Justin Ivey, Co-Editor
Lacrosse is Awesome©
The Ottawa Black Bears (2-2) hosted the Philadelphia Wings (1-2) on Saturday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. The home team jumped out to an early lead, but young star Brennan O’Neill (6G, 2A) kept the Wings in the contest with this first career sock trick. With the game tied 9-9 at the end of the third quarter, the fourth quarter was filled with action and 10 goals between the teams. Jeff Teat (2G, 8A) and Rob Hellyer (4G, 2A) led the charge for the Black Bears as they regained the lead and sent the home fans home happy. Final Score: Philadelphia Wings – 12, Ottawa Black Bears – 16.
Ottawa started the game on a four-goal run, taking command early. Sam Firth (2G) struck first, 1:55 into the game. Reilly O’Connor (3G, 3A) and Teat followed with two power play goals as the physicality picked up early and Connor Kearnan (2G, 4A) scored with 8:51 left as Philadelphia went looking for answers. They finally found opportunity and O’Neill flexed his firepower. With absolute precision, O’Neill scored two overhand twisters on power play opportunities to get the Wings in the game. Ottawa grew the lead back to three goals when Kevin Brownell (1G) scored unassisted with 39 seconds left. At the end of the first quarter, Ottawa led Philadelphia 5-2.
In this high scoring game, the second quarter only had four goals scored. Eric Fannell (2G, 2A) scored on Philadelphia’s opening possession, cutting the Ottawa lead to two, and scoring took a break for nearly six minutes after. Firth popped his second of the game into the net with 8:57 left in the half, but O’Neill completed his first half hat trick with 5:09 on the clock. Ottawa restored the three-goal lead before the half ended with a goal from Hellyer. At the half, Ottawa led Philadelphia 7-4.
Momentum was a pendulum in the third quarter, and it started swinging towards the Black Bears. Teat assisted goals by Hellyer and O’Connor to open the quarter, and Ottawa led 9-4 just 4:07 in. Then the pendulum swung to the Wings. O’Neill scored two goals sandwiched around a goal from Dalton Young (1G, 4A), and with 3:11 left, Dustyn Birkhof (1G) scored in transition. Down for the entire game, Blaze Riorden (1G, 2A) tied the score with the Wing’s fifth goal in a row and 57 seconds remaining. At the end of the third quarter, Philadelphia and Ottawa were tied 9-9.
A power play marker from Phil Caputo (1G, 3A) 28 seconds into the fourth quarter gave Philadelphia their first lead of the evening, and O’Neill’s sock trick goal 28 seconds later extended it to two. Veteran O’Connor ended the seven-goal Wings run with his hat trick score exactly five minutes into the final quarter. 45 seconds later, Larson Sundown (1G, 2A) tied the game for the final time. Teat and O’Connor assisted that goal, and the next two as Ottawa didn’t look back. Hellyer and Kearnan scored within a minute of each other and the Black Bears led 13-11 with 8:07 to play. After three minutes of scoreless back and forth action, Fannell buried his second of the game with 5:01 left, but Ottawa stood strong. Teat and Hellyer scored before the two-minute warning, and Brent Noseworthy (1G, 1A) added another with 1:37 remaining to bring us to the final. Final Score: Philadelphia Wings – 12, Ottawa Black Bears – 16.
Up Next:
The Ottawa Black Bears (2-2) travel to play the Oshawa Firewolves on Saturday, January 3 at 7:00 PM EST.
The Philadelphia Wings (1-2) have a week off before hosting the Rochester Knighthawks on Friday, January 9 at 7:00 PM EST.