The Mister Transmission Orillia Jr. B Kings lost a hard-fought battle against Brampton Thursday night in the local squad's home opener. Despite a fast start in front of 250 fans at Rotary Place, the visiting Excelsiors eared a 10-7 win over the Kings.
In an explosive start, Kings captain Noah Quarrington scored 40 seconds into the game and by the end of the first period the home side was up 3-1.
But when the Kings hit the floor in the second period, they ran into some penalty trouble and when the middle frame came to an end, Brampton was up 6-4. The teams traded goals in the third period with each team scoring three times.
Liam McCrimmon led Orillia on the scoresheet with a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Mark Watters had three goals on the night and Bjorn Deilmann picked up a single marker.
Goaltender Quinton Greenfield was forced to make numerous key saves to keep the score close and was awarded the Dapper Depot player of the game.
“The team is young and they are excited to get back on the floor in front of a great crowd," said Kings general manager GM Rob Blasdell.
"It was nice to see so many lacrosse families and sponsors out to support the young club. The future is bright for Jr. B lacrosse in Orillia.”
Head coach Jim Meredith said his squad will have to elevate its play to find the win column.
“You can try and practise at game speed and conditions, but the real thing is different," said Meredith. "Once you get to that speed everything is different. Our passing and shooting were at practice level and our thinking was just a second behind.”
The team will be on the floor again in a home-and-home against Oshawa next week. Game time April 29 is 8 p.m. at Rotary Place.
