A shutout in lacrosse is a rare occurrence.
In fact, Chris Scott hasn't had one come his way since he played minor lacrosse.
On Saturday, the 31-year-old Shooters Pub Devils goalie was eight minutes away from his first Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association goose egg when Al Sinclair of the BX Pub Devils came along to spoil it.
"Someone on the bench must have mentioned the word [shutout] with eight minutes left 'cuz they snuck one in," said Scott. "It was low to the outside, and I thought I had the angle covered. A shutout is a tough thing to do.
"They've got some good shooters out there so it was nice to see the shots coming from the outside because it gave me time to react and save."
Tony Degans, back playing after a four-year injury-related absence, took care of business at the other end of the rink, scoring four times for the Devils. Jordan Zacharuk notched a hat trick and Scott Anderson finished with two goals and four assists.
With Steven Brizan away working in Alberta, Scott will be handling the bulk of the goaltending load this season and he figures the Devils will give the Bandits trouble all season.
"We have to come back with a vengeance and show them that we're still a team that can contend for the title and I'm there for the challenge," said Scott. "I've been working out lots, trying to stay in shape and I look forward to playing them."
The Devils lost a close seven-game championship final series to the Bandits last season, overcoming a 2-0 series deficit, but Saturday's game was anything but close. The Devils and Bandits have met in the final three of the last five seasons.
The Devils had just nine players other than their goalie, while the Bandits started the game with just seven runners, with two more players arriving late in the second period. Bandits veteran Ryan Bellamy expects a different result when his team is closer to full strength the next time the play the Devils, May 17 at Kin 1.
"Lots of guys had other commitments, and it's tough when you're missing key guys and have just seven or eight guys out on the floor," said Bellamy. "We were clanging posts all the way through the first and second period. We didn't have the lacrosse gods giving us the bounces."
