Sep 28, 2015
Canada wins fourth straight world indoor championship
Canada's dominance in box lacrosse continues. A 12-8 victory over the Iroquois Nationals on Sunday earned Canada its fourth consecutive world indoor championship and stretched its all-time record to 23-0.
The Canadian Press
![Lacrosse, Streeter Lecka/Getty Images Lacrosse](/polopoly_fs/1.129433.1415559444!/fileimage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/lacrosse.jpg)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Canada's dominance in box lacrosse continues.
A 12-8 victory over the Iroquois Nationals on Sunday earned Canada its fourth consecutive world indoor championship and stretched its all-time record to 23-0.
Curtis Dickson scored four goals, Shawn Evans and Dan Dawson had two each while Zack Greer, Dhane Smith Steve Priolo and Stephan Leblanc added one apiece for Canada.
"We knew we had to come to play," Dickson said. "We had so much talent that guys were getting me the ball in open spots and the ball was dropping for me."
Matt Vinc got the win in net and Evans was named tournament MVP.
"It's something special but you could have given the MVP to any of our 23 players," Evans said. "Everyone battled hard. I'm thankful to get it and thankful that we won gold. We're all extremely proud of what we accomplished.
"I had a lot of people watching me (Sunday), family that travelled five hours to get here to watch. I'm truly blessed and happy that they got to witness that game."
Iroquois scorers were Jeff Shattler and Randy Staats with two each, Johnny Powless, Miles Thompson, Lyle Thompson and Jerome Thompson.
Dickson opened the scoring 56 seconds in from the top of the attack's right side.
After the Nationals went ahead 2-1, Evans intercepted a pass near the crease, faked two shots and put the ball behind goalie Angus Goodleaf to tie it. The Nationals went ahead again, but Dickson tied it 3-3 with Vinc out and an extra attacker on the floor on a delayed penalty.
Canada jumped ahead 5-3 with goals early in the second quarter.
Dawson planted a bounce shot in a lower corner of the net from the middle of the zone and Greer pulled a rebound out of the crease to score Canada's second power-play goal.
Shattler replied before Smith muscled his way through two checkers to score from the right side of the crease between Goodleaf's legs for a 6-4 lead. Staats made it 6-5 before half.
In the third quarter, Dawson and Dickson scored Canada's third and fourth power-play goals -- Dawson on a breakaway and Dickson off a cross-crease pass from Mark Matthews -- to make it 8-5.
Shattler replied with a power-play goal and Lyle Thompson's goal in the opening minute of the fourth made it 8-7.
Priolo raced towards Goodleaf on a breakaway and beat him with a bouncer at 4:21, and Leblanc fired in an overhand bullet from the left side at 5:03 for a 10-7 lead.
A third Iroquois power-play goal, this one by Staats, made it 10-8 with just over five minutes left.
Evans delivered the dagger. His overhand shot from the middle of the zone went over Goodleaf's right shoulder and into the net for an 11-8 lead.
Goodleaf was lifted for an extra attacker and Dickson scored an empty-net goal 1:09 left.
"You never get tired of representing your country and winning gold," said Canada's Kyle Rubisch. "It never gets old. It's something special when you can win gold in back-to-back world tournaments. It's definitely amazing."