Ontario vs. Saskatchewan Recap

The first of three late games started similarly to how the Nova Scotia versus Alberta game ended, in a one-sided affair. From early on in the game, Ontario controlled and smothered Saskatchewan with long and consecutive possessions, as Saskatchewan struggled to clear the ball and produce quality offense. With the exception of a stray rebound that Ontario failed to pick up, which resulted in a goal, the Saskatchewan offense had little to no success producing quality offensive scoring chances. Ontario exited the period with a modest 3-1 lead. 

The aforementioned modest two-goal lead grew consistently throughout the second and third periods, along with a few extra-man goals, Ontario firmly grew their lead in both periods. Their methodology was similar to the first period, they relied on long and consecutive possessions, along with their ability to turn the ball over while pressuring Saskatchewan’s offensive transition. Ontario would lead 9-3 at the end of the second and 11-3 at the conclusion of the game. 

Ontario will take on BC tomorrow morning at 9:00 am MST while Saskatchewan will face Nova Scotia in the 10:30 am slot tomorrow.

British Columbia vs. Manitoba Game Recap

The second late-game resembled the first almost identically. British Columbia was in complete control of the game from the very start and the gap in both skill and athleticism was evident. Long settled possessions with consecutive chances off of missed shots led to plenty of goals. Multiple opportunities on offense combined with multiple caused turnovers in the clearing game had BC in front of Manitoba 7-0 at the end of the first period.

The remaining two periods resembled much of the first. Plenty of possessions created off winning ground balls and causing turnovers, added three more unanswered goals, bringing the score to 10-0. Manitoba would finally get on the board in the middle of the second period, but their initial goal was short-lived as BC continued to score at will. BC would go on to win 17-3 and move on to 2-0 on the day and 2-0 in the tournament. Conversely, Manitoba falls to 0-2 in the tournament and desperately needing a win tomorrow. 

BC will face-off against Ontario in a highly anticipated match at 9:00 am MST tomorrow, while Manitoba will return to action against Alberta at 12:00 pm MST tomorrow. 

Alberta vs. First Nations Game Recap

Both the Alberta and the First Nations team entered Saturday on different terms. Alberta was coming off a decisive win against the sole Atlantic representative in Nova Scotia, whereas First Nation’s entered the game coming off a multiple-goal loss against BC earlier in the day. Despite the differing results both teams entered into the game with one loss, not seeking to obtain another.

The first period although tightly matched fell Alberta’s way with two consecutive, unanswered goals and a twenty-minute period of vigorous goaltending on both ends. However, a few miscommunications on the First Nations defensive end led to a pair of goals including a wide-open shot from Mathieu Gautier that found the back of the net prior to the end of the period. Alberta would enter the second period with a marginal two-goal lead. 

The second period saw Alberta continue to score, putting up three additional unanswered goals against the First Nations defense. The glaring difference in the second period came down to the performance of Caden Rotter who was able to save all but one First Nations shot, while Alberta continued to find the back of the net from both outside and inside. The sole First Nations goal in the period and in the game came from Jared Hill, but the momentum was short-lived as Alberta’s Gautier was able to find the back of the net in the winding seconds of the second period, putting Alberta with a comfortable, but not safe 6-1 lead heading into the third period. 

Temper, aggression, and maybe a bit of frustration began to set in during the opening minutes of the third period, which resulted in both teams having three players in the penalty box, followed by an offensive foul from Alberta that pushed the number up to four. After an Alberta four on four goal, the penalties expired and Alberta continued to play strong physical defense and reverse transition while imposing the same physicality on offense, which ultimately resulted in another even-strength goal and limiting the First Nations team to a single goal in the period. The stout effort from the Albertans led them to an 8-2 victory against a strong First Nations team. 

Alberta will look to extend their winning streak to three as they take on Manitoba at 12:00 pm MST tomorrow, while First Nations will look for their first victory of the tournament against Ontario at 3:00 pm MST. 

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BY DALLAS SMITH

Alberta Lacrosse Association