John MacNeil
Daily Herald
On multiple counts, Prince Albert stood tall at the Canadian minor box lacrosse championships in Halifax.
Four versions of Team Saskatchewan featured representation from P.A., including 13 players and three coaches.
At the U13 level, both the Saskatchewan boys’ and girls’ teams mined bronze medals during their Nova Scotia visit.
And a pair of Prince Albert athletes earned individual honours.
Evan Morrison, a member of Saskatchewan’s U15 boys’ club, received a tournament all-star award for his defensive play.
Kenzie Leeb, the lone goaltender with the bronze-medal-winning Sask U13 girls’ side, was chosen as the all-star goalie in that division.
Leeb’s teammates included fellow Prince Albert products Samantha Clearsky and Caydance Gill.
The P.A. representatives with Sask’s bronze-medallist U13 boys were head coach Javan Bexson, assistant coach Kade Beaton and players Jordy Bechtel, Ryan Bexson, Charlie Morgan and Asher Roode.
In their respective third-place-game victories, the Sask U13 boys clipped New Brunswick 5-1, while the Sask U13 girls topped host Nova Scotia 2-1 in overtime.
Prince Albert’s Addison Gill and Paisley Paulsen were part of Sask’s U15 girls’ team, while the U15 boys included assistant coach Kent Schindle and players Morrison, Jaite Bexson, Carson Krasilowez and Harrison Schindle.
Overall, the P.A. contingent made its mark on the national scene.
“It was a solid crop,” said U13 boys’ coach Javan Bexson, also the president of the Prince Albert Box Lacrosse Association.
“It was strong representation from P.A. this year. Yeah, that’s what we’ve been looking to have, about those numbers, in the last couple of years, and this year was no exception.”
