Mustangs win backto-back CWOSSA titles in triple overtime

It's sometimes called a victory lap when a high school senior returns for an extra year.

An apt description in the case of fifth-year senior Tyson Morrison who scored the game-winning goal in triple overtime Thursday at Victoria Park as the St. Mary's Mustangs topped the Mckinnon Park Blue Devils 10-9 to secure back-to-back CWOSSA A/AA boys' field lacrosse championships.

“We've bonded over the years,” Morrison said of the veteran Mustangs team. “A lot of us play Junior B together and a couple of us stayed back for this gap year to play lacrosse and it's working out.”

Head coach Adam Jones said the Mustangs entered the season with another Central Western Ontario championship in their sights and got to work. The team began practicing a month earlier this season, twice a week, and often in the mornings before school.

“They're all coachable and they all show up. I told the guys that might have been the difference between winning and losing today, the extra effort we put in all season,” Jones said.

St. Mary's held a two-goal lead late in the fourth quarter of the championship game, but Caledonia's Blue Devils scored two goals in the final four minutes to tie the game 9-9.

The tournament's overtime format called for four-minute sudden-death periods - - next goal wins.

Both teams played two games earlier in the day just to earn a spot in the championship game, and the wear and tear showed.

Mckinnon Park thought they scored early in the first overtime period as cheers from the bench erupted, but the ball stayed out of the net, barely.

In the second overtime period, the Mustangs controlled possession but their attackers looked gassed and failed to produce more than one dangerous scoring chance. Curtis Arnold stormed through the middle of the field clearly playing through the bumps and bruises accumulated throughout the day and narrowly missed. He took a shot to the stomach in the process and hobbled off the field.

In the third overtime, Jones leaned on his veterans. He called Carter Moran's number on an isolation play, and the skilled attacker burst down the middle of the defence but missed the shot high.

St. Mary's maintained possession.

The call from the Mustangs sideline told Morrison to go if he thought he could beat his man.

Morrison said he didn't hear the encouragement from the bench, but he went anyway. He beat his man and with a long stride took a shot - - the winning shot.

“I saw there was nobody behind my defender so I tried to beat them one-on-one,” Morrison said. “I was happy there was no more overtime. We were all dead.”

The overtime winner was Morrison's fourth goal of the game. Arnold netted a hat-trick in the contest, Jacob Lundgren scored two and Moran had a single goal.

“I was thinking it would be awful to lose in front of family and friends for their last high school game,” Jones said of his mindset heading into the overtime periods. “But what a way to go out at home if we score.”

It's not over yet for the Mustangs, with the win the club will head to Peterborough for the OFSAA A/AA boys' field lacrosse championship from June 5 to 6.

Last year, St. Mary's hosted the provincial high school championship at the Kiwanis Soccer Complex in Owen Sound. The team failed to move on to the playoff rounds after finishing 1-1 in pool play including a controversial loss against Peterborough's Holy Cross.

It was Morrison involved in the controversy a year ago. His stick broke earlier in the game, and the replacement stick was too short. When he scored a late goal it was called back after a stick check. Holy Cross went on to win 10-9 in overtime.

“He redeemed himself today, not that it was his fault, and we'll have a chance to redeem ourselves at OFSAA,” Jones said.

St. Mary's beat the St. James Lions from Guelph 8-7 in the first game of the tournament Thursday. Moran, Morrison and Arnold each scored a pair of goals while Lundgren and Bryce Martin added tallies in the victory.

In their second round-robin game, the Mustangs beat the Holy Trinity Titans out of Simcoe 11-2. Morrison and Arnold both netted hat-tricks, Carter Frook scored a pair while Moran, Martin and Chase Garvie all tickled the twine for the Mustangs.