Penticton Advantage Mini Storage Heat peewee lacrosse team fell short of making history in Vernon and bringing provincial gold to the South Okanagan.
The Heat faced the number one seed Delta Islanders and lost 10-5. Delta jumped out to a quick lead scoring 10 seconds into the match and followed it up with three more to take an early four-goal lead. Penticton managed to tie the game, but it did not seem to spark the Heat as Delta took control.
In their opening game, Penticton came up with a lacklustre performance losing to West Kootenay and putting Penticton in a must-win situation for their remaining games.
The Heat came up with a better effort against Mission winning 10-5. In their final round robin game, the Heat played their best sinking Nanaimo 9-2.
With a 2-1 record, the Heat finished first in their pool and found themselves playing Westshore from Juan de Fuca for the third time this season and a birth in the gold medal game.
Westshore caught Penticton by surprise and scored early, but Penticton replied with five unanswered goals. Westshore tried battling back but goaltender Darius Venables MVP performance kept the lead as they advanced with a 6-2 win.
Other round robin MVP’s were Jace Canada, Freddy Harbinson, and Tyler Pisiak.
Ty Ricard received the Fair Play Award and Pisiak won Team MVP. Both voted by a committee of coaches.
As box lacrosse season closes, field lacrosse will start soon. Registration begins in August with the season begining in September and wraps up in December. It is open to kids born in 1995 to 2001. Registration forms found online at www.pentictonlacrosse.ca. Anyone with questions can contact Penni King at 250-497-7944.