A back-and-forth affair between the North Okanagan Everton Ridge Legends and Penticton Heat ended in a 5-5 tie on Monday, April 18, in minor lacrosse bantam action at Kal Tire Place in Vernon.
Four quarters wasn’t enough to declare a winner, as both teams were satisfied with collecting a single point in the Okanagan league standings.
Strong goaltending on both sides from North Okanagan’s Shaymus Waterstreet and the Heat’s Owen Byers ensured the game’s scoring would go no further than five apiece.
Both the Heat and Legends are expected to be near the top of the league’s standings ahead of the upcoming provincials championships from July 14 to 17, set to be hosted by Vernon.
The game was played on the same turf flooring that will be installed for the provincial tournament. It’s the same kind of floor used by the National Lacrosse League’s Vancouver Warriors.
Penticton’s Elias Hunt scored three times — including two unassisted markers — during Monday’s early-season showdown. Callum Turpin had a goal and an assist while Cole Williams scored the other goal.
Meanwhile, North Okanagan’s Wyatt Stowards led his team offensively with a three-point effort (1+2), while Connor Johnson, Boston Ciccone, Spencer Catlin and affiliate player Jesse Johnson added singles.
The Legends were led by solid defensive games from Asher Kuiken and Liam Marchand.
Lacrosse is expected to be at the forefront of local sports in the Okanagan this weekend, with the Thompson Okanagan Junior League’s Icebreaker Tournament set to take place in Armstrong this Saturday.
The Penticton-based South Okanagan Flames are the last playoff champions of the league, crowned in 2019. There has been no official league play for the past two seasons because of COVID.
All five of the league’s teams will take part in the Icebreaker event, including the Flames, Vernon Tigers, Kamloops Venom, the expansion Kelowna Kodiaks and host Armstrong Shamrocks – back in the league after taking a leave of absence in 2019.
READ MORE: Kelowna Raiders outgun Vernon Tigers
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