The Peterborough Timbermen (4-3) suffered their worst-ever loss on Friday night, falling 19-7 to the Whitby Steelhawks (7-0) at Millbrook Arena. The game marked the halfway point of the season with the Timbermen sitting in third place.
After the game, the players were of one mind: this never happens again.
“On a weekend where we could have challenged for first place, we find ourselves trying to stay in playoff mode,” said head coach and general manager Joe Sullivan. “The players had a closed-door meeting after the game.”
Peterborough was missing key players at every position and just couldn’t match the firepower that the undefeated Steelhawks brought.
“I’m not going to hang it on them but my words to the team from the get go have been if we get everybody out to every game we’re going to win this league and they’re going to do better by themselves on a personal level,” Sullivan stressed. “When you have the likes of the key players that weren’t there tonight it sends a message of where our commitment level is.”
It certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort, said Justin Bragg, who scored two goals for Peterborough.
“We showed up for at least 45 minutes of that game,” he said. “We came out hard, got a couple of good goals and then it just went downhill. It was just a tough game all around. I know a lot of the guys on that Whitby team and they come hard every game.”
The Timbermen actually led 2-1 early in the first before Whitby caught fire, scoring five straight to go up 6-2. Peterborough was shut out until 27 seconds remained in the third quarter when Skkylar Thomas kept digging for the ball with time running out on the shot clock.
The Timbermen put together a mini three-goal run late in the third that included a behind-the-back highlight-reel goal from Joe Hall and a great transition effort from Parker Sands.
One thing that Sullivan was pleased with was the team’s composure despite the score. Though penalties were a factor, as they are in every ALL game, they were mostly run of the mill.
“I was terribly proud of how they carried themselves,” he said. “A lot of lacrosse games with a spread like that go south quickly. Our team showed a lot of maturity and professionalism and a lot of respect for Whitby.”
Laine Hruska got the win for the Steelhawks, who were led by Liam Osborne’s five goals and three assists. Jeff Fernandes scored four times and added three assists. Cam Milligan had a goal and six assists.
The last time the Timbermen lost a game like this was in their inaugural season in March 2017, an 18-7 loss to the Six Nations Snipers. They have won by 12 goals in the past, beating Whitby 18-6 last season.
The Timbermen travel to the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena Sunday afternoon to visit the Snipers before returning home to Millbrook on Saturday, February 15th for a 3 p.m. date with the Oshawa Outlaws. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids under 14 and children under five are free. Kids are encouraged to bring their sticks, helmets and balls to play on the carpet at intermission.
Scoring for the Timbermen:
Joe Hall (2-1)
Justin Bragg (2-0)
Parker Sands (1-0
Cam Crowe (1-0)
Skkylar Thomas (1-0)
Zack Thompson (0-3)
Joel Matthews (0-2)
Aaron Woods (0-1)
Brett Coons (0-1)
