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Iroquois Nationals vs Australia Sharks 2014 World Lacrosse Championships
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Inside Look: Iroquois Nationals get needed wins over Aussies

Last Monday the Iroquois Nationals were already 2-1 in group play with their only loss so far to Canada. They were driven to secure a much needed win over the Australians to keep momentum heading in to the game with the undefeated United States.

Every Thompson who played in the game scored at least 1 goal, led by Lyle with 4 of his own. Brett Bucktooth, Zach Miller, Vaughn Harris and Jeff Shattler also found the back of the net while Cody Jamieson led the way 3 assists.

Nathan Stiglich led the Sharks offense with 4 goals. Matt Diver, James Lawerson, William Pickett, Alex Brown and defenseman Callum Robinson scored in the game as well. Goalie Tom Vickery made 13 saves for the Aussies, but it wasn’t enough to hold

The score was knotted at the half but the Iroquois were able to edge out the 2nd half resulting in a positive 12-10 win before facing USA the next night.

Fast forward to Saturday where the two veterans meet again, this time for the bronze medal. Considering Great Britain’s rejection of the Iroquois at the last World Games, it was clear that the men came to Denver to bring home a medal.

This time around Myles Thompson and Randy Staats led the Iroquois in scoring with a hat trick each. Anson Carter scored 4 out the the Sharks’ only goals while Stephen Mortimer and Benjamin Newman were able to outwork Jeremy Thompson and Vaughn Harris at the face-off x, which is the one significant turnaround from the first meeting.

The bronze medal game was by no means a reflection of the two teams’ meeting in group play, but the Iroquois used group play to test the waters and make a physical statement. Bracket play was to bring home some hardware.

The Iroquois ended up deflating the Sharks’ spirits by the end of the 1st quarter and they kept rolling from there until the 5-0 4th quarter capped off the 16-5 3rd place victory.

Take a look at the medal winning action through our lens!