A Westlock lacrosse player returned from a national tournament on the west coast with a bronze medal around his neck and a wealth of experience.
Trace Stewart, 12, tended the twine for the pee wee Team Alberta at the 2014 Lacrosse Nationals in New Westminster and Coquitlam, B.C. from Aug. 4-9,
Alberta faced Saskatchewan in the bronze-medal match, in a game that saw Team Alberta dominate the floor.
“We did really good,” he said. “Our team played awesome and we won the game 7-2.”
The tournament was structured as a round-robin followed by the playoff series. Alberta played against New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and B.C., posting a 3-2 record with losses to Ontario and B.C.
They faced B.C. in the semifinals, and saw a noticeable improvement in their game.
“Compared to what our last game was we did really good,” he said. “The first game we played them was 15-3, and then the second time we played them it was 5-2.”
Stewart has been playing for the Edmonton Wizards this year so he could play at a higher level than the Westlock Rock, and decided to try out for the provincial team once the season had wrapped up.
“We were just trying to see how I would do and it would be a good learning experience for me,” he said. “I think I did pretty good in it and apparently the coaches for the team thought I did too.”
The team only had one game together prior to nationals, when they played an exhibition game in Calgary against the California All-Stars — they gained a bit of momentum with an 8-6 victory.
And the action isn’t finished for Stewart, either, as he will be travelling to Ontario over the September long weekend to play with the Edmonton Junior Rush.
He never expected to be spending his summer heading all over the country to play lacrosse, but said he’s happy for the opportunity.
“It’s just the fun of it all and playing the game,” he said. “It’s really awesome.”
