Later this month, the Prince George Posse will shoot for the midget A2 provincial lacrosse title. Thanks to a tournament win in Calgary on the weekend, the Posse will head into the B.C. championship riding high.
The Posse, formed by the top 15- and 16-year-olds in the city, claimed gold in the B division of the Calgary Canada Day Tournament. In Sunday's final game, Prince George beat Winnipeg 8-3 by way of a comeback. Overall, the Posse posted a perfect 5-0 record.
"It was just awesome," said coach Bill Barwise. "They're a real cohesive group of boys.
"It's been a real pleasure [to coach them]. It seems to be the more competitive the level is, the better they play."
Against Winnipeg, the Posse fell into a 2-0 hole half way through the opening frame but turned the flow of the game when Dane Chapman scored on a breakaway while his team was killing a four-minute penalty. The P.G. boys trailed 2-1 after the first period but were in a 4-2 advantage by the end of the second. In the third, they continued to dominate and were rewarded with the five-goal margin of victory.
"We had some success getting the ball down low," Barwise said. "We're pretty big down low. They were a smaller team -- they were quick but they couldn't defend us. Guys like Olin Erricson and Tanner Thomsen create a lot of space [for our shooters]."
After the Posse jumped into the 4-2 lead, Winnipeg shooters started applying more heat against goaltender Dalan Etter. But, time and again, Etter sent them away in frustration and that proved to be the difference in the game. Etter, in his first year in the midget division, was later chosen as the tournament's most valuable player.
"We were able to spread [the Winnipeg players] out and get our goals as a result of Dalan being able to make those saves," Barwise said. "He's not a huge kid but positionally he's pretty good in there. He's got a pretty good stick and he communicates well with the boys."
Earlier in the tournament, the Posse ran to wins against Calgary (8-5), California (3-2), Denver (8-1) and High River (6-1).
Next on the team's schedule is the A2 provincial tournament, July 20-23 in Coquitlam. Barwise expects the toughest competition to come from Kamloops, Juan de Fuca and Delta.
"They have played teams that we have played so I've got a good read on them," Barwise said. "I think we're competitive with all those teams."
