Doyle's overtime goal gives Brampton second straight Mann Cup

Here's a slightly tweaked version of a story I wrote for the Canadian Press on Saturday's seventh and deciding game of the Mann Cup . . .


Colin Doyle crashed Chris Gill's going-away party Saturday night.
Doyle's shorthanded goal 55 seconds into a 10-minute overtime session stood up as the winner as the Brampton Excelsiors claimed their second straight Mann Cup title Saturday night with a 9-7 comeback victory over Gill's New Westminster Salmonbellies. Brampton won the 100th edition of the Canadian lacrosse championship series 4-3 before a disappointed crowd of 3,370 at Queen's Park Arena.
Doyle and Gill were once teammates with the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League.
“I feel bad for (Gill), but I’m so elated at how our guys did,” said Doyle. “It’s tough for him, but that’s the way the ball goes.”
Earlier in the season, Gill had indicated he was likely playing the last of 16 seasons at the senior level. Until the final minute of regulation time, it looked like Gill's goal midway through the third, which put the Salmonbellies ahead 7-4, would stand up as the winner. But the Excelsiors fought their way back to tie with 15.7 seconds left in regulation time.
“I’m in disbelief right now – I don’t know what just happened,” said Gill, 37. “We kind of got caught up in the moment in overtime and didn’t do what we wanted to do.”
New Westminster had led 2-1 after the first period, 5-3 after the second, and 6-3 early in the third.
Doyle's winning tally came after he was injured at the end of the opening game a week ago in an incident that spurred a brawl and led to $1,000 fines for each club – and caused considerable embarrassment for the sport as the melee was aired on a widely-viewed YouTube video that lasted more than five minutes.
“After the first game, I just knew that I had to keep my emotions in check and just play lacrosse,” said Doyle. “I have a sore jaw . . . but it ain’t as sore when you win.”
It was the second year in a row the Excelsiors denied the Salmonbellies a record 25th Canadian lacrosse title. But this series was much closer than Brampton's home-floor sweep of New Westminster last year.
Doyle was the subject of considerable attention throughout the series, and was often hacked and whacked and checked into the arena’s wooden floor. You could say that he had the last laugh, but he took the high road instead.
“I’m too tired to laugh,” said Doyle. “Hats off to them. They played a fabulous series – and that’s no cliché. They’re a very good team.”
The Excelsiors triumphed after New Westminster came within 15.7 seconds of claiming the title.
The Salmonbellies were forced to kill a holding penalty to Ian Hawksbee in the final two minutes after he took down Dan Dawson in the slot. For the next minute and a half, the hosts held off a determined Brampton squad as it pressed for the equalizer.
It looked like the game was decided when Brampton's Sandy Chapman was called for holding with 30.1 seconds left, but Mike Carnegie's shorthanded breakaway goal with only 15.7 seconds remaining in the third tied the game 7-7 and sent the game into non-sudden-death overtime.
With the Excelsiors still shorthanded, Doyle put Brampton ahead 8-7 in the first minute of the extra session. It was Doyle's third shorthanded goal of the series and Brampton's fifth overall while penalized.
Brodie Merrill's second goal of the game, into an empty net with 48.5 seconds remaining in the game, clinched the title for Brampton.
Blaine Manning and Dan Dawson also had two goals apiece for Brampton, while Shawn Williams, chosen the series most valuable player, had the other.
Kevin Crowley and Ilija Gajic each scored twice for New Westminster, while Peter Morgan and Jordan were the other New Westminster scorers.
Carnegie’s tying goal and Doyle’s winner spoiled a potential storybook finish for Gill, a former teammate of Doyle’s with the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League.
Gill buried a pass from Tyler Crompton at 10:41 of the third period to give the Salmonbellies what appeared to be an insurmountable 7-4 advantage. For most of the rest of the period, it looked like the marker would give the Salmonbellies the title on home floor that Gill had waited 16 seasons for. However, Merrill and Dawson, with his second of the game, scored just 19 seconds apart to reduce New Westminster's lead to 7-6.
“I still believed, but I started believing less and less,” said Doyle. “We got our nose to the (grindstone) and Brodie Merrill took the game over. He was just a horse for us.”
Doyle said his tired and hurt club felt it was too important to win on the road, so they refused to give up. Brampton coach Troy Cordingley said his team didn’t panic despite trailing by two goals after 40 minutes.
“We were in the dressing room and a couple of guys stood up and spoke out,” said Cordingley. “I didn’t even have to make any speech.”
New Westminster’s Kyle Ross said the toughest part about the loss was their inspirational leader Gill’s missed opportunity, because most of the Salmonbellies will return next season.
“We had it right there – and we let it slip through our fingers,” said Ross.
Notes: Brampton’s Williams led the series with nine goals and 20 assists for 29 points while Doyle was second with 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 . . . All four of the Excelsiors’ victories came in overtime . . . Williams was named the series most valuable player. ... Gill said he will weigh his National Lacrosse League options this winter before retiring from the game for good. He played for Colorado last season. ... Beer sellers stocked up on cups after running out during Friday's game. ... It was the fifth Mann Cup series between Brampton and New Westminster since 1980. ... The Mann Cup is named after Sir Donald Mann, builder of the Canadian Northern Railway. ... The Canadian Lacrosse Association, which governs the sport in this country, was formed in 1925. ... Excelsiors coach Troy Cordingley is also a grade one teacher.