Westlock’s bantam Rock lacrosse team continued its strong season this weekend, beating the visiting Edmonton Blues 15-11 on June 15.
The home game was the team’s second last of the regular season. The Rock wrapped up their regular season with a 9-9 tie at home against the Edmonton Rams, running their record to 8-2-3 in Greater Edmonton Lacrosse Council play.
Although the Rock never trailed in Saturday’s game, building up five-goal leads three different times, there was a lot of back-and-forth action on the floor.
“I find with a big lead, we sometimes forget our defence,” said coach Brian Hegedus. “Some kids really want the goal, so I have to remind them to work together and it will lead to better chances.”
The Rock roared out of the gate, scoring early and often in building a 4-0 lead in the opening 13 minutes. However, despite being down, the Blues rallied with three goals of their own to make it 4-3.
A goal by the Rock’s Jayden Vandelagemaat with 45 seconds to play boosted the home side’s lead to 5-3 heading into the first intermission.
In the second, both teams scored six times, making the score at the end 11-9.
The Rock drew first blood, but the Blues responded right back. Three straight Rock goals made it 9-4, before the Blues replied to make it 9-5.
The Rock score twice more in the period, sandwiching a Blues goal, making the score 11-6. The period’s last three goals belonged to the Blues, leaving the score 11-9 after two periods.
The third period saw the fewest goals scored in the game, with the Rock winning the frame 4-2, and the game 15-11.
Leading the Rock in scoring with six points were Britannie Ouimet (4G, 2A) and James McCabe (3G, 3A). Vandelagemaat had five points (3G, 2A) and Justin Blais had four points (3G, 1A). Levi Coutu and Ethan Brost each had two points (1G, 1A), while Joshua Tymkow and Jacques Fourie each had one assist.
With the regular season over, Hegedus said he’s happy with how the team has played.
“It’s been fun,” he said. “We’ve had a good season, and we’re in line for a good playoff. It’s lots of fun to watch them play.”
