The 2 Rochester Knighthawks helped Team Canada advance to the championship game.
Rochester Knighthawks’ Jake Withers and Graeme Hossack are headed to the 2018 FIL Men’s Lacrosse World Championship final, following Canada’s 15-4 win over the Iroquois Nationals.
The defending champs jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and never relented as they controlled the game to the final whistle. Long-pole defenseman Graeme Hossack was a part of a dominating Canadian defensive effort that held the Iroquois to a pair of goals each half. He finished the game with two ground balls, while Withers collected four ground balls and won five of seven faceoffs.
Canada head coach Randy Mearns, whose team improved to 5-1, was pleased with the way his team has continued to improve during the tournament.
“I think that was our best performance thus far,” said the Knighthawks Hall of Famer. “We’ve challenged our guys to get better every day, and today our coaching staff had them well prepared. Overall, (it was) a tremendous effort.”
Knighthawks forward Kyle Jackson nearly solved the smothering defense in the fourth with a behind-the-back shot that just missed the top corner. After the game, Jackson reflected on his first trip to the FIL Men’s Lacrosse World Championship.
“The experience here has been incredible,” he said. “Playing with the top players in the world has been a dream come true in a place I never dreamt of going!”
The Iroquois will now play Australia in the bronze medal game on Friday at 1 pm. Canada moves on to the championship game, where it will battle the United States at 3 am Saturday at Netanya Stadium. Fans can watch the contest on ESPN2.