Tuesday’s season opener for the Prince Albert Predators proved to be an excellent start as they began their quest to repeat as Prairie Gold Lacrosse League junior division champions.
In a rematch of last year’s league final, the Predators kicked off their regular season slate with a 21-10 win over the Saskatoon SWAT at Kinsmen Arena.
“It’s pretty impressive when you have 51 shots on net in your first game of the season,” Predators head coach Tyson Fetch said. “We were a little fortunate tonight as they were playing two goalies due to their starter having a touch of the flu, so I suspect our next game will be a lot closer.
“We’ve needed our returning guys to step up and fill in our holes on offence and I though they did a really good job of that tonight, along with our younger guys.”
Kale Amundrud led the way with five goals and four assists, while Predators captain Carson Remy and Dillon Cochrane both had four goals and four assists in the victory.
Although the SWAT’s Nick McKee had a five-goal night, Fetch was pleased with how the Predators were able to slow down Saskatoon’s offensive attack.
“I thought we played really well on defence,” Fetch said. “They have a smaller team and we played an aggressive style to keep them to the outside.
“There were a few times where they capitalized on some mistakes, but it was still a strong performance.”
The Predators will return to the Kinsmen Arena this weekend for a pair of games.
They will host the Standing Buffalo Fighting Sioux at 3 p.m. Saturday before taking on the Estevan Big Dogs at 1 p.m. Sunday.
