David Ahl cleared his first hurdle in making the jump from junior A to senior B lacrosse by firing the game winner for the St. Albert Miners last weekend in Calgary.
Ahl’s first goal at the senior B level was a breakaway effort with 70 seconds to play in the come-from-behind 10-9 decision against the Mountaineers.
“It felt great to score like that,” Ahl said. “I just jumped off the bench, ran as hard as I could to the net looking for a pass and J.R. (Jason Riley) just tossed it up the floor to me and hit me for the breakaway. I got the ball from behind me and I just turned and took a quick shot to the left hand side on the top part.”
Ironically, Ahl is an offensive attacker who filled in on defence during last weekend’s road trip
“That was the one shift that I went out on offence for,” said the former Alberta Junior Hockey League defenceman with the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
His marker completed a three-goal rally after the Mountaineers (1-1) made it 9-7 with 8:03 to play.
“We had a good stroke there for a couple of minutes. We seemed to find the holes and the guys kept getting through and we had some good shots that found their spots,” Ahl said. “Overall we played really good. Everything was going really well that game.”
Last year with the junior A Miners the St. Albert Rams Lacrosse Club product ranked second in team points with 37 for seventh place in league scoring. He also potted 16 goals in 16 games.
“The senior guys are definitely bigger than in junior,” Ahl said. “The junior guys are quite a bit faster but the senior guys have more control of the ball. They pass it around nicely. It’s a lot more set plays and it’s not as scrambly as junior can be.”
The team’s third pick, and eighth overall in the 2013 north draft of 1991 graduating juniors, is thrilled to remain in the Miners system.
“I’m really happy to be here. It’s a lot of fun. I like all the guys on the team. Vay (Diep) is a good coach and the guys teach me a lot. They give you special tips all the time in practice and during games because we’re running different plays that I’m not used to,” said the Paul Kane High School graduate.
Ahl ran the floor in the three of the Miners’ four games, including Sunday’s 8-7 loss to the Raiders (1-2) in Okotoks to end the team’s season-opening three-game winning streak.
“It was a close game. We battled hard. It was pretty heartbreaking, I’m not going to lie, to lose by one. We outplayed them most of the game I feel, we just couldn’t bury the two we needed to pass them,” said Ahl, who picked up two assists in the loss and now has four points on the season.
Despite a shortage of bodies, the weekend split left the Miners tied with the 2012 provincial champion Rockyview Raiders (3-0) in top spot in the Rocky Mountain league.
“We did pretty well. We really came together. We were really meshing. We’re getting more chemistry for sure. The defence played really solid and the offence had some great plays,” said Ahl.
His passion for lacrosse started at an early age and over the years it was a welcome alternative after the hockey season.
“It’s a good mix not sticking to one sport the year round and changing it up,” said the MacEwan University Griffin in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. “Lacrosse is great for the hand-eye coordination and it toughens you up a little bit for hockey. It gets you in great shape. I love it.”
The next game for last year’s provincial finalist is Wednesday against the Spruce Grove Slash (0-2) at 8 p.m. at Northstar Hyundai Arena.
DRILL BITS: Jordan Cornfield leads the league in goals with 11, including four on the power play, and is tied for first place in the scoring race with 17 points in four games.
Captain Nate Schmidt, last year’s scoring champion, is fourth with 14 points and Graedon Cornfield is tied for sixth with 12.
Chad Gendall is the top rookie scorer on the Miners with five goals and eight points.
The Miners have started three different netminders – veteran Grant MacLeod (2-0) and newcomers Leland Lebrecque (1-0) and Mike Hiebert (0-1) – while trying to figure out who will replace all-star Dave Marrese between the pipes. Marrese, the third-string Edmonton Rush netminder, is trying his luck in the Western Lacrosse Association’s senior A loop.
