A victory today by the reigning Labatt’s Cup provincial champions against the Clansmen would give St. Albert’s first 15 sole possession of second place in the Alberta Cup table.
Kickoff is 4 p.m. at the St. Albert Rugby Football Club. It’s the last home game for the firsts until the Sept. 17 quarter-finals.
Both teams have identical 7-3 records and nine bonus points. They trail the first-place Calgary Hornets (9-1) by seven points.
The firsts have strung together seven wins in a row and the Clan are undefeated in six games.
In mid-May, the Clan knocked off the firsts 25-20 with a try on the last play of the match.
The firsts are coming off a 40-17 drubbing of the Strathcona Druids (4-6) in St. Albert.
For the second straight game, the firsts will be missing four starters because of Prairie Wolf Pack commitments in the Canadian Rugby Championship series. Adam Bontus, Duncan Maguire, Jake Robinson and Wolf Pack captain Kyle Gilmour are playing for the Calgary-based team today against the Ontario Blues at the Burlington Rugby Football Club. Last weekend, Bontus scored one try and Gilmour was yellow-carded in the second half as the Wolf Pack (2-2) dumped the British Columbia Bears 35-23 in Calgary.
The firsts wrap up the league fixtures Sept. 10 against the Lep/Tigers (4-6) at 4 p.m. at Ellerslie Rugby Park.
Tuesday at 7 p.m., the St. Albert Steel host the Camrose Kodiaks in exhibition action at Performance Arena.
The pre-season schedule ends next weekend for the Steel. They play the Sherwood Park Crusaders twice — 7 p.m. Friday in Sherwood Park and 7 p.m. Saturday in St. Albert — and the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion Spruce Grove Saints in Whitecourt at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The regular season gets underway Sept. 9, when the Steel visit the Olds Grizzlys.
The Steel’s home opener is Sept. 16 against the Crusaders at 7 p.m.
The St. Albert Miners, the two-time defending senior B provincial champions in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League, play their first game at the Presidents’ Cup on Monday.
The national senior B tournament is hosted in Akwesasne by the Snake Island Muskies of the Iroquois Lacrosse Association.
Also competing are the Tri-City Bandits (West Coast Lacrosse League), Kahnawake Mohawks (Quebec Lacrosse League), Newton Golden Eagles (Can-Am Lacrosse League) and the St. Catherine Saints (Ontario Lacrosse Association). Tri-City and Kahnawake are making a return trip to nationals.
Last year in Burnaby, B.C., the Miners finished sixth overall at nationals with two wins and four losses. Shane Lopatynski also made the second all-star team on defence.
Visit www.presidentscup-2011.com for results.
