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Kean Nagel ditor “Connected to your Community” Oakville trio help Swarm capture first NLL title Thrilling finish sees Georgia edge defending champs 15-14 in overtime By Her Herb Garbutt Cakuile Beaver staff Tt was one of the wildest endings toa a Nation- al Lacrosse League season, and though it might have looked like chaos, the Georgia Swarm’s title was well planned, both on and off the floor. The Swarm scored the tying goal into an empty-net in the dying seconds and then clinched the franchise’ first Champion’: Cup 1:17 into overtime as the 15-14 win completed a two-game sweep of the defending champion Saskatchewan Rush. That continued a streak of Oakville players being the first to raise the coveted trophy. Chris Corbeil had the honour the past two seasons with the Rush, while this year it was Swarm cap- tain Jordan MacIntosh hoisting it above his head. But until the game’ final seconds it looked like the teams were headed for a deciding game in the best-of-three series. Trailing 14-13 with 11 seconds left, Georgia pulled its goalie for the extra attacker. Saskatchewan, which had pos- session of the ball, countered by pulling its net- minder to improve its chances of running out the clock. But with the clock ticking down, the Swarm forced a turnover. With a Rush player trying to guard the net, Lyle Thompson fired a shot off the helmet of the Saskatchewan player. Joel White snagged the ball out of the air in the slot and fired home the tying goal with just three seconds left on the clock. “It seems like an odd thing to do but you have to put trust in your players,” said Oakville’s Bryan Cole, a rookie with the Swarm. “You do that and 99 times out of 100 it works. That Just happened to be the one that worked out for us.” In the sudden-death overtime, after Swarm goalie Mike Poulin made a save, Georgia brought the ball down the floor and Miles Thompson slung as shot that found the back of the net that created a swarm of yellow jerseys piling on to one another. “Most times you have a bit of a countdown, you're watching the clock until the buzzer goes, but to win it that way, it’s crazy,” said Alex Cre- pinsek, the third Oakville member of the cham- pionship team. “You go from zero to 100 on excitement. It was wild.” As wild as it might have seemed, the Swarm players were well prepared for what unfolded in the final seconds. “The craziest part of that is that all season (Swarm coach) Ed Comeau had us practising different scenarios that might come up,” sai Crepinsek. “The morning of the game, we prac- tised that exact scenario. It was crazy how it Oakville’s Bryan Cole hoists the Ip his head after th gi edger Rush 15-14 in overtime to win the franchise first National Lacrosse League title Saturday. | photo by Josh Schaefer / GetMyPhoto.ca .d the Saskatch: NATIO} AACE ors 4 ra, Teammates for 17 years though minor, junior, college and now professional lacrosse, Alex Crepinsek (left) and Jor- dan Macintosh will share another lacrosse memory after winning the National Lacrosse League championship with the Georgia Swarm Saturday. | photo by Josh Schaefer / GetMyPhoto.ca worked out. I don’t think I've ever been a part of something like that.” Cole had come agonizingly close to winning championships with Maryland in college, going NCAA final three times and falling just short each time, including an overtime loss in his senior year. He had faith in the Swarm finishing the job, though “From the top down, from our owner to our coaches, our training and support staff, every- one went above and beyond,” he said. ‘And on the floor, MacIntosh, a player Cole watched when he was growing up, helped keep the team focused on the goal even as the lead changed hands three times in the fourth quarter. “Jordan was great. He’ a fantastic leader. Any team can ride the highs, but when you're going through the worst, its easy to hang your head, so to have those character guys there to pick you up on the bench really helps.” There had not been a lot for the Swarm to celebrate prior to this season. Crepinsek admits it may have been tough to see the big picture at times. The Swarm had not had a winning season since he was drafted in 2012. But the team continued to acquire talent through the draft by stockpiling picks. It didn't make for a quick e long-term plan paid off. The team went from four wins, to six, to eight, to a league-best 13-5 mark this season. “Definitely there were a couple of years where we didn't have a lot of success and personally, it wasn't easy,” Crepinsek said. “But you have to credit our owner and our coaches, they stuck with the plan.” Between 2011 and 2016, the Swarm had 18 first-round draft picks — picking four times each in the first round in 2012, 2013 and 2015. Those players accounted for nine of the Swarm’s top 12 scorers this year, including the Oakville trio of MacIntosh (fourth overall in 2011), Crepinsek (10th in 2012) and Cole (fourth in 2015). “We had a good core group of guys, built a strong group and added a couple of pieces,” Crepinsek said. “It was a great group and we felt like we could get the job done.” The Swarm got their first indication that things would be different this year when they beat the defending champs 18-10 in the season opener. “That was a great start to set the tone for the season,” Crepinsek said. For Crepinsek and MacIntosh, the title had a little extra meaning. The two have been play- ing together for 17 years since their minor days with the Oakville Hawks. “We played together in minor lacrosse, in junior with the Buzz and the Chiefs, then at RIT, and now the pro level,” Crepinsek said. “It probably didn't hurt that he put in a good word for me (in his draft year), but we can't shake each other.” And though they won a Founders Cup— the Canadian Jr. B title — in 2006, they waited a long time to celebrate another “We won a championship in junior, but you don't really appreciate how rare they are,” he said. Woo'uoyeyepisulMm | HIAVEE STHAMWO | LTO ‘QT ounr Aepud | Te