The Oakville Buzz lacrosse team had their first playoff game in their series against the Orangeville Northmen and hoped to start the series the right way.
With this series being a best of five, it's always best to win that first game and not forced to win three of the following four.
July 13, 2022: Orangeville Northmen vs. Oakville Buzz - Game 1
Though the Buzz were looking to start this game right, Orangeville struck first just under two minutes into the game with a goal by Liam Matthews, giving the Northmen the early 1-0 lead.
Oakville answered back with a Curtis Goddard goal tying the game 1-1, but Orangeville took the lead back after a goal by Trey Deere made the score 2-1 Northmen.
The Buzz fought their way back, scoring two goals in quick succession. One was shorthanded by Will Sheehan, and the other was by Eddie Qu that gave Oakville a 3-2 lead.
The Northmen scored near the end of the period with a goal by Koleton Marquis. The period ended 3-3.
At the start of the second period, Orangeville got a quick start. The Northmen scored two unanswered goals by Trey Deere and Jameson Bucktooth, giving Orangeville a 5-3 lead.
But as they always seem to do, the Buzz battled back. It started with a big goal from Will Sheehan, bringing the Buzz within one goal. Then, Jake Dawick scored a big goal that tied the game 5-5.
Then Amos Whitcomb scored to give the Buzz the one-goal lead near the end of the period, making the score 6-5.
In the third period, Oakville finally started on time with a powerplay goal by Amos Whitcomb to make the game 7-5. After that goal, both teams scratched and clawed their way to the end.
Orangeville finally got a goal with 43 seconds left. However, that was as close as they would get.
Oakville would win this game 7-6 and take a 1-0 lead in the best of five series.
July 15, 2022: Oakville Buzz vs. Orangeville Northmen - Game 2
After a big win in game one, the Buzz travelled to Orangeville, looking to take a stranglehold on the series.
The game didn’t start well for the Buzz as they allowed Orangeville to score three unanswered goals. The goals were scored by Julien Belair, Liam Matthews, and Trey Deere, putting the Buzz down 3-0 early in the game.
But Oakville came back. Brian Jackman stopped the bleeding with a powerplay goal to make the game 3-1. Then, Amos Whitcomb scored another powerplay goal to bring the Buzz within one.
Orangeville re-gained the two-goal lead when Colm Barnett put the ball into the back of the net, making the score 4-2 at the end of the first period.
Not the best period for Oakville, but the team was not out of this game.
The second period was nothing like the first at all. The Buzz put on an offensive explosion as they scored five unanswered goals. Those goals came from Brian Jackman, Curtis Goddard, Curtis Goddard again, Jake Dawick, and Will Sheehan.
Orangeville could not find the back of the net in the second frame, and the Buzz found themselves up 7-4.
The third period was similar to the second. Oakville dominated. The Buzz opened the period with a powerplay goal by Lucas Ferreira and another powerplay goal by Amos Whitcomb, making the score 9-4 Buzz.
Orangeville finally scored with a shot by Nate Ruff, but Oakville put the game away with a final goal by Hugh Kelleher with two minutes left in the game, making the final score 10-5 Buzz.
Oakville now leads the series 2-0 and needs one more win to move on to the next round.
As a Toronto Maple Leaf fan, this reporter can affirm the last win in the series is always the hardest, but the Buzz has a chance to get that win on Sunday, July 17 at 3 p.m. with a home match here in Oakville.