The tyke (age 7 and 8) Nepean Knights won
the championship game of the Nepean Knights Lacrosse tournament in dramatic
fashion over the visiting St Catharines Athletics by a score of 4-3. With the
game tied 3-3 with less than a minute to play, Kayle Osborne made a strong
check at the centre of the floor, grabbed the ball, raced in on a breakaway and
put a beautiful shot past the Athletics’ goaltender to put the Knights ahead
for good. It was Osborne’s third goal of the game.
The Knights went into the third period with
a 3-1 lead. The two teams had played earlier in the round robin, with St. Catharines winning
7-6. In the final, the Athletics pulled even early in the third but the Knights
defence held strong and kept the game tied until Osborne broke the deadlock.
The win is a huge boost for the young Knights team coached by Shawn Thompson as
they head to the provincial championships in Whitby in early August.
In earlier tournament action, the Knights
were never really tested; they won 10-2 over Gloucester, 17-3 over Kahnawake and again
17-3 over Akwasasne.
The tyke Knights’ championship was a
highlight of the 14th annual Nepean Knights Lacrosse tournament that drew 58
teams to the city from across Ontario, Quebec and New
Brunswick.