In their last chance the Okotoks Junior B Ice guaranteed themselves a playoff berth by the narrowest of margins.
The Ice clinched a spot in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) Junior B Tier II South postseason with a come-from-behind 13-12 overtime victory over the Cranbrook Elite in a nail biter at the Okotoks Centennial Arena on June 24.
Okotoks, in a must-win game versus Cranbrook in the final contest of the regular season, fought off a three-goal deficit in the third period to tie the game in the final minute on a marker from veteran Travis Sonmor setting the stage for Dallas Toso’s overtime heroics.
“It was a fast break goal, I picked up a loose ball and then fed it up and it went in,” said Okotoks’ Eric Antonchuk of Toso’s overtime game-winner.
The crucial victory, on the heels of a 15-11 win over the Red Deer Renegades the day prior, guaranteed the Ice one of the league’s four playoff positions with a record of 10-4. The Ice will play either the Medicine Hat Sun Devils or Lethbridge Barracudas in the first-round of the RMLL post-season.
“We’re on a high right now, we’ve had two really good must-win games going in,” Antonchuk said. “We’re playing well, everyone is stepping up their game and everyone is putting the ball in the net too.”
The RMLL playoff format, featuring two-game total-point series offers no room for momentary lapses, a lesson the Ice learned last season when it lost in overtime of Game 2 to the Sun Devils.
“Just not to take anything for granted,” Antonchuk said of the lessons learned. “We have to keep playing hard and not give up.”
Past playoff disappointments aside, Ice head coach Ian MacDonald said he’s encouraged with the way his team handled the pressure of playoff-like lacrosse down the stretch in the regular season.
“It was do-or-die, they knew it and there was no panic,” MacDonald said. “We had a game plan and they executed it.”
MacDonald said the exploits of his players in their last season of Junior eligibility — including the likes of Sonmor, Nick McIntosh, Taylor Northcott and Adam McGregor — came to the forefront in the deciding weekend set.
“It could have been their last games of Junior lacrosse so they deserved to be on the floor,” MacDonald said. “All the other guys looked to them and they delivered.”
MacDonald said if Okotoks maintains its current level of play in the playoffs it can beat any team in front of them on the floor.
“We’re ready for anybody if we keep playing the way we’re playing,” he said. “I’m pretty excited for playoffs.”
A commitment to winning the battle in transition will go a long way in determining the Junior B team’s fate.
“Everything starts with the defence and the pressure and then pushing it on offence and any chance we get in the transition we’ll definitely try and take it,” MacDonald said.
For playoff schedules and results visit www.rockymountainlax.com
