The Links: Whitby Warriors win Minto Cup in Game 3 thriller
Whitby Warriors, 2022 Minto Cup champions (Photo: Dave Fryer)
We spent Tuesday morning collecting all the media mentions of last night’s Game 3 of the Minto Cup Finals between the Whitby Warriors and Miners Lacrosse Club, Whitby winning their eighth Minto after defeating the Miners 6-5 in yet another close contest between Canada’s top two Junior A clubs.
Minto Cup Finals
Whitby Warriors wins series 2-1
Game 1: Warriors 12 over Miners 8
Game 2: Miners 9 over Warriors 8 (OT)
Game 3: Warriors 6 over Miners 5
Minto Cup (Photo: Dave Fryer)
Those seven other Minto Cups were won by these Whitby teams (Note: Only players that played during that season’s Minto Cup tournament were included):
1980: Whitby CBC Builder
Final: Beat New Westminster Salmonbellies 4-1
Roster: John Jordan, Terry Martinello, Cam Devine, Ed Derks, Gil Nieuwendyk, John Fusco, Andy Perroni, Al MacDonald, John Parrott, Dave Cruickshank, Randy Gallas, Rick Nieuwendyk, Bill Eyre, Jamie Roach, Eric Perroni, Dan Mark, Rob McLean, Lorne Briscoe, Gary Crawford and Shawn Quinlan
MVP: John Jordan, Whitby
1984: Whitby Warriors
Final: Beat New Westminster Salmonbellies 1-0
Roster: Joe Nieuwendyk, John Fusco, Kevin Van Sickle, Terry Bullen, Bill Callan, Scott Boyd, Paul St. John, Bill Eyre, Peter Rempel, Gary Crawford, Eric Perroni, Ross Tabor, Calvin Avison, Dan Gerrard, Greg Lepine, Jason Richards and Dave Holding
MVP: Joe Nieuwendyk, Whitby
1985: Whitby Warriors
Final: Beat Victoria-Esquimalt Legion 4-3
Roster: Joe Nieuwendyk, Eric Perroni, Ross Tabor, Barry Kent, Gus Liatus, Ken Passfield, Bill Callan, Gary Mark, Paul St. John, Greg Lepine, Bill Passfied, Greg Van Sickle, Jason Richards, Ross Lemon, Scott Boyd, Todd Tran, Dan Garrad, Greg McLennan, Mike O’Toole and Dave Sachko
MVP: Paul Gait, Victoria-Esquimalt
1997: Whitby Warriors
Final: Beat Burnaby Lakers 4-3
Roster: Paul Sallie, Gavin Prout, Pat Jones, AJ Shannon, Steve Voituk, Marty O’Brien, Niall Maynard, Kevin Lunnie, Jason Ward, Scott Forbes, Zac Aitken, Mike Wye, Brent Lunnie, Sean Steinwald, Rob Kirkby, Derek Suddons, Scott Rierart, Geoff Thompson, Mike Hamilton, Gee Nash and Brad Cann
MVP: Mike Wye
1999: Whitby Warriors
Final: Beat Burnaby Lakers 4-1
Roster: Gavin Prout, Marty O’Brien, Gee Nash, Mike Morrison, AJ Shannon, Steve Voituk, Brad Reed, Bill Greer, Rob Kirkby, Niall Maynard, Zac Aitken, Derek Suddons, Tyler Francey, Evan Cardwell, Mike Hamilton, Jeff Frazer, Jor Teatro, Pat Jones, Casey Dupont, Paul Sallie, Ryan Harris, Vinnie Crawford, Scot Wylie and Wes Suddons
MVP: Gee Nash, Whitby
Mark Matthews, Whitby Warriors (Photo: Ward Laforme Jr.)
2011: Whitby Warriors
Final: Beat Coquitlam Adanacs 2-1
Roster: Mark Matthews, Dan Lintner, Curtis Knight, Mark Cockerton, Shayne Jackson, Zach Palmer, Ryan Serville, John Lafontaine, Chad Tutton, Reilly O’Connor, Luke Lazqiewicz, Adrian Sorichetti, Graeme Hossack, Emerson Clark, Kyle Lindsay, Zach Higgins, Mike Power, Mike Lum-Walker, Sheldon Burns, Mitch Chapman, Mitch De Snoo, Alex Buque, Brett Lewandowski and Nick Diachenko
MVP: Curtis Knight, Whitby
2013: Whitby Warriors
Final: Beat New Westminster Salmonbellies 3-1
Roster: Dan Lintner, Reilly O’Connor, Michael MacDonald, Curtis Knight, Ryan Keenan, Austin Shanks, Mitch De Snoo, Patrick McCrory, Stefan Diachenko, Graeme Hossack, Emerson Clark, Chad Tutton, Tyler Gilligan, Darryl Robertson, Riley Palmer, Jordi Jones-Smith, Matt Hossck, Riley McKinnon, Alex Buque, Connor Laird, Josh Delves, Jeremy Osborne and Brodie Tutton
MVP: Dan Lintner
A Cup winner with Whitby in 2011, Sheldon Burns was one of a handful of Toronto Rock players present for last night’s final, the team’s turf used for the tournament at the CAA Centre in Brampton. Last year’s entire 2021 OJLL season was played at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville.
