Mustangs upset Swift Current for Midget lacrosse league title
The Swift Current Rampage came into the South Saskatchewan Lacrosse League Midget championship tournament with only one loss on the season. That lone defeat came at the hands of the Moose Jaw Mustangs, so when the two teams met in the league final at the Kinsmen Sportsplex on June 23, the home team had just that little bit of needed confidence heading into a game against a powerhouse opponent.
Sure enough, it made a difference. The Mustangs held Swift Current to only three goals on their way to an 8-3 victory and the SSLL championship title. Giving up only three goals to a powerhouse team like the Rampage – who capped the regular season with an 11-1 record compared to the Mustangs’ 7-4-1 – was a major key in Coach Kyle Dalgarno’s assessment.
“(Defence and goaltending) blew me away today,” he said. “Honestly, we have never picked up the rear end like that. It was really fun to watch, the kids did what they were told. I laid it out for them as much as I could on the bench and they played it just like they should have.” The Mustangs took a 4-1 lead out of the first and led 6-3 through two.
Atley Calvert led Moose Jaw with four goals and an assist while Caelan Fitzpatrick had a goal and two assists. Kayde Shymko, Chris Otterson and Kirk Mullen scored their other goals. Bryden Kerr was in goal for the win.
As could be expected, Calvert was plenty impressed with how his squad performed on the night.
“It felt good, the boys really came together nicely, and it was a great win,” he said. “The defence was huge. Without our defence playing like that I don’t think we would have won this game. Defence wins championships.”
The victory was part of a steady run of incremental improvements throughout the season, culminating with the Mustangs’ two league tournament wins.
“I think we just made little adjustments here and there and we just got better as the season went on,” Calvert said. The Mustangs are back in action at the provincial championships during the July 6 weekend.