The Quesnel Wildfire have cast aside any doubts which of the three teams is the early favourite in the upstart Cariboo Central Interior Intermediate League.
After pounding the Mackenzie Spartans 24-7 Saturday at Kin 1, the Wildfire returned to the arena Sunday afternoon and spanked the Prince George Posse 9-6.
The score actually flattered an understaffed Posse team which began the game with three midget callups. Although they had to contend with a full 19-player Quesnel lineup, had the Posse stuck to the rules of lacrosse they would have had a better chance of beating their traditional rivals.
Two of the best Posse best players -- Trevor Clark and Brandin Daychief -- lost their tempers and were ejected (Daychief left midway through second period and Clark was out early in the third), and that left Prince George with just 10 runners and there went their comeback hopes.
"To begin with with we're short-manned and then guys just went out and took stupid penalties," said Posse head coach Scott Anderson. "Until they get it in their heads that we need every guy on the floor, we're not going to win sitting in the box.
"Trevor Clark controls our offence, he's a helluva player and he spent half of [Saturday's] game in the box and was kicked out [Sunday]. That takes away our chance of winning. But for all the guys who stood in there in third period, some of them have never played before, I'd hate to think where we'd be without them. We just have to get our discipline problems figured out and I think we can compete with them."
Riley Lawryk, one of four Williams Lake players now playing for the Wildfire, collected two goals against the Posse, after lighting up Mackenzie for eight goals and 11 points the on Saturday. Quesnel captain Brody Lawlor also score twice against the Posse, as did Bryson Wapple. Jason Yee scored twice for the Posse. Lawlor said it got a lot easier Sunday with Daychief and Clark out of the game.
"They're pretty strong players and they're hard to play defence against and when they were gone we just out our nose to the grindstone and just ran with it," said Lawlor.
Most of the Wildfire players were on the Quesnel team which won the midget C provincial title last year. A majority of this year's squad also plays senior lacrosse for the Quesnel Crossfire. That familiarity with each other's habits showed in their continuity on the floor over the weekend.
"We've played two games of senior and t helps a lot," said Lawlor. "The more playing time we get together, the better we work as a unit and as a team. It feels good to be the team to beat and we're looking forward to the season."
The Posse got a bit of a lift when they replaced goalie Liam Miller and brought Keith Bizicki in off the bench midway through the third period. Yee beat Quesnel goalie T.J. Weistad to a loose ball and dumped it into the open net with 4:27 left and the Posse then went on a two-man power play for a full two minutes but couldn't score.
"They're pretty stacked and we were a tired team, I know everybody's bruised up," said Posse forward Andrew Sivell. "They have a full bench and we had 11 players and one [Sterling Cardinal] who has a broken foot. It's just hard when you don't have many people."
Sivell and Jared Stevens each collected four goals and two assists to lead the Posse to a 13-7 win over Mackenzie Saturday night. Dakota Murphy had four goals for the Spartans, who were outshot 59-20.
The three teams will meet again in Quesnel, May 24-25.
