The Rockyview Junior Ladies Silvertips will take their lessons from a challenging provincial run in Edmonton into next year’s games.
“Obviously, we weren’t as happy with the outcome as we wanted … to be, but it was a really good experience for us to be there,” said captain Jaimie Betterton of her team’s 0-4 performance. “The last three games were really close for us … It finished good.”
The Silvertips squeaked into provincials in fourth place after an 8-6-1 regular season finish in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League, and headed to Edmonton last weekend to play four games in three days at the Sherwood Park Arena.
Friday night was their first matchup, where they were bested 20-6 by the league’s number one team and provincial host, the Sherwood Park Titans.
“It was a really tough game … the arena was really, really hot,” said Betterton of the muggy temperatures. “It was a struggle for all teams, not just ours.”
The team came closer to winning their second matchup against the Capital Region Saints, with a final score of 8-6, and their third game against the Okotoks Raiders was also close at 9-7.
They faced the Raiders again for the bronze medal and lost 7-6, by just one goal.
“Each game, other than against the Titans, were close games,” Betterton said. “I think mostly for us, definitely penalties came into action for us. We had a lot of penalties against us … which didn’t help us to score any goals on the offensive side.”
The Junior Ladies Silvertips formed last year with graduating midget players from Cochrane, Strathmore, Calgary, Airdrie and more. Betterton took on the role of captain this year and said she will remain so for next season, and she already knows many of this year’s players will also be returning to the team.
“We have a lot of the same girls coming back … I think the chemistry will be even more next year,” said Betterton, adding the provincial experience was a worthwhile one, regardless of the wins and losses at the end of the day.
“We know some of the things we need to work on. We’ll be working on the little things: passing, catching … I think it’ll be really good for us.”
