Clarington Green Gaels keep on rolling

CLARINGTON -- The Clarington Green Gaels are looking pretty stellar at the half-way point.

In fact, they couldn't look any better if they tried as the Green Gaels won another pair of games over the weekend, upping their record to a perfect 10-0 -- the only Ontario Junior B lacrosse league team remaining with an unblemished record.

Sunday's game at Huntsville was a blowout from the start, with the Gaels jumping out to an 8-0 first period lead, and cruising the rest of the way to an 18-1 triumph.

A night earlier, however, they were in tough for the most part against Halton Hills.

Tied 2-2 after the first, Clarington then managed to hold onto a slim one-goal lead through 40 minutes, before kicking it into high gear in the third.

Curtis Knight led the way, scoring three times in the frame, while Mike McCusker and Shayne Jackson each added a single tally, turning a 4-3 lead into a 9-3 victory.

"I've said all year, I want my teams going for 60 minutes, hard," said Green Gaels coach Jason Crosbie, explaining his club's third period outburst. "They are not going to slow down. I think that was the case. They just couldn't stay with us for 60 minutes. We wore them down and they had played the night before too, so I am sure that had a little bit to do with it, but we played well."

Jackson's third-period goal capped a hat trick as he had tallied both of Clarington's first-period markers as well, while Lucas Perri and John Lafontaine also scored.

Saturday's game was the first for goalie Zack Higgins since he returned from school, and he also played in Sunday's romp.

At the midway point of the season, having yet to suffer a loss, Crosbie had difficulty detailing what he'd like to see his club improve on down the stretch in preparation for the playoffs.

"Our loose ball work defensively needs a little work and the defence, with the systems I have, they need to be tightened up a little bit and offensively we need to run our offence a whole 60 minutes instead of here and there," he began, before adding, "other than that there is not much really to say in that case. When you're 10 and 0, it's kind of hard to pick things out."

At Huntsville, the Gaels were led by the six goals and 10 points of Ryan Serville, who, according to Crosbie, has taken a big step forward this season.

"I was on him last year about being a presence. He's 6-foot-3, 200-plus pounds and last year he didn't go to the net enough, but this year he is going to the net all the time. He has taken that role," said Crosbie.

Zach Palmer also had another big game, scoring three goals and eight points after a two-point night at Halton Hills.

Other goals came from Jackson, Knight and McCusker, each with two, Mitchell Robertson, Chris Cudmore and Lafontaine.

The Green Gaels have a huge divisional game Thursday at home (8 p.m.), hosting second-place Newmarket (8-1), which is just four points back of Clarington for top spot.