A group of midget lacrosse players were able to put their club-team rivalries aside and win a gold medal for the regional Zone 4 Fraser River squad at the B.C. Summer Games last week.
“These kids battle against their cross-town rivals from New West, Surrey and the always great battles between Coquitlam and PoCo,” said coach Josh Wahl. “When it came down to becoming teammates, these kids really bonded.”
The championship game against Thompson Okanagan was the biggest test of the week. Down 6-4 after two periods, Fraser River managed to take control of the game in the final frame, with New Westminster’s Finn Stark bringing the score to within one.
PoCo’s Austin Wahl managed to tie things up, while Brett Ginac, another PoCo player, helped his team to its first lead of the game with a hard shot that snuck past Thompson Okangan’s goalie. With five minutes left, Wahl added an insurance marker and Fraser River eventually won the game 8-6 to take the championship banner.
The tournament got off to a good start for the squad when they took on the Zone 3 Fraser Valley team, shutting out the opponents 9-0. Evan Wray of PoCo and Gabe Procyk of Coquitlam each scored a pair of goals each, while Wahl had a four-point game (one goal and three assists).
They shut out their opponents again in the second match, this time a 10-0 performance over the Vancouver Coastal club. Coquitlam’s Mathew Chapman was stellar in net, while Ginac was a force in the faceoff circle winning 80% of the draws. Port Moody’s Ryan McBeth scored a goal and an assist in the match.
A 7-4 win over Vancouver Island, which came only two hours after defeating the Vancouver Coastal team and saw Ryan Johannson score two goals, was all the Fraser River squad needed to secure their spot in the finals.
“All 18 boys contribute to each victory — truly a team effort — which is why I believe we achieved the gold,” said Wahl.
Other Tri-City athletes include Tyson Johnson, Trent Kellner, Cameron Way and Reese Hyrcan.
