LANGLEY, B.C. – Dan Dawson had a big cut over his forehead as a result of a cheap shot Monday night, but he was feeling no pain – or anger.
Instead, the Brampton captain was ecstatic after the Excelsiors claimed the Mann Cup with a 6-3 victory over the Langley Thunder.
“This cut is nothing, man,” Dawson said. “We’re sitting on the cup. That’s our redemption.”
Jarrett Davis scored three goals and added an assist as Brampton took the best-of-seven series 4-1 and captured its third Canadian senior lacrosse crown in the past four years. The Excelsiors last triumphed in nearby New Westminster, B.C. in 2009.
But this Brampton squad was much different than that one after about half the roster was replaced. The Excelsiors, a perennial powerhouse in previous years, triumphed despite a third-place finish in the Ontario Major Series Lacrosse regular season.
That was another reason why Dawson, who recorded three assists and finished as the series leading scorer with 14 points in four games played, was jubilant.
“This one is real special, because not a lot of people gave us a chance, even coming out of the East and then coming out here,” said Dawson, 29, who won his fifth Mann Cup.
Davis’s second goal, at 7:32 of the second period, stood as the winner.
In the 2009 series, Brampton needed seven games – and an overtime session – to eliminate a never-say-die New Westminster Salmonbellies squad. It looked like the Excelsiors would again have their work cut out for them in this series after they suffered an embarrassing 11-3 loss in Game 1.
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But the Thunder, a former doormat that represented the West for the first time, could not regain its offensive magic in the remaining games.
“They know exactly what it takes to get over the top and we just couldn’t quite get there,” said Langley coach Rod Jensen, whose club lost a pair of one-goal games.
Zack Greer also had a strong game for the Excelsiors with a goal and three assists, while Kevin Ross and Frank Resetarits also scored for Brampton.
Matt Leveque, Alex Turner and Kyle Belton replied for the Thunder.
The Excelsiors outshot Langley 43-34. Brampton goaltender Anthony Cosmo recorded 31 saves for the win and was named as the most valuable player of the series for the third time in his career. He went unbeaten in the four games in which he played after missing the series-opening blowout because of teaching commitments.
“To have the story that we wrote this year is awesome,” said Cosmo, who posted a 4.54 goals-against-average en route to his fourth Mann Cup. “These guys have battled through so much adversity, so many people putting us down because we lost so many big names. But our young guys, people who you want to call no-namers, they sure have a name now.”
Langley counterpart Brodie MacDonald blocked 37 shots. Brampton was blanked on one power-play opportunity while Langley converted one of four.
The Excelsiors led 3-0 after the first period and 4-3 after the second.
At 14:56 of the first period, Langley attempted to get Cosmo ejected on an illegal equipment call, alleging his leg pads were too wide. The goaltender, a referee and the clubs’ captains went to Brampton’s dressing room for a brief measurement, but Cosmo passed the test and remained in the game.
“It’s all part of the game,” Cosmo said. “For them, when you’re down and you’re desperate, you do whatever it takes to win. I made sure I was clean.”
Greer’s goal and first two assists staked Brampton to a 3-0 first-period lead as the Excelsiors outshot the Thunder 19-9. But Leveque put Langley on the scoreboard 55 seconds into the second period. Then Turner and Belton, the latter on a power play, scored 20 seconds apart to tie the game 3-3 by the 4:37 mark.
Davis scored his second goal of the night three minutes later to give the Excelsiors the lead for good.
Brampton briefly lost Dawson with 6:30 gone in the third period after Langley’s Rob Van Beek elbowed his head into the glass. No penalty was called.
The incident occurred moments after Langley captain Leveque nailed Dawson well behind the play as he was heading to the bench on a line change. Leveque received an interference penalty.
The Excelsiors couldn’t score on the power play, but Davis completed his hat-trick about three and a half minutes later to increase their lead to 5-3 and erase any further doubt about the outcome.
After celebrating, Dawson planned to get his cut forehead stitched up.
“I’ve got a modelling career to worry about after I end up playing,” quipped Dawson, who is actually a Brampton firefighter.
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