Another chapter in the rivalry between the Westlock Rock and Fort Saskatchewan Rebels junior lacrosse teams was written on Sunday at the Rotary Spirit Centre.
The Rock went down 11-7 in a highly physical matchup punctuated with a heap of penalties and tons of shots.
“It was a tough one,” said Rock coach Mike Ivey. “Two good teams, evenly matched in my opinion. It’s always a good battle with the Fort.
“It kind of slipped away from us in the third, but the game was tight the whole way through.”
The home side was in it for most of the see-saw affair and it wasn’t until they ran into penalty trouble that the Rebels were able to pull away.
Killing penalties became an issue for the Rock late in the game and their infractions were the difference between what were two evenly-matched sides.
“Penalties really hurt us in the end,” said Ivey. “I liked that we were playing tough but it was tough that we were getting called.
“I don’t fault our boys at all. I felt they battled through a lot today.
“We’ll work on PK for sure at practice and get our assignments down.”
Assistant-captain Scott Ivey picked up three goals and two assists, while Daniel Lategan also had three goals and Jordan Boulerice ended the tilt with two goals and two assists.
Coach Ivey said that the team still had a lot of games left in the season and their focus was now on the home stretch.
“We’ll get ready with practice again tomorrow and get right back at it,” he said. “We play Friday in Edmonton, so back to it and get ready to go.”
Despite the loss the team still sits top of its division with 16 points from eight wins and two losses.
On Friday night the Rock picked up a default win after the Edmonton Blues couldn’t make it to Westlock for the game.
