Snipers keep winning streak alive with OT triumph against Monarchs

It wasn’t easy. But thanks to a massive fourth-quarter rally, and then some extra work in overtime, the Six Nations Snipers were able to extend their winning streak. The Snipers won their fifth straight Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) game on Saturday by downing the host Toronto Monarchs 16-15 in OT.

The match was staged at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in Oakville. The Six Nations squad entered the contest, during the final weekend of regular season action, already guaranteed a first-place finish in its seven-team league. With the win over the Monarchs the Snipers boosted their record to 9-2. Toronto finished off its regular season campaign with a mark of 4-8.

“We won, but not the way we planned on,” said Snipers’ head coach Darcy Powless.

The Six Nations club, which was missing several of its key regulars, found itself trailing by five goals, 15-10, with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Snipers rallied and scored the final five goals of the quarter to deadlock the score at 15-15 and force an overtime session.

“We had to dig deep in the fourth to come back,” Powless said. “Guys gutted it out and showed character by coming back.

The fact they were without several of their stars and knowing they couldn’t move up or down in the final standings, no doubt contributed to the Snipers’ efforts throughout most of the match.

“Intensity was missing for most of the game until the fourth quarter when we made our comeback,” Powless said. “We went back to just worrying about playing lacrosse instead of other aspects that was diverting our attention.”

While the Monarchs were assessed just one penalty in the entire game, the Snipers had eight penalty calls against them. Despite picking up another 'W', Powless was hoping his charges could put the game behind them and worry about their next challenge. The Snipers are scheduled to conclude their regular season on Sunday with a home contest against the St. Catharines Shockwave. This game, which will be held at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Hagersville, has an opening faceoff set for 4 p.m.

“I told them learn from it, regroup and come ready to close out the season with a full 60- minute effort,” Powless said.

Justin Martin was the OT hero for the Snipers on Saturday scoring :45 into the extra session. Tye Argent and Tyler Brown led the way offensively for Six Nations as they both scored three goals each. Rodd Squire, Daylen Hill and Chayton King netted two goals each. And single goals were provided by Jordan Goddard, Mike Attwood and Brent Longboat.