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Bob Hanna has brought 14 years of class to Whitby Warriors

Bob Hanna on the right with Head Coach Derek Keenan and the Minto Cup Trophy

General manager wins second Minto Cup with junior A lacrosse team.

There's not much more to be done or won for Bob Hanna in lacrosse circles, but thankfully he'll be around these parts for at least one more year.

When he does finally walk away from the Whitby Warriors, there'll be a big void, not just in terms of his vast knowledge of the game, but also the class he has brought to the organization over the past 14 years.

Hanna, now 77, has been with the junior A lacrosse club in some capacity since 1998, winning two Minto Cup national championships, including last weekend in Alberta as the team's general manager.

Not bad for a someone who was set to retire from the game altogether in 1997, and then planned only to be involved for a few years once he was lured to Whitby by Jim Bishop to be the team's GM.

But life doesn't always turn out as planned, and there's few better examples of that than the relationship between Hanna and Bishop.

Few may know that the two spent a period of about 10 years not speaking to each other.

That came about when Bishop was coaching Hanna in junior back in the 1950's, and Hanna told Bishop where to stick it after a couple of games that saw him get only slightly more floor time than the coach himself.

The two went their separate ways, with Bishop later cementing his reputation as arguably the game's greatest coach by leading the Oshawa Green Gaels to an unprecedented seven straight Minto Cup titles, and Hanna moving on to play intermediate and then senior lacrosse, ultimately landing with the Brooklin Redmen in the mid-60's.

It was after one of those Redmen games that Bishop called Hanna aside and the two mended fences, with Bishop recruiting Hanna to play for Detroit in the pro ranks.

They were friends again until the end.

Unfortunately the end came sooner than expected when Bishop died in a car accident after the 1998 season, one that was supposed to have provided the two with their first Minto Cup title together, but didn't.

Hanna took up the coaching reins himself the following year and dedicated the season to Bishop, setting the players on a mission that indeed ended with a Minto Cup championship, and only three losses the entire year.

He has stayed with the club ever since, although did see his capacity lessened at one point, only to be recruited again as GM to try to win another elusive Minto Cup.

That he has done so leaves him brimming with pride.

"This was a very sweet victory for me," he says, sounding almost more impressed with this group than the 1999 team, but only because the expectations were lower and the road travelled so much more difficult this time.

With the Minto Cup tournament coming to Whitby next year, Hanna has agreed to stay on through at least the year, but he doubts much longer.

"It would be nice maybe to win one more next year and perhaps wrap it up," he says.

The shoes he will leave behind will be big ones indeed.

August 30, 2011

Mr. Bob Hanna,

Whitby Warriors Jr A

Bob:

After having spent a very enjoyable 11 days with yourself, the Warriors, your fans and your parents, I extend to The Whitby Warrior Lacrosse Club a very hearty congratulations from the Board of Governors of Ontario Junior "A" Lacrosse and myself on your winning the Minto Cup last Sunday night in Okotoks, Alberta.  We all know just how hard it is to get out of Ontario as Ontario Champions and advance to the Minto Cup. 

Whitby defeated three great teams St Catharines, Six Nations, then Orangeville, taking 13 out of a possible 14 games to do so against Six Nations and Orangeville, points out just how grueling this feat is.  

During the Minto Cup, in Alberta, it took a complete team effort to win at this level.  After having said that, several of your players came to the forefront with extraordinary performances.  To that end it was a very difficult task for myself, and the other two commissioners, to choose the MVP award winner.  In our estimation Whitby had five players that we had to picked from; John Lafontaine, Curtis Knight, Zack Higgins, Mark Matthews and Mark Cockerton.  In the end we chose Curtis Knight as the |Jim McConaghy Memorial Award winner as we felt Curtis' contributions in  all aspects of the game, and at both ends of the floor, was above his piers.  Curtis scored 24 points with no penalty minutes in the series and seemed to be the player who lead the way by example.  It was nice to see the coach Derek Keenan stated those same thoughts in a news paper interview after the game. 

In the end Bob, The Whitby Warriors are the 2011 Minto Cup Champions, and no one can ever take that away from your team, so enjoy the fruits of winning and enjoy the winter.   As you and I know the 2012 season will come soon and the other 11 Junior "A" teams will be coming after you. 

Again, congratulations, we are proud that The Whitby Warriors have returned the Minto Cup to Ontario, as we always are when an Ontario teams win the National Championship.

Best regards,

Dean McLeod,

Commissioner.

Complete team effort' leads Warriors to Minto Cup

Whitby overcomes all obstacles on way to national lacrosse championship

There are countless examples of individual efforts that helped the Whitby Warriors win their first Minto Cup national championship in 12 years.

But that would be missing the point.

The fact is, as has been the case all season, the players came together as a team at the precise time necessary to get the job done.

The crowning moment came Saturday and Sunday in Okotoks, Alberta, where the Warriors mustered a pair of wins, 5-4 and 12-7, to overcome a 1-0 series deficit and defeat a Coquitlam Adanacs team that was not only defending champion, but had lost only a single game previously all season long.

