Patterson, Parker help A's take 2-0 series lead

Jaden Patterson and Jack Parker, both from Niagara-on-the-Lake, provided a huge boost to the offence Friday night as the St. Catharines Junior B Athletics took a 2-0 semi-final series lead at home against the Elora Mohawks. 

Athletics’ captain Patterson scored a goal and added three assists, while Parker notched one and added two helpers in the team’s 11-9 overtime victory at Canada Games Park. Fellow NOTL native Liam Dietsch added some strong play in the defensive zone in a back-and-forth game. 

“It was like that in our first game (a 9-7 win for the A’s Thursday in Elora),” Patterson tells The Local. “We get one, they get one. We split the season series against them this year. I definitely think that if we keep playing the way we played in game five against Hamilton, I don’t think many teams can beat us.”

The A’s finished third in the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League’s Western Conference with a record of 14-5-1, five points behind the second place Mohawks in the regular season. In the first round of the playoffs, the sixth place Hamilton Bengals took the Athletics to five games before St. Catharines was able to move on to the semis with a decisive 15-7 victory on June 30.

The Athletics dug themselves into a 2-0 hole in the first period Friday, giving up goals to Keegan Detweiler and Connor Willmets of the Mohawks. But Patterson set Ian Kohut up for the first St. Catharines goal and Cody MacNeil tied it up with just under three minutes remaining. 

Elora went up 3-2 early in the second, but Parker tied it up a minute later. Parker then assisted on Levi Roaest’s goal to give the A’s their first lead of the game. The Mohawks tied it up again, but Drew Kenney got the A’s back on top 5-4 to close out the second period. 

Elora tied it up again a minute into the third. Colton Armitage put the A’s back in the lead five minutes later. But then the Mohawks went on a three-goal tear, capitalizing on some turnovers and defensive lapses. The Athletics’ Ryan Andrews was able to close the gap and then, with 1:23 remaining, Parker set up Trent Mooradian to tie it up and force a 10-minute overtime period.

Patterson pushed his team into the lead two minutes into the extra frame with a gutsy goal. Standing at the side of the Elora net, he received a cross-floor pass from Drew Kenney and knocked it past goalie Sam Forbes as he was taken to the floor by a Mohawks defender. 

True to the night’s theme, though, Elora tied it up once again five minutes later. But two late goals by Ari Steenhuis cemented the 11-9 victory for St. Catharines in front of a happy hometown crowd. .

Patterson saw floor time on almost every offensive push into the Elora end Friday. 

“I’m just trying to play as much as I can, with the energy that I have,” says the second-year Athletics forward. “I feel like it’s important for me to be out there, to be positive, to just give 100 per cent to my teammates.”

Patterson and Parker were the top two scorers for the A’s during the regular season, with 76 and 67 points respectively over 20 games. Both forwards also saw time with the St. Catharines Junior A club during the regular season. Patterson tallied four goals and four assists in five games with the senior team, while Parker was called up for one game in which he was held scoreless. 

“The game slowed down for me after playing Junior A,” admits Patterson. “I get to see a lot more on the floor. It helped me break everything down, it’s really helped me improve my game.”

Parker also saw major minutes on offence Friday night. 

“He and I talked about what we were expecting this year,” Patterson recalls. “He’s definitely exceeded what we expected. I’m really proud of what Jack has done this year.”

Patterson continues to lead all Athletics scorers in the playoffs, with five goals and 20 assists. 

Game three goes Tuesday night back in Elora, where the Athletics will have a chance to ice the best-of-five series and advance to the conference finals against either the Guelph Regals or the Six Nations Rebels. 

“They get a lot of people, they pack the stands and they’re loud,” Patterson says of Elora. “We just have to keep our momentum. We have to keep playing the way we’re playing. They swept us last year in the playoffs, so I really, really want to sweep them this year.”