MANN CUP HOLDERS SHINE
by thistles forever
PORT WHITBY- It took a period to get the wheels rolling but once in motion the Brooklin Steamroller flattened the Brampton Excelsiors. The final result was a runaway 18-8 victory for the Redmen.
The first period was all Brampton's. They looked primed coming off their semi final win over Peterborough, while the home side was rather lethargic. Yet the Excelsiors did not have enough firepower to take advantage. They won the period by only a 3-2 margin, setting the stage for a disasterous turnaround.
The second frame was a Maroon nightmare. Eleven Brooklin goals as the Mann Cup Champs soared into a 13-6 lead. The visitors did virtually everything wrong. They were really sabotaged by poor ball management. During a period when they needed to slow the pace down they couldn't simply because they could not maintain possession for 30 seconds. The Redmen were merciless in taking advantage of those turnovers. Even on defence Brampton could not cope. They were constantly under pressure from Brooklin's speed and as the home team spread their offence it became apparent that the visitors could not contain their stars in one on one situations. At the opposite end of the floor The Redmen defence reigned supreme. They shutdown the likes of Josh Sanderson and Dan Teat, leaving Brampton with few options to turn to. Most impressive of all was the work of Gord Nash. He had a strong game but was especially brilliant at moving the ball up floor. The Excelsiors smartly would get in his face to take away the long bomb pass. Brooklin adjusted nicely by having Nash quickly swing the ball to a teammate at the boards, who would then go deep with the next pass.
The final session was a slightly slower version of the second period domination. The Excelsiors needed a good period to give themselves some confidence but they lost it 5-2. The one and only area Brampton excelled was off draws. Phillip Sanderson did great work against Brad MacArthur. When Sanderson lost the face off, it was his teammates who often bailed him out by still winning the loose ball. Mike Hasen, Bruce Codd and Kevin Dance were all terrific in this area. Dance unfortunately got himself tossed from the game with under six minutes remaining - a triple minor for slashing, plus a ten minute misconduct. Hasn't that been the story of Dancer's Senior career, great when under control but a liability when he loses his composure? And how often he seems to lose it these days!
Nothing but praise for every member of the Redmen. They were great throughout the final two periods. The only negative on the night was a knee injury to Scott MacDonell. He was one of Brooklin's best players during their Mann Cup run last season and will be sorely missed if he can't comeback. Especially against Brampton and all their terrific loose ball men.
|