Officially, it was a bronze-medal finish for the Lloydminster Border Brutes in the Alberta U17 B lacrosse championship Sunday at Medicine Hat.
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But it might just as well have been recorded as a golden performance for the Border City bunch.
The Border Brutes’ 4-1 record was as good as any club’s showing in the U17 event, played in sweltering arena heat over three days.
“Honestly, there were six teams there and any one of them could have won it,” said Lloydminster coach Jeremy Plamondon. “For us to go 4-1 was incredible, I thought.
“We were definitely the underdogs. We weren’t making a lot of noise. Nobody really thought the Brutes were going to win it.”
Underestimated perhaps because they play in a three-team league, the Wheatland Lacrosse Association champions showed their mettle and earned a medal in the provincial championship tournament.
The Border Brutes won three straight games in round-robin action but lost 14-11 to the Leduc Crush in the semifinals Saturday night.
“They’re a good team,” Plamondon said of Leduc. “We’ve played them this year and last year, and they’re always close games. We’ve had a good rivalry with them.”
Lloyd regrouped to defeat the Okotoks Raiders 9-6 in the bronze-medal match Sunday afternoon.
“The whole round-robin, everybody was beating each other, and we pulled it together and got the wins early and that really helped us,” Plamondon reported.
“When we played Okotoks in the round-robin, they hadn’t lost a game all year. So, we were the first ones to give them a loss, and that was a big confidence-booster. Our kids played really well.
“But when we played them again in the (bronze-medal game), we just pulled into a different gear. Our defence was the best I’ve seen them play all year. Our goalie was the best I’ve seen him play all year. And our forwards were just smart and solid. It was just the perfect way to end it.”
It’s no wonder that third-place game seemed like the championship match.
“It felt like a gold medal to me, and everybody,” Plamondon said. “The kids, they deserved it. They really, really worked hard.”
And they did so in steamy temperatures near 30 C in a stifling-warm and packed arena.
“I couldn’t believe how hot it was,” said Lloyd’s head coach. “For as hard as (the players) would sweat, they’d throw their equipment on the back of the truck and then an hour later it would be totally dry. It was so hot.”
The Border Brutes were hotter than they’ve been all season.
“That’s the best lacrosse I’ve seen,” Plamondon said. “We just enjoyed that final game so much.”
It was the last game in more ways than one for Plamondon, now stepping aside after 30-some years of coaching lacrosse, hockey and baseball teams in Lloydminster.
“It kind of capped it off and it felt good,” he said. “I feel like I’m walking away at the right time.”
His 16-year-old son, Ryder, captained the Border Brutes and was the top scorer in the Wheatland league this season. He’s among 15 graduating players with Lloyd’s U17 team of boys and girls.
Multiple members of the Border Brutes are expected to graduate to the junior B Lloydminster Xtreme next season. Ryder Plamondon has been called up to the pennant-winning Xtreme immediately as they begin their Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League playoffs this weekend in Hillmond.
The Xtreme host the Red Deer Renegades in a best-of-three series, with all the action at Hillmond Redden Arena. Games are set for 6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. Sunday and, if necessary, 4 p.m. Sunday.
At the U17 B provincials, three Border Brutes — Ryder Plamondon, Ryssan Thiessen and Isaiah Wiens — accounted for 46 of the team’s 54 goals.
“They were getting shadowed quite a bit,” said coach Plamondon. “They definitely took a beating up front.”
At the other end of the floor, Lloyd’s goaltending was in the capable hands of Rocklin Schwenk. He handled all the action in the absence of goalie partner Zayne Yushchyshyn, who was busy playing U17 football with Team Alberta.
“We went with one goalie in hopes he wouldn’t get hurt,” Plamondon said. “He saved his best game for last. His name is Rocklin and he was a rock for us. He was unbelievable.
“Everyone played so well in that last game. We were just so proud of every kid.”
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