It began with a purpose, and ended with a Minto Cup championship.

Saturday’s 8-4 triumph over the Orangeville Northmen demonstrated how the Coquitlam junior Adanacs were both good followers and even better leaders.

By defeating the two-time defending national champions in a 2-0 series sweep, Coquitlam ended more than 30 years of wishing, hoping and dreaming.

A year’s worth of dedication, sacrifice and sweat proved to be well spent.

Following the meticulous instruction of head coach Curt Malawsky, the two-time provincial champions raised the bar and set the tone in a five-game tournament march that resulted in the organization’s first national title.

“Curt (Malawsky) had us working like a machine,” Nic Bilic said. “Every game in the tournament was an investment — every game, every shift, every slash. We just gave 100 per cent every shift and it paid off for us.”

The two teams began Saturday cautiously, with the Adanacs edging ahead 2-1 on Ben McIntosh’s in-tight shot with two seconds left in the first period. Mark Matthews upped Coquitlam’s lead early in the second, but Orangeville cashed in a pair of special teams tallies — a powerplay goal by Rob Hellyer and a shorthanded effort from Jeremy Noble — to draw even with five minutes to play in the middle stanza.

But with less than two minutes left in the frame, McIntosh converted a centering pass from Simon Giourmetakis to retake the lead. McIntosh would then kick off the third period by cashing in another nice setup, this time from Wesley Berg, for a 5-3 advantage.

Calling on their multiple Minto Cup experience, the Northmen managed to pull within one when Noble notched his seventh of the tournament

Behind a superlative performance by netminder Dan Lewis, Coquitlam clung to a one-goal lead until a dramatic momentum-changing marker by Garrett McIntosh deflated Ontario’s attack. Riley Loewen, Ben McIntosh and Matthews silenced the Northmen’s comeback hopes.

The crew of 26 players flooded the Poirier Sports Centre’s main rink following the final whistle that clinched a 2-0 sweep, exchanging broad smiles, loud cheers and some tears.

“You don’t understand what this means,” said a hoarse Malawsky after the final victory. “Coquitlam’s in my blood, I won a couple cups in Burnaby and they felt good but this is special. This is for the community. This is for every single junior Adanac who ever played, myself included.”

Matthews, who finished with a tourney-high 27 points in five games, said the defence and Lewis rose to the occasion.

“We were shaky before the game and Curt settled us down. Our defence played unbelievable, (and) I owe this entire Minto Cup to Dan Lewis,” Matthews said. “He played the tournament of his life, the game of his life. All I can say is Dan Lewis.”

In Game 1, the 21-year-old backstop blocked 31 shots and helped the Adanacs erase a 5-4 deficit, as Coquitlam scored the game’s final five goals over 40 minutes.

“My defence really did a great job,” Lewis said. “Those 44 shots (Saturday), there were some good chances but from the outside I had a long time to see them.”

Ben McIntosh led all scorers with 12 goals over five games, finishing with 23 points. Robert Church, voted the Most Valuable Player by a committee of lacrosse executives, chipped in six goals and 17 assists.

Noting his squad’s inability to put up a lot of points against the Adanacs, Orangeville coach Matt Sawyer said it wasn’t through a lack of trying.

“We were in a do-or-die situation,” Sawyer said. “Our effort was certainly there but we were playing a heckuva team. Coquitlam built a really good team this year and we’re sorry we couldn’t have given them a bit better of a run.”

The Adanacs organization, which had competed in five previous Minto Cup championships over a span of 33 years, will now focus on defending that crown next year in Okotoks. If anything, the club will come to the floor with the confidence of a champion and the momentum that comes with it.

“We knew we can take momentum and grab it, I thought we had the momentum all year long,” said Malawsky.

— With files from Tom Berridge, Burnaby NOW sports editor.