The Lakers entered Game 6 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre needing a win to force a seventh and deciding game, but the Chiefs built an early lead and held off every attempt to get back into the game.
Dhane Smith opened the scoring for Six Nations before Ian MacKay scored twice to put the Chiefs up 3-0. Chris Cloutier then made it 4-0 before Rob Hellyer got Peterborough on the board, scoring off a Ryan Lanchbury pass with 4:40 left in the opening period. Shayne Jackson restored the Chiefs’ four-goal lead with 48 seconds left, sending Six Nations into the second with a 5-1 advantage.
The Lakers needed a strong start to the second and got it from Braedon Saris, who scored on the power play just under four minutes in to cut the deficit to three. It was over 11 minutes until the games next goal, with Andrew Kew scoring for Six Nations to make it a 6-2 game. The Chiefs would strike again with 29 seconds left in the period but the Lakers would respond shortly after as Brad McCulley scored with just three seconds remaining, cutting the Chiefs’ lead to 7-3 heading into the third.
It was all Chiefs in the third with Kew opening the scoring just 2:03 into the period to restore a four-goal Six Nations lead. Ryan Smith added a power-play goal before Tyson Bell scored into an empty net with 2:50 remaining, putting the game out of reach and securing the championship for the Chiefs with a final score of 10-3.
Doug Jamieson made 38 saves for Six Nations, while Drew Hutchison made 55 saves for Peterborough in the loss. Nick Rose was anticipated to get the start for the Lakers but he was not a hundred percent and as game time neared, the team made the call to go with Hutchison between the pipes while Deacon Knott suited up as his backup.
For Lakers captain Robert Hope, the result was disappointing, but he said the team could still be proud of what it accomplished.
“I'm proud of our group,” Hope said after the game. “But again, coming up short is disappointing.”
Hope also pointed to the mistakes that proved costly against a Six Nations team that was able to capitalize on its opportunities.
“I just thought we made too many mistakes and they capitalized on theirs,” he said.
Despite the disappointment, Hope made sure to recognize the fans who stayed to salute the team following the final buzzer. He called Peterborough’s supporters “the greatest fans in lacrosse in the summer” and said their support remains a huge part of the Lakers’ tradition.
“It’s so important that we have that community support and it continues on,” Hope said.
