Robert Smith
Robert Smith
There is an old adage that says “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Although this can be said about many sports teams, it applied particularly well to the Bishop’s Gaiters on Thursday as they roared back from a 9-5 deficit at the end of the third quarter to an 11-10 overtime win over the previously undefeated Redmen.
The large crowd that had braved the cold to attend “Fill the Hill” seemed confident that McGill would prevail, as they ended the first half leading their rivals 7-3. Yet an unruly fourth quarter cost the Redmen enormously and their 9-4 lead had evaporated by the time the final buzzer rang.
“We made some mental mistakes, and we took some stupid penalties, and unfortunately we lost our composure a little bit in the second half, which really affected our concentration offensively,” Head Coach Timothy Murdoch said. “We had to stay on the defensive for way too long, and we allowed them to creep back into the game, tie it up and then actually get ahead.”
Despite the late game collapse, the team can focus on the many positives. McGill dominated Bishop’s during most of the first half, only allowing them to score two quick goals 13 minutes into the game, and then one late in the frame. McGill’s Alex Rohrbach and Ryan Besse potted two apiece in the first quarter, with Besse completing his hat trick in the second. This feat didn’t go unnoticed by his coach.
“I’d say Ryan Besse was probably the outstanding player of the game [for McGill], he had a hat trick …[and] he played extremely well offensively,” Murdoch said. Jishan Sharples and Nolan Prinzen scored the other McGill goals.
McGill was also strong in the third quarter, as both sides scored twice, making it 9-5 Redmen. The score might have been much closer had it not been for McGill goaltender Ward Waesche who made three incredible saves on point blank shots, including a gliding foot save.
The fourth quarter was a different story, as Bishop’s players got under the Redmen’s skin, leading to 13 penalties against the home team. The Gaiters scored five unanswered goals to take a one-goal lead before McGill’s J.J. Miller was able to tie the game in the last minute of play. However, Miller’s last-minute heroics weren’t enough, as Bishop’s scored once more in overtime to end McGill’s winning streak at seven.
Despite his apparent disappointment over the loss, Murdoch remained positive about his team’s performance. “I was proud of the team, even though we lost, I thought we played extremely well … in an emotional game. We fought back hard, and just ran out of gas in the overtime,” Murdoch said.
Despite the loss, McGill remains in first place in the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association East standings with two games remaining in the regular season. The Redmen will attempt to get back on track as they close out the year with a pair of games against winless Queen’s.
