Last weekend the Sunshine Coast Novice Rapids won the gold medal in their division at the three-day-long John Witt Memorial Bellie Bowl Novice Lacrosse Tournament in New Westminster.
On their way to the gold medal, the nine- and 10-year-old Rapids went undefeated in five games: four wins and a tie.
On Sunday afternoon in a thrilling gold medal match versus Kelowna, who the Rapids had battled to a 4-4 tie the day before in round robin play, the team played their best game of the season and came back from 2-1 down in the third period to win 3-2.
The MVP of the tournament was undoubtedly Rapids goalie Hayden VanDer Stelt. And to drive home that point, Hayden not only made 25 saves in the gold medal game but he also saved a penalty shot in dramatic fashion with 22 seconds remaining to preserve the lead and seal the win.
Coaches Mike Cowie and Mike Molina were extremely proud of the whole team for their effort throughout the weekend and for bringing home the first ever gold medal in Novice Rapids team history.
