It was after 11 p.m. Sunday when Lakeland College athletic director Alan Rogan greeted the champion women’s hockey Rustlers as they left the Co-op Community Arena ice surface.
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“It’s a great day to be a Rustler,” Rogan declared after Lakeland scored a 1-0 double-overtime victory over the Red Deer Queens in the fifth and deciding game of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) championship.
The Rustlers did it the hard way, as they entered the weekend trailing 2-0 in the series and needing wins in three consecutive days and in two cities.
With an overflowing crowd backing them on Sunday night, Lakeland’s golden girls were crowned ACAC champions for a second straight season.
And they did so on a banner weekend for Lakeland athletics.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL DYNASTY INTACT
On Saturday, the women’s volleyball Rustlers added another chapter to their golden dynasty, capturing a fourth straight Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association championship, this time in Niverville, Man.
“It’s a great weekend to be a Rustler,” Rogan said as family, friends and fans celebrated with the hockey team at Lloydminster’s new Co-op rink after a three-hour-plus marathon.
“The women’s hockey program has just been incredible since they started. From where they started five years ago, to be where they are now, it just shows the amount of work and dedication that the leadership group has put into this program. And it shows the character of athletes that they’ve been able to bring into Lakeland. Just all-around really good people.”
Claudia Lammers, one of eight Rustlers in their final year with the team, scored a power-play goal at 5:37 of the second overtime period for a momentous finish to the team’s inaugural year in the community arena, which is part of the Cenovus Energy Hub complex.
Lakeland forward Keyra Buziak, the ACAC’s record-setting scoring champion, was named the playoff MVP.
The final would have been an ideal fit for the spacious Hub, occupied with a powwow all weekend. But the smaller rink created a special atmosphere just the same and mirrored old-time playoff hockey.
“A packed house,” said Rogan, standing across the ice from Lakeland’s multiple championship banners. “It’s so great to see this arena (full), with people standing around the boards, supporting our program and supporting quality hockey. It was just a thing of beauty.
“I’m so happy that our gals won (the title) at home this year. They won it on the road last year, which is special, too. But winning at home adds a little extra speciality to it. Just in front of your family and friends and your home community, it’s great to win it at home.”
That sense of home was evident all night, as the crowd was loud, even as the tension grew during four-plus periods of scoreless hockey. Signs were prominent throughout the rink, and a drum sounded in support of the hometown Rustlers.
NATIONAL HEROICS
It’s fitting that the latest hockey championship came on the same weekend as the national heroics for the women’s volleyball Rustlers. Both of those Lakeland teams have distinguished themselves as elite programs in college athletics.
“Our women’s volleyball team had a great weekend of play,” Rogan reported about a national championship performance that included a 3-1 victory (17-25, 25-20, 28-26 and 25-22) over Quebec’s Lynx d’Édouard-Montpetit in the final.
“The first two matches (against host Providence and Humber), our team played extremely well, and we were probably the best team from start to finish. The gold-medal game was certainly a challenge — d’Édouard-Montpetit is an incredibly talented team. It was definitely a battle for our gals. We won in four, but every single set was a battle. Our girls dug deep, like they’ve been doing all year, and they were able to pull it out in the end. A true testament to their fortitude and their character and perseverance throughout the entire year.”
It was a particularly poignant weekend for the volleyball team’s three seniors — Avery Bates, Emma Jeffs and Seanna Trumier — all graduating as four-time national champions.
“Three incredible young ladies who dedicated their life to our program for five years,” Rogan said. “You can’t say enough about those three as leaders and as people. Just great human beings.”
While the past weekend belonged to the CCAA volleyball champions and the ACAC hockey gold-medallists, many other Lakeland athletes showed their school spirit and cheered from the sidelines, especially during the hockey final in Lloydminster.
“It’s two very special programs,” Rogan said. “We’ve got a ton of incredible student-athletes in our athletics program. These two teams are at the top of their game right now. Great ambassadors, which is probably even more important.”
Attending multiple championship events in the past month, Rogan witnessed that cross-sport support from various Rustlers teams.
“Our volleyball teams, we were up at three in the morning Alberta time (to travel home), they got here and had a bit of a nap and showed up to cheer on our women’s hockey team tonight,” Rogan said.
“Our basketball teams came down to Augustana to cheer on our volleyball team, and our hockey team comes out to support all the other clubs. It’s just one big family that supports each other. They know what it takes to win and be a team. It’s a team of individuals, but it’s also a team of 135 student-athletes supporting each other.”
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