USA v. CANADA October 16, 2004  |
USA v. CANADA October 16, 2004 |
HERITAGE CUP HEADS NORTH
DENVER - Avenging its loss on home soil two years ago, Team Canada dominated Team USA in the second edition of the Heritage Cup Saturday night at Pepsi Center. Canada scored the first four goals of the game and shut out the Americans in the fourth quarter to claim a 17-8 victory.
2004 Heritage Cup Champions: Team Canada
Team USA shocked the favored Canadians in 2002, winning the inaugural Heritage Cup match 21-16 in Mississauga, Ontario. But Team Canada assured itself a different fate on Saturday, blitzing USA goalie and 2002 MVP Dwight Maetche with 23 first-quarter shots and building an early 4-0 lead.
ILF VP Stan Cockerton and President Peter Hobbs Present the Cup.
Mike Regan finally scored for Team USA with less than two minutes remaining in the opening period but Canada struck a minute later when John Grant Jr. brilliantly tapped back a carom of a Taylor Wray shot into the goal to make it 5-1. The pro-American crowd of 11,537 had something to cheer about when Jake Bergey cut the Team Canada lead to three in the second quarter, but Team USA would get no closer than that.
Native American drummers open the game.
Colorado Mammoth captain Gary Gait scored three goals and three assists for Canada while Jay Jalbert and Jeff Sonke led Team USA's Mammoth contingent, each notching a goal and an assist. Mammoth defender Dave Stilley, who rarely figures in scoring plays, also notched a goal after being on the receiving end of a 2-on-1 early in the second quarter. Mammoth defenders Brian Reese and Jamie Hanford each had an assist for Team USA and Hanford was his usual, effective self on faceoffs, winning 18-of-28.
A special Moment: Les Bartley and Jim Veltman Accept the Cup.
Grant led all scorers with five goals and was named player of the game for Team Canada, edging out Gait and Tracey Kelusky, who thrilled the small Canadian section of the crowd with three goals and three assists, most of them spectacular. Regan, who scored just once but played a strong game at both ends of the floor, received the honor for Team USA over Bergey who led the American scoring with two goals.
CAN 6 3 3 5 - 17
USA 1 3 4 0 - 8
From Colorado Mammoth Release
MVP John Grant
TRIP NOTES: Thanks to Chad and the crew at Harrow, Steve and Alex and the great people at Pepsi Center and the Warwick Hotel. The Calgary youth team won the halftime contest against the Denver kids thanks largely to defense and breakaway scoring. They were coached by the owner of NLL Champion Calgary Roughnecks and lax dad Brad Bannister. It's been a good year for Brad.
Stan Cockerton with the Cup
The Heritage Cup was the vision of Cup Chairman Stan Cockerton, pictured above with Peter Hobbs, Jim Veltman and Les Bartley. He is the Vice President of the ILF (International Lacrosse Federation) which held meetings at the Heritage Cup with representatives from all over the world. He is also the President of the OLA (Ontario Lacrosse Association) but holds an even more notable place in international lacrosse history. He scored the winning goal in the 1978 Canadian upset victory over the US in the World Games final. The next goal for Cockerton is expanding the youth indoor game internationally and cross-provincially in Canada where he is already partnering with people like Bannister in Calgary. We'll see him again soon in London, Ontario hosting the 2006 World Games. The US hosts the next big international event in June of 2005 as the World Cup of Women's Lacrosse comes to Annapolis, Maryland and the United States Naval Academy. These are great vacation events so make plans to attend with the whole family.
Members of the ILF Council
Les Bartley was inspirational and the moment pictured above with Veltman as they strode to collect the hardware for their victorious team is historic. This was Barley's first coaching job since taking leave from managing and coaching the Toronto Rock before last season to battle colon cancer. On October 5th, he was named Vice President of the Toronto Rock organization.
Gait with Mammoth GM Steve Govett
We think the only player who hailed from south of the Mason-Dixon line is Annapolis' Dan Morohl, who is famous around the E-Lacrosse world for being the star player for LaxWorld in the Maryland Summer Team every time they beat us in the finals. USA Keeper Erik Miller is an E-Lacrosse Team Alumnus. Ryan Powell, who lives in Denver, was scratched from the lineup late in the week after a mountain bike fall injured his wrist. An interesting confrontation occurred when the USA's Brian Reese found himself in a scuffle with, oops.. Gary Gait. Reese is like a guardian around the superstar in his professional life "keeping it clean with muscle and mean" as Gait's teammate with the Colorado Mammoth and Baltimore Bayhawks. A referee, along with fellow double teammate Jeff Sonke, helped break the two up.
Team Canada's Peter Lough High Bandwidth
ACTION VIDEOS
Team Canada's Colin Doyle to Tracey Kelusky High Bandwidth
Team Canada's Gary Gait High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Mike Regan High Bandwidth
Team Canada's John Grant Jr. High Bandwidth
Team Canada's Gary Gait High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Dwight Maetche High Bandwidth Only
Team Canada's Gary Gait High Bandwidth
Team Canada's Pat O'Toole High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Regy Thorpe to Dave Stilley High Bandwidth
Team USA's Dwight Maetche High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Keith Cromwell to Kevin Finneran High Bandwidth
Team Canada's Pat O'Toole High Bandwidth Only
Team Canada's Pat O'Toole High Bandwidth Only
Team Canada's Gary Gait again! High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Jake Bergey High Bandwidth
Team Canada's Tracey Kelusky to John Grant Jr. High Bandwidth
Team Canada's Colin Doyle High Bandwidth
Team USA's Dwight Maetche High Bandwidth Only
Team Canada's Pat O'Toole High Bandwidth Only
Team Canada's Jim Veltman to John Grant Jr. again! High Bandwidth
Team USA Face-Off! High Bandwidth Only
Team Canada's Pat O'Toole again! High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Jake Bergey High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Dwight Maetche again! High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Jake Bergey to Keith Cromwell High Bandwidth
Team Canada's Tracey Kelusky to John Tavares High Bandwidth
Gary Gait goal that was disallowed High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Erik Miller High Bandwidth Only
Team USA's Erik Miller again! High Bandwidth Only
Team Canada's Tracey Kelusky to John Grant Jr. High Bandwidth
Team Canada's Tracey Kelusky High Bandwidth
GAME PHOTOGRAPHS
More Game & Action Photos...
Large Photos
PEPSI CENTER PHOTOGRAPHS
ILF MEETING PHOTOGRAPHS
The ILF is the International Lacrosse Federation which sanctions the Heritage Cup, Indoor and Outdoor World Games, Women's World Cup and generally promotes and guide the international growth of the game.
LUNCHEON PHOTOGRAPHS
The suprise of the day was the awarding of each youth player at the banquet with an indoor Canada or USA game jersey by a Heritage Cup player. The kids, from Calgary and Denver would use the jerseys later as they played an exhibition during the Heritage Cup halftime.
DENVER PHOTOGRAPHS
MORE GAME PHOTOGRAPHS
Large Photos