With that, the Warriors claimed junior A lacrosse's greatest prize.

"When we really needed it, everybody stepped up and played unbelievable lacrosse, and I mean everybody, the whole team," said coach Derek Keenan, who had to take a red-eye flight out of Calgary shortly after the game to return to work in Oshawa Monday. "We had some injuries we had to deal with and guys stepped in and played well in roles. It was just a complete team effort and that's what it takes to win a championship."

Like much of the season, it was an up-and-down tournament for the Warriors, who lost 14-8 to Coquitlam in the round robin, had some trouble in an 8-4 semifinal win over the host Okotoks Raiders, and dropped the opener of the best-of-three final 12-9.

But as had been the case all season, the Warriors simply refused to lose when it mattered most. They had survived two gruelling rounds in the Ontario final to reach the Minto Cup, defeating Six Nations in six games of the semifinal and Orangeville in seven games of the final.

"You have your ups and downs, certainly we did, and it presents to the coaching staff sometimes some doubt, but whenever it was really on the line, our guys performed and stepped up," said Keenan. "We play two teams like Six Nations and Orangeville, it's difficult, but it also hardens you I think and prepares you for those situations that we were in this week, where we were in a sudden-death situation."

It was the last kick at the can for six key graduating players, including captain John LaFontaine, a six-foot-two defender who scored a goal and was named the most valuable player of the final game.

"You've got five years to win this trophy, it's one of the hardest ones to win," LaFontaine said by phone Monday, after a mostly sleepless night and just prior to the flight home. "Just growing up with a few of these guys, I'm so proud of every single one of them. To put it into words is tough. It was the best moment of my life."

Keenan knows first-hand how difficult it is to win a Minto Cup, having failed to do so himself despite a brilliant junior career with Oshawa from 1976 to 1982. He tried to impress that upon every single player, but especially on LaFontaine and the other graduating players, Mark Matthews, Shayne Jackson, Nick Diachenko, Adrian Sorichetti and goalie Zach Higgins.

"We felt like we had a team that could win and the message was don't let it slip because it might never happen again," Keenan said. "The guys didn't let it slip. I'm really proud of them. There were guys sticking their heads in front of shots, just doing whatever it takes to win."

Keenan could have gone up and down the roster heaping praise on his players, but he singled out a few upon request, including: Mark Cockerton, who scored three goals in the final game and a force all over the floor; Matthews, who shared the tournament lead with 30 points; LaFontaine for his leadership; Diachenko, who returned to the lineup a week after breaking his arm recently; Emerson Clark, who proved he is more than just a tough guy by scoring some key goals; Higgins, who was superb in goal the final two games; and Curtis Knight, the tournament MVP.

"I think you could have picked about four or five guys as MVP, but Curtis Knight, for the tournament as a whole, he was the best player," Keenan said of Knight, who had 10 goals and 24 points in the seven tournament games. "He brings so much every shift he's on the floor. There's never a moment taken off for him and I'm glad they recognized that."

Tournament notes

It was the second straight Minto Cup win for Mark Matthews, who played for Coquitlam last year and led the tournament in scoring then as well ... Dan Lintner was second in scoring for the Warriors with 25 points, including nine goals ... Ryan Serville and Chad Tutton scored twice each for the Warriors in the clincher, while Lintner, Shayne Jackson, Emerson Clark, John LaFontaine and Kyle Lindsay added singles ... Robert Church, the 2010 Minto Cup MVP, returned to the Adanacs lineup for Sunday's game after missing most of the season with a broken leg suffered in June. He had two assists ... Coquitlam's Casey Jackson, who shared the tournament lead with 30 points, was held to a goal and an assist in the final game ... Alexis Buque started in goal for Game 1 of the final, before giving way to Zach Higgins, who made a number of "game-changing" saves, according to coach Derek Keenan ... Lintner scored twice in Saturday's Game 2 win, while Clark, Knight and Matthews had singles, Matthews snapping a 4-4 tie with 3:26 remaining ... The Warriors will host the Minto Cup tournament next year.

Whitby Warriors - 2011 MINTO CUP CHAMPIONS

The way the Coquitlam Adanacs were rolling through the 2011 Minto Cup, it was beginning to look like a dynasty. Consider Zack Higgins a giant slayer. In game 1 of the best of 3 finals, the Whitby Warriors started Alexis Buque in goal and the Adanacs rolled to a 12-9 victory _ thanks in part to a major penalty assessed to Buque in the second period. The Warriors came back with Higgins in Game 2 Saturday night, when he stopped 33 shots in a 5-4 victory, and the graduating senior was outstanding again Sunday in a 12-7 victory. The Warriors are 2011 Minto Cup champions, ending the Adanacs’ thoughts of repeating and giving head coach Derek Keenan his first national junior-A title as a player or coach.

The best decision Keenan made all tournament turned out to be the one to get Higgins back in goal.

