After getting lit up by a never-ending supply of Northland Nissan Assault shooters, Ray Masson, the 63-year-old goalie for the Cowboy Ranch Stylers, took a seat on the bench.
The Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association veteran needed a break while his team was on its way to a lopsided loss to the Assault halfway through their game Monday at the Coliseum.
"I was getting shredded," said Masson.
After giving up 12 goals, Masson was replaced by Kyle Wilson but the bleeding continued and the Stylers lost 19-5, following on the heels of a 14-4 loss to the Prince George Bandits in the season-opener.
The good news is the 0-2 Stylers will have a clean slate when they take the floor Saturday at 6 p.m. in Quesnel against the Westwood Pub Devils. That's of little comfort to Masson, knowing the Devils are defending league and provincial senior C champions and are once again the team to beat.
The Devils opened their season Thursday night at the Coliseum against the Quesnel Crossfire.
"Our defence was our weakness last year and it is again this year - we got banged around pretty good in our first two games," said Masson. "We've got limited resources on offence as well but if we get a full roster out we might be a little more competitive. It's going to be a long season."
Led offensively by Matt Rochon and Mike Bayley, the Stylers are probably the youngest team in the five-team league and their lack of senior lacrosse experience and shortage of players on the bench have hurt them on the floor.
Masson, who turns 64 in June, has a long history of lacrosse battles under his belt and is in great shape physically, having played six and sometimes seven games per week since October as a hockey goalie.
"I felt like I was pretty ready, but the Assault has some good shooters," said Masson. "Phil Michel was pretty productive on their left side and John Makowsky is always sharp. They accounted for most of the scoring."
The Assault (1-2) is without the services of Dave Jenkins Jr. (still awaiting knee surgery) and Craig Dunfield (who moved to Terrace) but still has a solid core of talent left from last year's team, which made it to the league final.
Wednesday night at the Coliseum, the Bandits improved their record to 2-0 thanks to some last-second heroics that led to an 8-7 victory over the Assault. Makowsky scored with 11 seconds left to tie the game for the Assault and with one second on the clock, Bandits shooter Lucas Buckhorn fired in the winner.
Wilson was in goal that night for the Assault, who acquired him Wednesday from the Stylers in a deal for future considerations. Drew Doig led the Bandits with three goals and three assists and Steve Kidwell collected two goals. Michel had a three-goal night for the Assault.
Saturday's Stylers-Devils game at Quesnel Twin Arenas is part of a PGSLA doubleheader, to be followed at 8 p.m. by the Bandits-Crossfire game.
