LANGLEY, B.C. – Anthony Cosmo recorded 38 saves and Joe Walters had two goals and three assists as the Brampton Excelsiors rolled to a 9-4 victory over the Langley Thunder in Mann Cup lacrosse action Thursday night.
Brampton evened the best-of-seven Canadian championship series 1-1.
The Excelsiors, seeking their third Mann Cup in three years, made up for a humiliating 11-3 setback to first-time Western representative Langley in Game 1.
Cosmo, Brampton’s No. 1 goaltender, stood out after he had missed the first game, due to teaching duties.
Dan Dawson, a firefighter, excelled with five assists after also missing Game 1 because of work commitments.
The score was tied 1-1 after the first period, but the Excelsiors held a commanding 7-2 lead after the second.
Cosmo’s return set an interesting goaltenders’ battle. The 33-year-old Mississauga, Ont., native is a three-time NLL all-star as well as a former NLL goaltender of the year. On the other hand, Langley’s starter, Brodie MacDonald, 21, is in his first Senior A season.
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MacDonald had shut out Brampton in the final 53 minutes Wednesday. But Cosmo outperformed him while both clubs recorded 42 shots.
Cosmo and Dawson made immediate impacts. After giving up an early goal, Cosmo made several timely saves to limit Langley’s advantage to 1-0 before Dawson set up Davis to draw Brampton even at 18:47 of the first period.
In the second period, Dawson created traffic on Brampton’s first two goals of the frame and including a devastating short-handed marker by Kevin Ross, his first of two goals on the night, that put the Excelsiors ahead 3-1.
After Dawson set up Jarrett Davis for his second goal of the game, which give the Excelsiors a 6-2 advantage, Langley goaltender MacDonald was pulled in favour of Andrew Leyshon. However, John McLure put in another Dawson pass a minute and 14 seconds later and MacDonald returned to the net.
Frank Resetarits, John McLure and Zack Greer supplied single markers for Brampton.
Jamie Lincoln led the hosts with two goals while Pat Saunders and Kerry Shusheski also tallied.
NOTES: Bill Greer was also among Brampton’s returnees.Cosmo, Greer, and Dawson all helped Brampton to the 2009 Mann Cup title over the New Westminster Salmonbellies in the B.C. capital. … Dawson had a goal disallowed in the third period as he beat MacDonald from the crease. … The Langley squad that won the Canadian Little League championship and represented Canada at the Little League World Series was saluted during the second-period intermission.
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