Lloydminster coach Graham Murray saw first-hand the depth of his junior B Xtreme roster in playoff action last weekend at home in Hillmond.
Read more: Lloyd sweeps Parkland at home to advance to provincials
Although still unbeaten in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League, the Xtreme faced a formidable challenge from the Parkland Posse in their best-of-three North Division Tier 2 semifinal.
Lloyd might have bent, but didn’t break, coming from behind to win 7-6 on Saturday night, before taking control of a 4-4 game Sunday morning to win 10-5. The Xtreme negated a would-be Game 3 and punched their ticket to
provincials on the Aug. 1-4 weekend in Calgary.
“I thought yesterday we came in maybe with a little bit too much confidence, thinking (the Posse) were just going to lay over for us,” Murray said Sunday, after the series. “But they put up a hell of a fight in both games.
“We were lucky to come away with the win. It was due to hard work and great teamwork, really.”
The Lloyd coach believes Edmonton-area junior B teams like the Spruce Grove-based Posse shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Teams like that, they kind of get cherrypicked by the Tier 1 teams in town (and) they lose a lot of talent,” Murray said. “But, as I told you before the series, they’re a scrappy team with a good goaltender, and they proved that again.
“(At the same time), we put up 66 shots today and we scored 10 goals.”
The Hill brothers, Alex (left) and Owen, are teammates with the unbeaten Lloydminster Xtreme, bound for the junior B Tier 2 lacrosse provincials this weekend. John MacNeil – Meridian Source
While it’s convenient to rely on offensive standouts like Jayden Plamondon, Jace Gunderson and Dalyn Hepburn, the Xtreme are pushing for a balanced and less-predictable attack.
“It’s nice when you get a good team effort and everyone is contributing,” Murray said. “Today, I felt we shared the ball well and things went well for us.”
The Xtreme lost Gunderson early in the third period after he and the Posse’s Tristan Savill were ejected for fighting.
The physicality didn’t surprise Murray.
“It’s good to see guys standing up for one another, not backing down,” he said. “We’ve got a team that’s not afraid of the rough stuff, and when it comes down to it, we’re bound to do it.”
With a chuckle, Murray added that he doesn’t necessarily like to see a skilled player like Gunderson fighting.
“It’s nice to have him on the floor. As soon as he left, we were a little bit lost on the power play, because he kind of runs everything. He’s a quarterback back there.”
The Xtreme, 18-0 on the season, begin their provincial quest with Friday night’s North Division final against the Sylvan Lake Yetti.
Lloydminster plans to bus to Calgary early Friday to allow time for rest and a team meal before playing in the evening.
“We’re looking forward to next weekend,” Murray said. “It’s the same things (we’ve emphasized). It’s cutting through the middle. It’s working the ball around on offence. Defensively, it’s just cutting off that top, making sure we’re not letting guys shoot wide open. If that happens, Ryker (Gamble) has got the majority of those saves, all day, every day.
“Yeah, if those two things happen, we have a good chance to be successful.”
The Xtreme took home silver medals from last year’s provincials.
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