When Gary Gait was introduced as coach of the Colorado Mammoth last year, one of his all-star players, Jay Jalbert, proclaimed: “Gary Gait is lacrosse.”
Indeed, Gait dominated the junior Canadian level, transformed the NCAA game in winning three titles at Syracuse and won professional championships first in the box style of the National Lacrosse League and later in the field style of Major League Lacrosse.
Only one onfield success eluded Gait: He never had defeated the United States nor claimed a world championship in international play.
Last Saturday, the 39-year-old Gait completed that portion of his résumé. Putting a lifetime of muscle memory into an array of sleight-of-hand fakes and deftly delivered shots, he scored four goals for Canada in the fourth quarter, ending the Americans’ world reign.
The 15-10 victory gave Canada its second title, along with a crown in 1978, and represented only the second loss by the U.S. in tournament history.
“This is one of the greatest victories that I have been a part of as a player,” Gait said. “I started on the quest for a world championship 22 years ago and it was amazing to finally get the job done.”
Despite gray hair, aching muscles and a lack of playing competitive lacrosse the past 10 months, Gait was instrumental throughout the tournament in London, Ontario, from the attack position. His 26 points on 21 goals, including two game-winners, ranked third among Canadian players.
With Canada clinging to a 10-9 lead in the title game, Gait scored four of his team’s last five goals. His final goal came off a pass from Gavin Prout, who replaced him last season as Mammoth captain.
“I finally had opportunities to get some good shots,” Gait said. “John Grant and myself took our defenders out of the help position, opening it up for other players. After they started scoring, the defense gave me some room to get a couple shots.”
Gait’s scoring spree prevented the title game from going to the wire, as the divisional game between the teams had the previous weekend. After 10 ties in that match, Jalbert’s perimeter blast decided it for the Americans, who won 13-12.
This time, Gait said: “We played as a team and stuck to the game plan. We dominated the faceoffs and maintained ball control.”
Faceoff specialist Geoff Snider of Canada earned MVP honors for repeatedly earning possessions, succeeding 19 times out of 28. Snider, a 2006 University of Denver graduate who helped the Pioneers earn their first NCAA Tournament berth, is a Denver Outlaws rookie and part of an influx of lacrosse talent to the area. Gait moved from Baltimore to Highlands Ranch last summer and Jalbert left New York’s Long Island for a Denver residence last month.
“Denver has become a hub for many of the top players in the world,” Gait said.
Recent Outlaws acquisition Jeff Zywicki was stellar for Canada, contributing five goals and one assist in the title game. He produced 36 points, second-highest for Canada, including 28 goals in the tournament.
Prout ranked fourth with 21 points. He and Gait became the first players to win three lacrosse championships in one calendar year.
The pair helped Baltimore win the MLL title last August, combined to lead the Mammoth to the NLL crown in May and capped the year with the world field title.
Footnotes
American goaltender Trevor Tierney expressed his team’s disappointment in an online MLL diary. Tierney, the Outlaws’ goalie and MVP of the 2002 world championships, wrote: “This loss hurts, it really does.” … Jalbert, recovered from a concussion, scored 15 goals on 50 percent shooting. … Mikey Powell led the U.S. with 32 points (12 goals, 20 assists). His brother, Ryan Powell of the San Francisco Dragons, scored 29 points (17 goals, 12 assists). … Players in the world championships return to their MLL teams for weekend play. Denver is on the road at Long Island on Saturday.
