Westlock’s bantam Rock lacrosse team are Greater Edmonton Lacrosse Council silver medallists following a 15-8 loss to the Sherwood Park Titans on July 3 in Edmonton.
The game wasn’t without excitement, however, as the Rock took a 7-6 lead early in the second period after falling behind 6-0 midway through the first period.
Unfortunately, that’s where the Rock ran out of gas and the Titans regained control of the game.
“After that, they took over,” said Rock coach Brian Hegedus.
The Titans tied things up 7-7 and methodically added to their lead through the rest of the second and into the third period to come out with the win.
“The third period hit and we didn’t know what to do,” Hegedus said. “We couldn’t respond quite as well as they could respond to us.”
Hegedus said he had a few ideas why the Rock couldn’t keep up with the Titans after clawing their way back from the 6-0 deficit.
One was that the team may have been tired after winning its semifinal game in overtime the night before.
Another was because the arena was quite hot during the championship game.
However, he suggested the most likely culprit was the psychological toll of having to mount another comeback in the same game.
“They’ve come from behind before, but I know a couple of them kind of felt like they were outmatched,” Hegedus said.
Of all the teams the Rock could have lost to, Hegedus said the Titans were one of the better ones.
The Titans are a strong team, he said, but when they win they don’t rub it in their opponents’ faces.
Hegedus went on to say he had some good words after the game with the Titans’ coach, who complimented the Rock on how tough an opponent they were in the final.
“He said that our team was actually a harder team for them to compete against through the season,” he said.
Although the Rock’s season ended with a loss, Hegedus said the players have nothing to be ashamed of. They battled hard every game, and did their best.
He also said he wants the players to use the loss as motivation to get better and to keep them hungry for future lacrosse seasons.