Plus, major early Rock broadcast vibes over the last three games…
This Jack Oldman super supporter wins fan of the finals, right?
Some of the gooder goals from Game 3…
And then the penalty-shot call that seemed to come outta nowhere, since this game obviously needed more last-second drama.
The Miners’ Mathieu Gautier, who went from largely an unknown name to the one most talked about at the tournament, was named the Minto’s Jim Bishop Award winner, one of two major individual honours handed out last night.
“In 1999, Lacrosse Canada, in conjunction with the family of Jim Bishop and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation, inaugurated this award in honour of Jim Bishop, one of the greatest coaches ever to grace the game. Jim Bishop's involvement in lacrosse spanned some 58 years, influencing and developing players from tykes to professional. It is awarded at the Minto Cup to an individual who shows the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and outstanding play.” Source: Lacrosse Canada
Mathieu Gautier & Bob Clevely (Photo: Dave Fryer)
Gautier ended the week-long event as the tournament’s top assist (23) and point producer (32). His hefty helper haul was the second highest since 2003, the year Alberta was awarded a spot in Canada’s national final. The last player to finish with more assists during a single Minto season was actually a Whitby Warrior, Gavin Prout registering 25 helpers in 1999 when the Warriors beat Burnaby in the final. More on Gautier’s incredible production in yesterday Links.
Shawn Williams & Adam Poitras, Whitby Warriors (Photo: Dave Fryer)
The Minto MVP was Whitby captain, Adam Poitras, the University of Loyola Maryland middie also named the top player during the OJLL Playoffs. An emotional and physically spent Poitras spoke to fellow Minto MVP Johnathan Donville moments after he was handed the trophy, and was asked, “Who were some of the people that helped get you to this point?”
“Obviously my parents, my family. Shawn Williams, who is a huge inspiration to me. The number on my back, Tucker Williams, can’t forget about him. He’s the reason why I play so hard every day. I can’t thank enough people; people in the organization, people that have helped me in high school & college growing up and becoming the player I am today. It’s not me, it’s them that got me here.” - Poitras
“It tastes like a Minto Cup!” - Lucas Littlejohn, Whitby Warriors
John Lintz, Miners Lacrosse Club (Photo: Dave Fryer)
Not long after last night’s loss, Miners’ coach John Lintz took to Twitter to share his touching thoughts on a variety of topics…
Lintz of course won an NLL Cup with the Colorado Mammoth this past NLL season, the champion’s roster highlighted with a number of Albertans and also the most diverse lineup ever to take the title.
Many of the stunning images from this year’s Minto were snapped by photographer Dave Fryer. See more shots on his Instagram here. Fryer was the Orangeville Northmen’s official photog this past summer, and shoots regularly for TRAC Athletics too. Click here for more images from his archive.
Parker Pipher, Whitby Warriors (Photo: Dave Fryer)
He may not have come into the Minto with the same level of hype other top tenders did, but Whitby’s Kaleb Martin was a standout stopper throughout the tournament, finishing with a 7.58 GAA and .850 save %. Both defensive digits were tops amongst this year’s Minto starters.
Minto Cup GAA
1. Kaleb Martin, Warriors 7.58
2. Adam Bland, Shamrocks 9.01
3. Keegan Melenychuk, Miners 9.20
4. Will Johnston, Beaches 11.65
Minto Cup Save %
T1. Kaleb Martin, Warriors .850
T1. Adam Bland, Shamrocks .850
3. Keegan Melenychuk, Miners .841
4. Will Johnston, Beaches .787
Martin’s resume now has a bullet not many backstops can match. Here are the starting goalies since 2008 that have led their team to a Minto title:
2022 Kaleb Martin, Whitby Warriors
2019 Rylan Hartley, Orangeville Northmen
2018 Christian Del Bianco, Coquitlam Adanacs
2017 Doug Jamieson, Six Nations Arrows
2016 Chrisian Del Bianco, Coquitlam Adanacs
2015 Doug Jamieson, Six Nations Arrows
2014 Doug Jamieson, Six Nations Arrows
2013 Alex Buque, Whitby Warriors
2012 Dillon Ward, Orangeville Northmen
2011 Zach Higgins, Whitby Warriors
2010 Dan Lewis, Coquitlam Adanacs
2009 Nick Rose, Orangeville Northmen
2008 Nick Rose, Orangeville Northmen
Kaleb Martin & Riley Knox, Whitby Warriors (Photo: Dave Fryer)
The headline was somewhat silenced due to a grinding week of Minto action, but Whitby’s Gabriel Sorichetti confirmed that he’ll be attending Johns Hopkins University. Sorichetti finished the tournament tied for seventh in points (8G, 9A), only teammates Poitras and Brock Haley with more on the Warriors’ Cup-winning roster, the pair also co-leading the Minto in goals (14).
The NLL’s Las Vegas Desert Dogs, a team Williams manages and coaches, congratulated their bench boss earlier today. Williams and the Desert Dogs select second overall in September’s NLL Entry Draft, the team also recently picking up high-profile forward Rob Hellyer in an unexpected trade with the Rock.
The next time the Minto is awarded, we’ll be in Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League territory…