Last weekend, Thompson sports fans got the opportunity to watch junior B lacrosse in person, as the Manitoba Blizzard and Saskatchewan SWAT clashed inside the C.A. Nesbitt Arena April 27–28.
Even though this special two-game series attracted a lot of fanfare for the four Blizzard players from Thompson, the SWAT still ended up besting their east division rivals in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) by final scores of 6–3 and 7–2.
Saturday’s game started out promising enough, with Thompson’s own William Lutz drawing first blood for the Blizzard 11 minutes into the opening period.
The two teams would go on to trade goals and stack up penalty minutes for the next half-hour, with the SWAT possessing a slight 4–3 lead heading into the third period.
The SWAT’s offence would go on to add another two goals during this final stretch, giving them the 6–3 victory.
On Sunday the SWAT denied the Blizzard any sort of lead, scoring in the first 30 seconds of the game and staying on top for the next 60 minutes.
Even though the Blizzard’s offence managed to get the ball past goaltender Erik Derksen twice, the SWAT really pulled ahead in the second period with multiple unanswered goals, including an empty netter in the last minute of the third.
Despite not being able to pull off a win, Lutz and fellow Blizzard players from Thompson Isaac Babulic, David Saunders and Evan Ritchie said it still felt great to play in front of a big hometown crowd, since they are used to competing in Winnipeg and other Prairie cities.
“It’s a big privilege to come back to Thompson,” said Lutz, who scored a pair of goals during Saturday’s game. “Down south we mainly have family that comes out to watch us, but out here we had the community coming out to support us, which is really nice.”
Lutz said his team will be undergoing some growing pains this season, since they lost roughly half their players from last year’s roster.
“It’s a big adjustment for a lot of these guys,” he said. “This year I think our main goal is just to get our systems down and really, each game, take it with a grain of salt and try to improve … that’s exactly how we’re going to have a successful year.”
In terms of the special weekend series itself, Thompson lacrosse coach Brad Ritchie said it was a big success.
By staging a pair of high-profile RMLL games in the C.A. Nesbitt Arena, Ritchie said he and other members of the Thompson Lacrosse Association gave reisdents a taste of high-level lacrosse action, which will hopefully lead to more participation in the sport locally.
“You can start as early as age four and play until whenever,” said Ritchie. “We’re got minor lacrosse up to age 15 or 16, and then from there, once you get to high school, you can play field lacrosse with R.D. Parker Collegiate. It runs right through for boys and girls.”
To learn about the Thompson Lacrosse Association, visit the association’s Facebook page.
