The St. Albert Rams went undefeated in last weekend’s round robin tournament and picked up their first Peewee A provincial lacrosse championship in club history.
It was an incredible finish for the Rams who had struggled this year and ended the regular season in second last place.
They weren’t worried about that, said assistant coach Cory Albrecht.
“Athletically, we were the best team in the league,” said Albrecht. “Our guys can run up the field and score goals like nothing. The difference in the playoffs was our teamwork and defence.”
It was something the team had been focusing on in practice before the tournament.
“Our coaches had us working on man to man defence and breakouts a lot,” said Rams’ shooter Carter Albrecht. “Defence was the big difference between the regular season and the playoffs. We finally figured it out.”
Carter scored two goals and an assist in the championship game against the Calgary Hornets on Sunday.
It was a rough match that put nearly the whole team on the board.
“The team just peaked,” said Albrecht. “They played their best game of the season when it counted and went undefeated. It was really amazing to watch.”
The St. Albert Rams beat the Calgary Hornets 13-5 for the championship.
Mathieu Gautier potted four goals for the Rams and Ronin Pusch added three of his own as the Rams overpowered the Hornets in Leduc on Sunday.
Alex Soroxhan, Austin Doll, Riley Morgan, and Jaxon Dube picked up one each to put the game away.
“The teamwork was really outstanding,” said Albrecht. “At the start of the season we knew that was a problem that we had. The boys went out there and solved that problem.”
Established in 1973 and revitalized in 1985, the St. Albert Rams Peewee A team had never won provincials before this weekend.
“We didn’t even know,” said Albrecht. “We checked the trophy and were looking at the names of all the teams that have won and someone said, ‘Hey, I don’t think the Rams are on here.’ It was kind of surprising.”
It has been an incredible experience for the young lacrosse team.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Carter Albrecht. “We played as a team and played good defence. We came together at the right time.”
Three members of the St. Albert Rams will be bringing their winning play to Team Alberta later this year.
Mathieu Gautier, Ronin Pusch, and Ethan Leyer will represent St. Albert at the national championships in Burnaby, B.C. this August.
