Lacrosse winds up season with fond memories and shorter hair
The Drumheller Bantam Lacrosse team got the opportunity to have a hand in shaving the heads of their three coaches after winning a 9-8 overtime game to start off the Central Alberta Lacrosse League Playoffs this past week in Red Deer. This rough and tumble team had gone all season without a win or tie but managed to claw their way to a victory over Lacoka 2 on Wednesday, June 17.
The boys were very excited about the win and ecstatic about the hair cuts, And their coaches Tim Gendron, Shaun Fournier and Larry Wilton all demonstrated their true sportsmanship when on Thursday night each team member got a chance to take a little off the top!
The Bantam team and their hairless coaches then went to Innisfail on Friday night to face Lacoka 1 where they lost 10-3. Saturday evening they saw action in Red Deer facing the Lacoka 2 team again, this time losing and ending their playoff run. The boys and coaches represented Drumheller very well, and always had smiles on their faces and mischief in their eyes!
Drumheller’s other lacrosse teams also participated in the CALL playoffs this past weekend. Our Novice team faced the Kneehill Bulldogs for a Thursday night game in Red Deer. The Novice Raptors were victorious in this game sending them into the A tier of playoffs. Next, they faced Red Deer N4 losing by five goals, but went on to beat the Olds Novice team in a close fought game. Unfortunately, Red Deer N2 proved to be too much for these boys and girls and with this second loss, their playoff chances were done.
There were broken hearts and some tears from this band of burly box lacrosse kids but their coaches and parents couldn’t have been more proud of their spirit and drive throughout the entire season. The Midget boys started and ended their playoff run on Saturday with two key losses to Innisfail and Red Deer M2.
These boys continued to have fun on and off the game floor and always provided their fans with a very entertaining show.
The Pee Wee Raptors ended the regular season in fourth place out of twelve and played their hearts out in Red Deer over the weekend. Friday night saw the Raptors facing the Olds Peewee team only to be beaten 7-4. This didn’t deter the kids from playing their very best and on Saturday morning at am, they faced Hobema, coming away with a 6-0 win.
Their next game that day was against Didsbury and the Raptors proved themselves victorious winning by three goals. Sunday morning saw them take on the Red Deer PW3 Flames beating them with a score of 4-1. And then, Sunday night they had to face the Olds team again. It was an extremely close game but unfortunately the Pee Wee Raptors lost by one goal resulting in a 5-4 final, ending their playoff run for this season of success.
Their coaches, Matt and Steve Hayes and parents were heartbroken with the loss but coach Steve said that “our Pee Wees are true champions, who fought hard and showed a lot of heart.Their coaches have great respect for them all and the kids can hold their heads high! We are very proud of our team.”
The Tyke team, consisting of three to six year olds, was in Blackfalds for the Tyke and Mini Tyke Wind up on the weekend. These little guys and gals had an awesome day of lacrosse action, playing two games with their garbage can goalie! Every participant came away with a prize and judging by the number of sleeping tykes, they gave it their all while on the lacrosse floor.
With the end of the lacrosse season now at hand, and playoffs finishing off this week, it is time to give a huge shout out to all the boys and girls who have been playing lacrosse under the Badlands Lacrosse banner this year. They did a fabulous job of representing Drumheller all over Central Alberta and we hope that they are all excited to do it again next year. For more information about lacrosse, you can visit the Badlands lacrosse website at www.badlandslacrosse.com.
