A pair of newcomers to the Okotoks Raiders established firsts to give the Alberta Junior A Lacrosse league team its second win of the season.
Okotoks Junior A Raiders rookie Bryce Wells scored his first tally to break the 9-9 deadlock with 5:16 on the clock as he snapped the game-winning goal past Calgary Mountaineers goalie Jordan Kanscal to give the Raiders the 10-9 victory, May 16 at the Okotoks Centennial Arena, and secure Okotoks netminder Mackenzie Southgate his first win at the Junior A level.
“It was one of those plays where everything worked out perfectly,” Wells said of his game-winning goal. “I ran it in and just saw that there was an opening low and that all game long coach had been hounding us to shoot low so I just decided to far-side low.”
The victor gave the Raiders a 2-0 record.
Raiders head coach Daryl Haynes said having Wells, a free-agent acquisition from the Junior B Silvertips in the offseason, score his first goal with the team in dramatic fashion was great for team morale.
“That’s great just to see (Bryce) come off all pumped up,” said Haynes. “He never had that opportunity and we saw that he did really well in Junior B last year with the Silvertips and he came up and that’s his second game and he’s adjusted really well and played both ends of the floor for us.”
“Not only was he excited, but the players were quick to grab the ball. I think that’s the most important thing, that his teammates recognized him.”
Wells, a field lacrosse player for La Roche University in Pittsburgh, appreciated the gesture.
“It felt really good I didn’t realize they would do that for me,” said Wells. “We’re meshing as a team really quickly and it feels nice the guys have enough respect do that for me.”
At the other end of the rink, Southgate fought off a tough first period in which he let three balls past him in the first four minutes to hold the Raiders to just six goals over the final 56 minutes and win his first and only start of his young Junior career.
Special teams were an area of strength for the Raiders as Holden Cattoni continued his scorching hot start to the season with three goals versus Calgary, two on carbon-copy point shots on the man-advantage.
“We were telling the guys a lot to shoot low because (Kanscal) tends to pop his shoulders a lot and we kept firing at his shoulders, but once we started shooting low at the bottom half of the net they started going in. Our powerplay moved the ball well,” Haynes said.
Save for a double-minor in which the Raiders allowed two powerplay markers in 30 seconds to Mountaineer Tyler Melnyk in the second period, the hosts were solid performers in shorthanded situations too.
“Our man down was very strong tonight because the penalties were a little bit lopsided,” Haynes said. “We killed off that two-man down for 1:30 and it was tied up so that was a big, big play for us.”
Raider Kevin Pym put on a clinic in showcasing his breakaway speed and playmaking ability. Pym ran by a helpless Mountaineer defender to score a beautiful second period goal on an individual effort and dove to corral a loose ball at mid court and played it into the offensive zone with one hand for Marshall Gibson’s key third period marker.
“I just remember picking up the ball and I saw a guy in front of me and saw that I was catching up to him really quickly so I was like ‘I’ve got him, I’m beating him to the net and no matter what I’m putting this ball in the net,’” Pym said of his goal.
The Vancouver native then credited Gibson for making good on his assist.
“I saw him out of the corner of my eye and I just had to drop one-handed to try and keep my balance and I just threw the ball up into an area where he could run and get it,” Pym said. “And he got it and scored and made it look pretty.”
The Mountaineers offered a strong physical presence to the Raiders more speed-oriented game making for a matchup of contrasting styles manifesting into a back-and-forth tilt. Pym said the Mountaineers were a formidable opponent.
“They’re tough, they’re a really good team, a pretty big team compared to us. We’re smaller guys, but we’ve got to fight through that,” Pym said.
“Our mid game and transition game was flowing, our defence was really clicking and our offence in the third period starting meshing with all the chemistry,” Pym said. “We were playing really well and we can only get better from here.”
The Raiders return to action on May 30 when they again host the Mountaineers for an 8 p.m. face-off at the Okotoks Centennial Arena. For more information on the Raiders go to www.raiderslacrosse.com