“We went on a whim there,” Keenan said about starting Buque in Game 1. “They got to Higgy pretty good in the round robin (during a 14-8 win the previous Sunday). Buque played pretty good in the early game. “Zack was unbelievable the last two nights. (In Game 3), he made spectacular saves at key times. They were game-savers. If some of those go in, it’s a different outcome. He was spectacular.”

Higgins made 42 saves in Game 3, including completely blanking the powerhouse Adanacs in the third period as the Warriors outscored Coquitlam 4-0.

“There is no better way to go out,” Higgins said. “It’s been five years of working hard. We finally got it done and it’s time to leave junior now. We knew we hadn’t lost a Game 2 or 3 all year so we knew we could do it. We kept fighting through. We started get the saves, got some offence and when the ball went into the net, things got easy for us. We sealed the deal.”

Mark Cockerton scored three times in the final game, while Chad Tutton and Ryan Serville had two apiece. Dan Lintner had a goal and three helpers, while Mark Matthews contributed three assists. Matthews, who had the game-winning goal Saturday night in the 5-4 win, made a picture-perfect pass to Lintner in the third period to make it a 9-7 game and the Warriors were off and running.

Forward Mark Matthews says this Minto Cup is sweeter than the one he won last year playing with Coquitlam. (Photo: Dave Fryer Photography)

Matthews is the only player in the country to currently have two straight Minto Cup wins. He won last year with the Adanacs before coming back to Ontario to join many of the friends he grew up playing alongside. So this title is a special one for him.

“This even tops last year’s win,” Matthews said. “We were hosting last year and we knew we were going. We had to do a couple of Game 6s and a Game 7 to get here, so to win the Minto is unbelievable. It was a tough year for us and to win this now is amazing.”

The momentum in the tournament switched somewhere between Friday and Saturday nights. After Game 1 Friday, the head coaches got into a heated argument that spilled out in the hallway. Both head coaches accused the other of yelling at the opposition players on the floor.
Adanacs bench boss Curt Malawsky is an emotional force on the bench, constantly moving and talking. Keenan is more often stoic and calm, even in the most intense moments. Whether the argument had anything to do with the outcome is up for debate but one thing is certain, the Warriors played well facing elimination.

“I feel so good for the kids, the last year guys especially,” Keenan said. “We battled through a lot. It took a lot to get here and we didn’t play well until the last two nights. Finally, guys stepped up and at the right moment played extremely well against an awesome team.
“That’s a good team we beat. That’s the best you get. We beat good teams to get here, but they were the defending champs. We feel fortunate to get here and to win is an amazing feeling.”

In the aftermath of the victory, all the players who suited up for their final games of junior _ Matthews, Higgins and captain John LaFontaine _ gathered for a photo with members of the coaching staff. The Warriors will host next year’s Minto Cup, and they will need to have others step up for a repeat. LaFontaine just wanted to savour the moment Sunday night.

“Some of these guys started playing lacrosse together when we were really tiny guys,” said LaFontaine, who already had a year of NLL under his belt with the Edmonton Rush. “It feels amazing to win this together. This is the biggest win of my life. This is my first time in five years getting here. I knew how hard it was to get here. To squeak by is awesome.”

The Adanacs had only lost one game all season heading into Saturday night. Higgins basically took away their chances of capping an amazing year with 120 minutes of stellar lacrosse.

“We watched film on him from the Ontario final and he was solid,” said Malawsky. “We had our looks. Our kids executed 100% and have nothing to be ashamed of. They battled right to the end. “Sometimes it’s a game of inches. He made some big saves in the third that took the momentum away from us. We were playing catchup all game and that’s pretty tough in a game like that. I was confident that if we could get that one-goal lead, we would be on our way but we couldn’t get it.

“We have a lot of character on this team and we never gave up. Even the other night, it came down to one or two shots and it could have gone either way. I’m proud of our kids. We were down 4-1 early in the game and we could have went away. We battled right to the end. These kids have a lot to be proud of and I am proud of them.”

Whitby Warriors win Ontario championships

Team advances to Minto Cup after series win over Orangeville

The junior A lacrosse club locked up their spot at the national championships in Alberta with a 7-6 victory over the Orangeville Northmen Sunday night in Game 7 of the Ontario final.

Down 5-4 heading into the third period and hoping to avoid elimination, the Warriors scored the first three goals of the final frame and managed to hold on down the stretch for the one-goal victory.

Shayne Jackson had two of the third period goals, including the winner, while Adrian Sorichetti had the other.

Jackson's second of the period gave the Warriors a two-goal lead with just over five minutes remaining in the period.

Jordan Critch would pull the Northmen to within one with just under four minutes to go, but some tight defence and timely goaltending from Zach Higgins allowed Whitby to hold the fort.

Also chipping in offence for the Warriors were Mark Matthews and Dan Lintner, each with a goal and two assists. Chad Tutton and Emerson Clark each had a goal as well.

The Warriors will be making their first appearance at the Minto Cup since winning it in 1999.

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