Canada wins gold at World Junior Lacrosse Championship

Canada took gold Sunday at the IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship at Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre with a 16-9 win over Haudenosaunee in the championship game. 

A balanced attack that saw three players post hat tricks and three others score 2 goals each proved unstoppable, and a 5-goal run spanning the intermission was the critical turning point as Canada turned a close game through the first half into a runaway. 

After All-World-team transition player Owen Van Loon scored to pull Haudenosaunee within 7-6 with 5:55 to play in the second quarter, Canada responded with goals from Nolan Byrne and Silas Richmond before the period ended. 

The home team then continued the run with goals from their player of the game, Keaton Zavitz, and a power play marker from Richmond in the first three minutes of the third quarter and another marker from Byrne three and a half minutes later to make the score 12-6. 

Thanks to solid defence and a 46-save performance from Deacon Knott in the Canadian net, the Haudenosaunee were able to muster just three more goals and never got closer than a 5-goal spread again. 

Richmond led the tournament with a remarkable 24 goals through Canada's four games. After having scored 7 in each of the first three games, he added more of a feeder role in the gold medal contest, matching the 5 assists he had entered the game with. 

His 8 points was second in the game to Canadian captain Tyler Davis, who had 3 goals and 6 assists to give him a tournament-leading 20 helpers in total. Zavitz scored 3 goals and 3 assists while Will Macleod also notched a hat trick and added an assist. 

Damon Doxtator was the offensive leader for the Haudenosaunee with a pair of goals and 5 assists, Mitch VanEvery had a hat trick and Thunder Hill added 2 goals and 2 assists. Lindyn Hill made 35 saves on 51 shots.

All-World First Team
Goalie - Deacon Knott, Canada
Defence - Duncan Carte, Poland
Defence - Solomon Hess, USA
Transition - Owen Van Loon, Haudenosaunee
Forward - Silas Richmond, Canada
Forward - Ross Hill, Haudenosaunee 

All-World Second Team
Goalie - Cam Pilon, USA
Defence - Mitch Armstrong, Canada
Defence - Zac Clothier, Australia
Transition - Ari Weiss, Israel
Forward - Zander Elkins, Australia
Forward - Tyler Davis, Canada

Nations and organizations competing at the 2022 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship including Canada and the Canadian Lacrosse League, United States and US Indoor Lacrosse, Poland and the Poland Lacrosse Foundation, and Haudenosaunee turn their attention to the 2022 IIJl World U16 Lacrosse Championship taking place in Buffalo, NY September 2-5, 2022.