The senior B provincial final between the St. Albert Miners and the Calgary Knights in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League hits the floor this weekend at Performance Arena in Servus Credit Union Place.
Game one goes tonight at 7:30 p.m. and game two is Sunday at 3 p.m.
The best-of-five playoff round resumes next weekend at Pete Knight Arena in Crossfield. Game three is Aug. 12 at 8:30 p.m. and game four, if needed, is Feb. 13 at 3 p.m.
If the series goes to a fifth and deciding game, it will be played Aug. 14 at 4 p.m. at Servus Place.
The winner advances to the President’s Cup national championship, Aug. 29 to Sept. 5 at Cornwall Island, Ont.
The Miners are the defending provincial champions. Last year at nationals, they finished sixth overall at 2-4.
In league play, the second-place Miners (12-5-1) swept the fourth-place Knights (8-10) by scores of 9-5 in St. Albert and 10-7 in Calgary.
In semifinal action, the Miners defeated the third-place Edmonton Outlaws (10-7-1) and the Knights upset the first-place Okotoks Raiders (13-5) in three games.
The last home game before the playoffs for the St. Albert women’s rugby team is Monday against Leduc Crude/West at 7 p.m.
The teams were scheduled to scrum down July 23 at the St. Albert Rugby Football Club but the main pitch was too wet to play on. It’s the first time in history the club shut down its fields and cancelled a game because of too much rain.
In the Edmonton Rugby Union’s second division, St. Albert is 1-2 (1-9 overall) and Leduc is 1-1 (3-6 overall). In the spring league fixtures, Leduc defeated a shorthanded St. Albert side 37-5.
St. Albert’s last tilt was July 16 against the visiting Grande Prairie Sirens (0-2). The 34-22 win snapped a nine-game losing streak.
Leduc hosts the Sirens today at 2 p.m.
The semifinal playoff round kicks off next Saturday. St. Albert will play either the Pirates (3-0, 4-6 overall) or the Strathcona Druids 2 (2-1, 5-5 overall).
A victory today by the St. Albert Impact 2 team would solidify first place in the Edmonton District Soccer Association’s division 1A pennant race.
Kickoff is 4 p.m. against Victoria Reserves/DFCA (5-6) at Victoria Soccer Club.
In May, the Impact crushed Victoria 6-2 in St. Albert.
The Impact (9-2-1) are battling AC Milan (10-2) and Sherwood Park Karpaty (9-1-1) for the top two spots in the standings for qualification in the crossover playoffs against division 1B.
Last week, the 2010 tier II provincial silver medallists and Southwest United (5-5-2) battled to a 1-1 draw, ending the Impact’s four-game winning streak.
