Youth was served in the battle of St. Albert on the lacrosse floor over the weekend.
The junior A St. Albert Miners and the senior B St. Albert Miners faced off Saturday night in Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) action at Performance Arena, with the younger squad coming out on top 16-12.
Junior Miners’ forward Richard Thompson, who had five goals and one assist in the game, said it was a huge win, adding it was great to get the offence firing on all cylinders.
“We’re getting our stuff together. Sixteen goals is huge for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, the senior Miners wanted to win their last two regular season games to have a shot at top spot in the RMLL senior B division, but forward Sean Reid said Saturday’s loss puts a big dent in those hopes.
“We came in hoping for an easier game and it turned out a lot worse than we were expecting,” said Reid, who led the way for the senior squad with two goals and four assists.
Players on both sides said that, despite both teams being part of the same organization, they prepared for the game as if it were any other opponent across the floor.
“You come into every game looking at it the same way. You need the points, especially tonight,” Thompson said.
In fact, play got a little chippy in the second period when Ted White of the senior Miners delivered a crosscheck to the head of junior Miners forward Jordan Wolfe right after a restart, resulting in a skirmish with Tom Buckley of the junior squad. Buckley and White each received two-minute penalties for roughing with White sitting an extra two for charging, much to the chagrin of the junior Miners’ coaches.
After both the first and second periods, the juniors had outshot their senior counterparts, but the score was tied at 6-6 and 11-11 respectively.
Reid said that buoyed the spirits of the senior team during each intermission.
“We were relieved, I think … the whole game, we were trying to get our legs back,” he said.
Meanwhile, Thompson said the junior Miners weren’t too concerned about the score, knowing they could get the better of the matchup.
“If we’re tied with a team, that’s better than being down,” he said. “We’re still going and we’ve just got to keep going.”
The game turned in the third period as the junior squad leaned on some excellent goaltending by Darren Zwack — who came on in the first period after starter Scott Kavalinas allowed five goals — and their fresher legs to outscore the senior squad 5-1 and take away the 16-12 win.
“[Zwack] was a monster around the net, picking up loose balls,” Thompson said.
The senior Miners were also hit with a couple of too-many-men penalties in the third.
“Most games, you try and get away with them and every once in a while you get called on it,” said Reid.
Both Miners squads now have only one game left in the regular season. Both take place Wednesday night.
The junior Miners will host area rivals the Edmonton Eclipse at Servus Credit Union Place. Thompson said, with only one point separating the two teams for second place in the RMLL junior A division, he hopes the offensive momentum carries forward.
“We’re all putting them in lately, so it’s huge for our confidence,” he said.
Meanwhile, the senior Miners will be in Spruce Grove to take on the last-place Slash. But given the Miners have already lost to and tied the Slash this season, Reid said they won’t be taking the game lightly.
“We have to go into the playoffs on a hot streak,” he said. “This was the last thing we wanted going into the playoffs, but we’ve got to turn the tables.”
