The end of the regular season is in sight for the Prince Albert Predators.
The Predators will hit the road on Saturday for a pair of games in Moose Jaw to finish up their regular season schedule in the Prairie Gold Lacrosse League (PGLL).
Entering play, the Predators sit on top of the league standings with a 10-0 record and are looking to finish with an unblemished record heading into the playoffs.
Head coach Lucas Wells says the chance to have an undefeated regular season is something that the Predators would take great pride in.
“I think it’s huge for us. The last time the Predators had an undefeated season, they lost in the championship. We’re trying not to repeat that, so we still have to finish strong. We’re going to focus on Moose Jaw, they’re battling for a playoff spot and they are two points back of Regina for the third spot in the playoffs.”
Entering the weekend, Moose Jaw sits in fourth place in the PGLL standings with a 2-5 record. The Mustangs have posted a -27 goal differential this season. The last time the two teams met, Prince Albert handed the Mustangs a 23-2 defeat at the Kinsmen Arena in Prince Albert.
Although the Predators handled the Mustangs in their last meeting, Wells says Prince Albert can’t afford to take their foot off the gas pedal at this point in the season.
“We’re playing in their own barn, and when I was talking to their coaching staff and GM, they’ve been getting a lot more fans out, so I expect it to be still a challenge for us. We obviously can’t take them lightly. We beat them 23 to 2 in PA, but that doesn’t mean anything. That’s why the games are still played. You can still lose, so we can’t take them lightly, and we still have to go out and play our game.”
After the conclusion of Saturday’s two games, the Predators will be out of action until June 30 when they will travel to Regina to take on the Queen City Kings to continue the play-in for the 2024 Founders’ Cup.
Prince Albert has already clinched first place in the PGLL standings and have a bye into the league final. This year, the PGLL has switched to a best-of-three playoff format. The Predators will hit the road for Game 1, which will be hosted by the winner of the 2 vs 3 semi-final on July 20.
The Predators will host Game 2 of the PGLL final on July 27, while Game 3, if necessary, would be hosted by Prince Albert on July 28.
Despite the gap of over a month between PGLL games, Wells says the Predators will be using the extra rest to gear up for the finals.
“To be honest with you, it’s almost a blessing in disguise for us right now. We’re pretty banged up. I think we’ve got seven or eight guys that are injured or fighting injuries. We can get healthy and those guys back up to game speed and then we will implement a few things right before playoffs.”
Ball drop between the Predators and Mustangs is at 2 and 7 p.m. from the Kinsmen Arena in Moose Jaw.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
