Neil McNeil Catholic High School wins OFSAA field lacrosse bronze in battle against neighbourhood rival Malvern Collegiate
Neil McNeil Catholic High School’s field lacrosse team won the bronze medal at the recent Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championship tournament recently in Owen Sound.
Competing in the highest level AAA division at OFSAA, the provincial bronze medal game featured a match between local high schools Neil McNeil and nearby Malvern Collegiate Institute.
Neil McNeil won the won the game 11-8.
With strong lacrosse traditions at both East Toronto schools and links to the Beaches Lacrosse Club, the players on both Malvern and Neil McNeil were quite familiar with each other heading into the bronze medal match.
Neil McNeil jumped out to quick 5-0 lead in the first quarter, inspired by some critical saves by goalie Patrick Jefferies.
Malvern pushed back hard in the second half, narrowing the gap to just two goals on a number of occasions. However, Neil McNeil held on for the win thanks to late markers by Heath Harker and Ellery Alexander.
The bronze was Neil McNeil’s second time on the OFSAA medal podium in recent years as they also won bronze at the 2019 championships. In the 2019 tourney, Neil McNeil was led by the play of now professional lacrosse player Jacob Hickey of the Beaches Junior A program.
Going into this year’s OFSAA championships on June 4 and 5, Neil McNeil was ranked second out of the 12 teams competing. Malvern was ranked fifth.
Neil McNeil opened the tourney with a 14-6 win over Ottawa’s Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary School. Ben Barton led the way for Neil McNeil in the game with a hat trick. In their second game, Neil McNeil took on Mississauga’s St. Martin Catholic School in a game played in pouring rain. It was a close contest which Neil McNeil won 11-9.
Those two preliminary round wins put NeiL McNeil into the semifinals against Durham Region’s Brooklin HIgh School, the third ranked team in the tourney. A deep and fast team that went on to win the gold medal at this year’s OFSAA field lacrosse championships, Brooklin beat Neil McNeil 18-10.
“We kept improving every game over the course of the tournament and I’m very proud of our result,” said Neil McNeil head coach Frank Hickey. “Our senior group really showed some great leadership along the way.”
Malvern’s route to the bronze medal game saw them win their first two matches by scores of 6-0 over Bowmanville High School and 7-6 over Georgetown’s Christ the King Catholic Secondary School. In the semifinal, Malvern faced top ranked St. Peter Secondary School from Peterborough and fell 17-8.
Malvern’s girls field lacrosse team also qualified for this month’s OFSAA (Trillium Cup) championships in Owen Sound.
