Record Staff
Hardy miners face harsh conditions in their quest for gold.
And so did the North Island Wild Ravens U14 field lacrosse team in their quest for a gold medal at the BCLA Tier 2 provincial championships, Feb. 25-27 at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex.
The Wild Ravens advanced to the medal round only to have the turf fields buried under a blanket of snow on Feb. 26, forcing organizers to call off the tournament. Final standings were based on team records to that point, with the Wild Ravens earning bronze.
The Vancouver Island champions, sponsored by Econo Ezy Box Storage, opened play Friday against Delta. They got off to a quick start, leading 6-1 at the end of the first quarter and romping to a 15-10 win. Goal scorers were Taylor Arbour (4), Graham Evans (3), Jordan Balon, Bailey Robinson and Sam Kussauer with two each and singles from Tanner Jones and Nolan Morrison. Balon and Evans had each assists each and Jonah Armstrong added one. Sam Kussauer was named MVP for the game.
The Wild Ravens faced North Okanagan in their second game of the day and were leading 4-3 at the half. The Okanagan goalie was absolutely outstanding and the Wild Ravens fell 9-6. Tallying two goals each were Evans and Jones while Arbour and Anthony Vigneron added one each. Evans chipped in with three assists and Arbour and Balon added one each. Vigneron received MVP honours.
All four teams in the Wild Ravens' round-robin pool were tied with one win and one loss after two games, so it was as simple as the two winners of game three moving on and the two losers going home.
The local boys faced Richmond and again got off to a quick start. Big sticks Griffin Whyley, Kyle Maximick, Joe Gonsky and Roy Uzzel were particularly strong in this game and Richmond had trouble getting anywhere near goalie Adam Mason, who allowed only one goal in his best game of the weekend.
The Wild Ravens scored nine with three each from Evans and Jones and one each from Robinson, Balon and Kussauer. Bailey Robinson was MVP and the Warrior Fair Play award for the season was presented to Kussauer.
The North Island team advanced to the crossover and medal rounds and was anxious to beat New Westminster in their first game on Sunday. The turf fields in Burnaby were excellent, but were no match for the four inches of snow that fell on Saturday night, and the tournament was postponed, then ultimately cancelled.
Medals were awarded on the teams' records up to the end of Saturday and the Wild Ravens garnered a bronze medal, with New Westminster taking gold and North Okanagan receiving the silver. Bailey Robinson was named the North Island MVP for the weekend.
"The team thanks their sponsor, coaches Doug Robinson and Joe Whyley, and manager Marnie Evans for a fantastic season in an effective blending of Comox Valley and Campbell River talent," a team spokesperson said.
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