NLL Insider

Mann Cup: New West ties the series, 8-7 victory in Game 4

Following Brampton’s 8-7 double-overtime win in Game 3, the New Westminster Salmonbellies won Game 4 by the same score, 8-7. The victory knots the Eastern Major Series League (MSL) Excelsiors and Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) Salmonbellies up at 2-2 in their Best-of-7 national championship.

“A tight game, wow!” said ‘Bellies coach Bob Salt of the critical Game 4 victory. “I think we got a bit nervous at the end there, but we battled, we ran.”

“They’re a really good team,” added Salt, whose ‘Bellies fell down by a score of 4-2 after one period and 6-3 half-way through the game. “It’s hard to claw back on them, they’re a veteran team that keeps the ball and doesn’t give it up… But I think when we ran we gave them a lot of trouble.” READ MORE »

It’s all tied up. What did you expect?

Did you really expect anything else? After the double overtime marathon that was game 3, both teams took to the wooden floor at Queens Park and once again put on a fantastic showing for the 2500 fans. The series is now all tied up at two and we are set for a dramatic best of three series to determine the 2009 Mann Cup champion. Game 5 goes tomorrow night and after the first four games there is very little to decipher between the two squads. READ MORE »

Mann Cup: Excelsiors without stars Dan Dawson and Anthony Cosmo

Already without Dan Dawson, Mike Hominuck and Sandy Chapman as of last game, the Brampton Excelsiors will now lose another key cog with starting ‘tender Anthony Cosmo out, as well.

According to the team, the four aforementioned have work commitments that they could not get out of: Dawson as a new fire-fighter, Hominuck and Cosmo as school teachers. READ MORE »

Mann Cup: Classic Continues, Brampton wins Game 3 in 2OT

It just keeps getting better. As ‘Rabid Camel’ also accurately summed up on the NLL Forums: “Totally insane series so far…this may be a MANN Cup everyone remembers for a generation…back to back OT games following a game 1 brawl, a player suspended 3 games who didn’t even make the hit, fire alarms going off in OT in Queens Park arena, Doyles helmet and chinstrap constantly popping off and a controversial game winning goal in sudden death OT, clutch goals by clutch players at critical times – aka Cliff Smith shorthanded goal to tie the game and send to OT…and aside from all of that just some great lacrosse to watch from both teams…”

More from the players after the jump. READ MORE »

It Just Keeps Getting Better

Its only game three and the 2009 Mann Cup is defiantly making a run for one of the greatest of all time! After the rest day Sunday both teams came out and put on a defensive clinic in a back and forth game that lasted over three hours and ended on a double overtime goal by Brampton’s Colin Doyle. The series continues to provide fans with great memories and pulse raising action. READ MORE »

Mann Cup: Excelsiors climb the all-time scoring chart, Bellies to follow?

10th place is where the 5-foot-9 forward Josh Sanderson now sits on the all-time Mann Cup scoring chart. With eight points in his last two games, Josh topped the century mark with 101 points through 23 Mann Cup games.

One more point and Sanderson will tie Paul Gait for ninth place in the record books. The Brampton Excelsiors’ forward could even climb as high as third place before this series is done; The Top 5 all-time Mann Cup scorers and more on New West’s top young guns after the jump. READ MORE »

Lacrosse Links: Mann Cup Continues Tonight

After two hard matches, including an epic first game brawl, the fight for the Mann Cup between Brampton and New West is knotted up at one heading into tonight’s third game at Queen’s Park Arena in B.C.
READ MORE »

A Day off and it’s well deserved

The two competitors in this year’s 2009 Mann Cup are taking a little more time in bed today and enjoying a much deserved day off.  Its rest day out west and after the first two games of the national championships we’ve pretty much already seen it all. What the remaining games have to offer is still up for grabs but if you aren’t keeping a close eye on this series, you aren’t a fan of lax. READ MORE »

Mann Cup: Brampton wins Game 2 in OT, ties series with New West

The Eastern Major Series League (MSL) Brampton Excelsiors won in overtime against the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) New Westminster Salmonbellies in Game 2 of the Mann Cup Best-of-7 final.

Down 9-7 in the third, the Excelsiors tied the game at nine with goals from Josh Sanderson and Blaine Maining, and then scored four times in the overtime frame to come away with a crucial 13-10 victory, and 1-1 series tie. READ MORE »

Mann Cup: Ready for Round 2

“With the teams knowing each other from last year, there will be lots of hatred and intensity right from the start,” Brampton star Colin Doyle told the NLL Insider prior to the start of this series. His quote was accurate.

The 100th Anniversary of the Mann Cup opened up with a bang in a game that featured a bench-clearing brawl, 173 combined penalty minutes, and a 12-9 win for the home-town ‘Bellies. READ MORE »