Up against one of the stronger teams in the league, the Westlock bantam Rock lacrosse team came up short in a 9-3 loss on their home floor last Wednesday.
Hosting the Edmonton Warriors at the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre on May 14, the Rock scored once in each period, but were unable to keep their opponents off the scoresheet.
“It started slow for us,” said Rock assistant coach Danielle Fagnan.
The Rock took a lot of penalties, she added, which put the home side at a disadvantage from which it couldn’t recover.
As a young team, both Fagnan and assistant coach Denise Boulerice said the Rock are continuing to work on their skills. Now five games into the season, they said the Rock show glimpses of their potential every now and again.
“When they settle down, they’re good, and that results in shots and goals,” Boulerice said.
The key is to be consistent, she added.
Even though the Rock aren’t there yet, Fagnan said they have improved immensely since Day 1.
What the Rock need to do to make it to the next level is to develop and buy into a system, Boulerice said.
“At the bantam level, it’s more about systems and sticking to them and less chasing after the ball,” she said. “They’re still finding their systems.”
Creating a system and working within it includes mastering such skills as knowing when and where to set picks in order to get a good shot on net, she explained.
The game didn’t start well for the Rock, who found themselves trailing 2-0 before Blair Boulerice scored at 7:22 of the first period to get them on the board. Conrad Hegedus had the assist.
That would be the Rock’s only goal of the period, as the Warriors scored twice more in the frame to take a 4-1 lead into the first intermission.
In the second, the scored three times to go up 7-1 before Cole Perkins scored for the Rock at 15:01 to bring his team back within five at 7-2. Boulerice and Owne Glover had the assists.
The third saw the Warriors jump out to a 9-2 lead. Boulerice’s second of the game at 13:14 rounded out the scoring and made the final 9-3.
The Rock have nearly a week off before hitting the road on May 20 when they travel to Sherwood Park to take on the Titans.
