No tomorrow for Athletics
The St. Catharines Athletics may be down, but Kealan Pilon refuses to believe they are out.
The A’s dropped a 9-6 decision to the Burlington Chiefs in Ontario Lacrosse Association junior A best-of-seven semifinal playoff action Wednesday at Jack Gatecliff Arena and are now one loss from elimination.
The Chiefs, who now lead the series 3-1, can advance to the finals with a win at home Friday.
“We just have to take it one game at a time, one period at a time,” Pilon said. “If we look at it that were down 3-1, we’re not going to win anything.
“We know we can beat these guys.”
Pilon, who missed Game 3 with a suspected concussion but was cleared to play, is well aware the A’s need to find a way to generate more offence.
“They’re just keeping us to the outside and their goalie (Drew Hutchinson) is playing really well. It’s not so much what their defence is doing, it’s their goalie.
“I don’t know if it’s sitting down and looking at some film, but we have to find a way to beat that goalie somehow.”
The Athletics were without head coach Steve Toll, who was serving the first game of a three-game suspension for abuse of officials.
Assistants Rob Taylor, Ian Rubel and Brad Favero ran the bench in Toll’s absence.
Taylor doesn’t feel the 3-1 deficit is too large to overcome.
“We told the guys as a coaching staff we’re all played in series and been down 3-0, in hockey and lacrosse, and we’ve won those series in seven games.
“We just have to focus on the first shift, the second shift, and go from there.”
Taylor felt the A’s seemed primed for a good effort before the game.
“I thought the guys were in the right frame of mind,” he said. “We came out and had a good first period and had a little lapse in the second. We had a couple of errors and mistakes and they capitalized.
“It’s tough.”
Taylor said it is vital the A’s not psyche themselves out Friday.
“Rubel told the boys in the room we have to get back to having fun. When this team is having fun and playing with their mojo, it’s a fun thing to watch.
“We just need them to not feel the pressure so much and go out and play their game.”
Having said that, the A’s have left themselves no margin for error.
“There’s really no tomorrow. We have no choice but to win the next game or our season is done,” Taylor said.
A’s acorns: Alex Simmons, Trent Jackson, Ryan Kidd, Tyler Brown, Gavin McGregor, Jacob McMillan, Alex Gaston and Jon Kit were scratched for the A’s . . . Ryan Lanchbury scored on a penalty shot for Burlington in the first period.
Chiefs 9 A’s 6
BPSN Star of the Game: Burlington’s Ryan Lanchbury with four goals.
St. Catharines Athletics: Jake McNabb 2; Liam Ham, Brayden Mayea, Saul Van Der Zalm, Kealan Pilon.
Burlington Chiefs: Lanchbury 4; Luke Pilcher 2; Damon Currie, Matt Anderson, Scott DelZotto.
Game stats: Shots on goal: By St. Catharines on Drew Hutchison (46), by Burlington on Nick Damude (51); Power plays: St. Catharines 1-for-7, Burlington 0-for-5; Penalty minutes: St. Catharines 20, Burlington 31.
Attendance: 572.
Up next: Game 5 Friday in Burlington. Game 6, if necessary, is Sunday in St. Catharines at 7 p.m.
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