Game 2 of the Minto Cup Final had to be postponed Wednesday evening after officials refused to work the game and walked out.
The incident stemmed from an incident Tuesday when two members of the Brampton Excelsiors, star forward Jeff Teat and head coach Dan Teat, were given match penalties for threatening an official.
A match penalty comes with an automatic three-game suspension. Brampton later appealed the decision and a hearing was held prior to the start of Game 2.
The suspension was upheld for Dan but overturned for his son, Jeff, making him eligible to play.
After learning about the decision, officials refused to work the game and left the arena promptly after.
WATCH: The spotlight is shining on the Minto Cup, Canada’s Junior A National lacrosse championship, for all the wrong reasons. A contentious suspension decision, stemming from an incident on Tuesday, resulted in officials refusing to work the game, and eventually leaving the arena. Brendan Parker has the details.
Minto Cup convener Ron McQuarrie said options to find a solution are already underway.
“When this was announced, the referees felt they couldn’t take the floor at this point in time and we’ll continue to discuss and find a solution so hopefully we could be playing Game 2 tomorrow night (Thursday),” McQuarrie said.
“This event is a black eye for lacrosse. Make no bones about it. We have some work to do… to make amends and find a fix.”
Minto Cup committee co-chairs also weighed in, calling the incident “damaging” to the sport.
“It is what it is but its damaging to the game of lacrosse. Hockey had similar things… I kept making references to back in the 1980s when the referees wouldn’t go on the ice and they had to bring guys out of the stands in the yellow shirts,” co-chair Duane Bratt said.
“We have to remember the players and also the fans and the sponsors. Everyone who came to support us. We want to make sure we get this thing back on track so we can support them because they’ve done so much to help us get to this point,” co-chair Kurt Gibson said.
On Wednesday evening, fans filed out of Max Bell Centre shocked and frustrated about what happened. Everyone was given stamps to gain entry for the next game but it is still unclear when that will take place.
Excelsiors general manager Doug Arthur is sticking by his team, calling the penalties the “wrong call”.
“Wrong message, wrong call. We did what we had to do. We appealed it, obviously people disagreed with us… and obviously referees disagreed it.”
“We’ll be here tomorrow night and if we have to play four games in four nights starting tomorrow night, then we’ll do it,” he said.
Coquitlam Adanacs general manager Scott Wortley said their team is just focusing on themselves.
There is a contingency plan in place. Friday was scheduled to be an off-day but both teams could be playing straight through until Sunday.
As of Thursday afternoon, the status of Game 2 remains uncertain but the organizing committee said an updated schedule will be made public by the afternoon.
With files from Brendan Parker.
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