderboard. As The Lax Mag reported earlier this week, Gautier and a number of other Miners have set multiple new statistical standards for a Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League team at the tournament. The Miners were also largely led offensively last night by Jake Bowen’s hat trick, his eight goals during this year’s Minto bettered by on Whitby’s dynamic duo of Adam Poitras (12) & Brock Haley (9).
A goal by Marcus Needham, but maybe the most brilliant of Gautier’s four helpers…
It’s no secret, CLA history books clearly have the Warriors as overwhelming favourites to win this year’s Minto. In addition to meeting the regular-season criteria for what an eventual Minto winner usually looks like, as reported by The Lax Mag ahead of Thursday’s game between the Miners & Toronto Beaches, semifinalists have only taken the title four times since 2003.
The 2005 Burnaby Lakers, the 2007 Six Nations Arrows, the 2011 Whitby Warriors and 2018 Coquitlam Adanacs are the only teams to win their semi-final game and then also claim the Minto Cup. How did they do in Game 1 during their successful series wins?
2005 Burnaby Lakers lost Game 1 vs. Six Nations Arrows, 11-9 (best-of-three series)
2007 Six Nations Arrows won Game 1 vs. New Westminster Salmonbellies 19-8 (one-game final)
2011 Whitby Warriors lost Game 1 vs. Coquitlam Adanacs 12-9 (best-of-three series)
2018 Coquitlam Adanacs won Game 1 vs. Brampton Excelsiors 11-9 (best-of-five series)
Whitby’s Lucas Littlejohn, who had a huge third period last night, talked to Paul Hendrick after last night’s W, saying…
“We’re tenacious. We’re hungry. We’re going to do whatever it takes. We’re going to battle every night. We’ll take a beating, but we’re happy to pay the price. ”
Game 2 goes tonight at the CAA Centre in Brampton. See the tweet below for full details on how to attend or watch the stream starting at 7pm ET.