The Sunshine Coast Rapids Bantam team won the bronze medal for their division in the Lacrosse Provincial Championships in Victoria this weekend.
The Rapids crushed Langley 11-3 in their first game Thursday, which was sweet payback for the loss they suffered against the Thunder at the Kamloops tournament in May. On Friday, the Rapids were narrowly defeated 6-5 by Cowichan after stumbling in the first period and fighting their way back from a 5-1 deficit. They dominated their Saturday morning game against Port Moody, winning 6-2, but lost that afternoon to Comox 7-2, which meant they would be going up against Cowichan for the bronze medal instead of playing Penticton for the gold.
As both the Rapids and Cowichan had won their division during regular season play (the Rapids placing first out of 16 teams), it was quite the upset for these two teams to be battling it out for the bronze.
But the boys refused to let their disappointment over the loss get them down. They showed up Sunday morning eager for their rematch with Cowichan. Though tired and sore from grinding through back-to-back games against teams with twice as many players, the Rapids played what some called “their best game ever” to edge out Cowichan 3-2 – thanks in no small part to Hayden Vanderstelt’s stellar performance in net.
On top of winning the bronze, the boys were also honoured with the Subway Team Sportsmanship Award, given to the team that “best exemplifies sportsmanship, respect, honour, and the integrity of the game of lacrosse.” Cameron Ross was named the team’s all-star for his outstanding hustle in every game.
The players who participated in the tournament were: Owen Bichler, Dorian Connolley, Wyatt Mural, Cole Podgorenko, Krystof Krutsky, Marshall Curtiss, Dylan Drope, Cameron Ross, Jack Malnarick, Duncan Service, Milo Emmerson, and Hayden Vanderstelt. Their teammates Finley Burroughs, Brady Davison, and Jacob Wingfield were greatly missed.
Huge thanks must go to our fearless manager, Karen Nielsen, coach Bethia and her assistant/door coaches, Marcel Van Der Stelt, Andy Curtiss, Justin Macey, and Ryan Fraser for inspiring the boys to play their best at every game.
It has been a season this team will never forget!
– Submitted by Erin Whalen
