WESTLOCK — The U15 Westlock Rock fought their way to a bronze medal at the Spirit of the Sticks tournament June 2-4 in Innisfail.
The Rock defeated the host team, Innisfail Phantoms 5-2 following a 2-1 round robin record.
The Spirit of the Sticks lacrosse tournament is an annual event held each spring for lacrosse players in the U11 to U17 divisions and is hosted by the Innisfail Phantoms.
“We did really well. Every single team was brand new to us because we play in the Greater Edmonton Lacrosse Council (GELC) and almost all of the teams we played against were from the Central Alberta Lacrosse League (CALL),” said co - head coach Beth Goller, noting six U15 teams competed in the division.
Despite losing their first game 8-4 to the Phantoms, Goller said the Rock put forth their best effort during the three-day event and continued with their second game against the Carstairs Chargers winning the match 8-3, followed by game three later that day against the Lacoka Locos which they lost 6-1. “We did lose but it was a good game,” said Goller. “They’re a very strong team and our goalie was phenomenal. He stopped almost 50 shots that game,” she said.
The Rock sat in fourth place following the round robin with the Phantoms in third place, the teams once again squared off but this time for the bronze medal. “We came out very strong, our kids did everything,” said Goller. “It was our only tournament this season so it was really nice to get that opportunity and the kids had a blast.”
Some key factors in the bronze medal win noted Goller, included utilizing teamwork, passing skills, along with their strong defensive play.
“They took advantage of power plays, our goalie played amazing at times,” said Goller. “We played very well defensively. To have very few goals against in a lacrosse game is pretty good.”
Goller said the Spirit of the Sticks tournament gave the U15 Rock players a great opportunity and a shot of confidence to finish their season.
“They bonded over the weekend. It’s nice to get that chance to get away and spend time with the team and work through adversity,” said Goller. “Four games in three days is a lot for any team and for a team that only has 13 runners when everyone is there and healthy, you need everyone of them to give it their all and they sure did this weekend.”
