It was an unremarkable play in a blowout victory.
Okotoks Junior A Raider Curtis McMullen beat the second period buzzer and snapped his first goal of the season to give Okotoks a six-goal cushion on the Calgary Mountaineers on July 11, the last regular season game of the season.
However, when Raider James Delaney asked for the ball from the referee it was clearly a seminal moment for the 21-year-old.
A second assist on the McMullen tally gave Delaney his 100th point on the season.
“I never imagined that I’d do it,” said Delaney, who added two more points to finish the year with 102. “Doing it with assists and goals is pretty special and obviously if I didn’t have the guys to pass to I wouldn’t have cracked 100 points.
“I like little things like this and it’s something you will look back on like 10 years, 20 years and be a good memory with the Raiders.”
Delaney’s 53 goals and 102 points, compiled in just 16 games, were tops in the Alberta Junior A Lacrosse League. It was the most points in Okotoks Raiders franchise history and the highest total in the province in four years.
The Port Coquitlam native didn’t put a number on his statistical goals for the 2012 campaign, but in his final season of Junior eligibility he knew his best assets needed to be at the forefront of his game.
“It’s my last year so I wanted to go out with a bang, but I didn’t really set a number it was just whatever is going to help the team win,” he said. “If I’m scoring goals, getting game winners, that’s what it’s all about.”
The five-foot-eight, 175-pound sniper found a multitude of ways to average more than six points a game for the Raiders.
“Getting in front of the net, transition goals, outside shots, I feel like I’ve been scoring every which way,” he said.
Delaney’s cannon of a right-handed shot, clocked at more than 90 miles per hour, certainly helped.
“Ever since I was younger I would always come early and stay later at field practice or box,” Delaney said. “I just love the game and shooting is honestly one of my favourite things to do, and the more reps the better.”
The Seton Hill University student athlete had some help from a fluid Raiders’ attack and one teammate at the top of the Raiders’ offensive formation in particular.
Delaney, the first Raider to lead the province in goals and points since the franchise moved to Okotoks in 2008, just edged out teammate Holden Cattoni for the regular-season scoring title.
The chemistry on the floor between the snipers is palpable.
“I’ve never played with a lefty player that has the vision that Holden does,” Delaney said. “Our cross-floor play I think matches anything out west or in Ontario.”
Cattoni, a sophomore Raider, was the province’s assist leader with 52 and finished second in goals, 45, and points 97.
“A lot of the time me and him have the ball and if he’s scoring I’m assisting and if I’m scoring he’s assisting,” said Delaney of his partnership with Cattoni. “We’re just happy for each other, and happy to get points on the board for the team.”
The 17-year-old Cattoni was second in the league in goals and points in 2011 as well, but increased those totals, of 35 goals and 67 points from a year ago, significantly.
“Without the team, without the guys around me it’s impossible to get close to 100 points,” Cattoni said. “You need good people around you and I’m fortunate enough to have these guys.”
The DeWinton resident has three seasons of Junior eligibility left to reach Delaney’s benchmark, but will miss the friendly competition with his teammate going forward.
“You can’t just go out there and want the best for somebody, you want the best for yourself too and you want to push each other,” Cattoni said. “That’s what exactly what me and Delaney have been doing all year. We’ve really pushed each other and that’s probably the reason that we had the success this year that we did.”
