There were two lacrosse teams on the floor at Kinsmen Arena on Saturday, but the final score had fans thinking of football instead, and not just because of the hard-hitting action.
The Prince Albert Predators and Moose Jaw Mustangs took turns pouring in the goals, with the home side cruising to a 21-14 victory.
“Not much defence,” Predators coach Lucas Wells said when asked about the game. “I thought the first and second we controlled the pace. We did the little things right.”
First place was on the line in Saturday’s match-up, but it was the visitors who struck first. Kysen Mac Angus’ goal 1:49 into the game put Moose Jaw up 1-0, but the Predators responded with two goals 10 seconds apart from Matthew Cudmore and Chase Lehner to take the lead.
Braxton Mac Angus tied the game at two roughly six mintues into the opening frame, but the Predators took over from there. Brayden Rieger had a pair of goals, while Ryley Prediger, Braden Shewchuk, and Talon Sandry added singles. Lehner also scored his second of the night, and by the end of the first Prince Albert was up 8-4.
The dominance continued in the second. The Predators scored 11 goals, including a second period hat trick from Brayden Rieger, and built up a 19-8 lead heading into the final frame.
“It was a big game, right,” Wells said. “It was for first place, so we used our speed (and) our offence moved the ball really well. We were very disciplined, took advantage of our opportunities, (and) didn’t turn the ball over much. We had very long offensive possessions, which made a big difference, and we were attacking loose balls. Loose balls in lacrosse is a key factor.”
The Mustangs mounted a comeback in the third period, outscoring the predators 6-2, but it was too little, too late. Braxton Mac Angus led the way with two third period goals for Moose Jaw, while Brayden Rieger had Prince Albert’s two tallies.
Wells said he was happy with how the Predators played, but the third period showed they still have a few things to work on.
“I think in the third period we kind of got lazy,” Wells said. “We kind of fell asleep. I think that Moose Jaw took advantage of that and dominated us in the third, which I think against a better team isn’t going to work.
“If you were to look at the box score (you’d think) ‘yeah, we had a great big lead’ but we also still have to keep our foot on the gas and continue to apply pressure and continue to play our game. All in all, I thought we played well. Our defence was good in the first and second. Our offence was good in the first and second. We just fell asleep in the third.”
The win means Prince Albert continues to lead the Prairie Gold Junior Lacrosse League standings with a 7-0-1 record. Moose Jaw sits second at 7-2-0, with Swift Current in third at 4-6-0.
The Predators are back on the road this weekend. First up is a stop in Swift Current against the Wolverines on Saturday, followed by a rematch in Moose Jaw with the Mustangs on Sunday.
“I think we’ve just got to focus on the finer details, like not turning the ball over, attacking loose balls, (and) being responsible in our own end,” Wells said. “We’ve got to stay away from getting complacent.”
Saturday’s game starts at 7:30 p.m. at S3 Arenas West. Sunday’s starts at 1:30 p.m. at the Moose Jaw Kinsmen Sportsplex.
