Strathmore Venom defeated in playoffs

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Venom Jr. B lacrosse team was defeated in the deciding game of their playoff run against the Calgary Wranglers, ending their season among the Top 5 within the league.

Strathmore was defeated 9-8 in Game 3 of their best-of-three series. Head Coach Lucas Bobbitt said his boys fought hard until the very end, just falling shy of taking the win.

“It was disappointing for sure, more so for the guys. They really pushed and were really hungry for it this year, so to get beat by one goal in the Game 3 decider is tough for them,” he said. “It is just tough. The game today … we started off pretty hot and we let them get back into it, got into some penalty trouble and then we pushed at the end. We were down by three with four minutes left and we pushed and pushed and managed to get it within one.”

A somber atmosphere in the locker room, the Venom will be losing four members of their team as the boys age out and move to the next league. 

Bobbitt added the Venom finished second in the South Division through the regular season going into playoffs, which is guaranteed to ultimately place the team among the top five in the province. 

“We set a franchise record for wins this year – we finished the season 13-3. From Day 1 of practice, these guys wanted it so much that they were just playing unreal,” he said. “We had three of the league’s top scorers … and they led the team from the front. We did not end up losing a game to a team other than the first place, Cranbrook Blackwolves, until I think two weeks were left in the season.”

Bobbitt especially praised the offense shown off by his team this year through the boys’ athleticism and ball movement. On the defensive side, he added great strides were taken this year to really up their game, and he was proud to see the development.

“We had a really big roster this year and not everybody got all the playtime in the world, but they definitely made it count when they did get it,” he said. “Going into next season, it is just about developing. We lose our Top 3 scorers to graduating out, but we had some really incredible flashes, especially on offense from a guy like our #82, Cole Peterson. He really stepped up and I am looking for him if he does not go into a higher tier to be a captain on this team.”

Bobbitt is confident next year will be another impressive showing from the Venom, adding to the hunger for victory and payback after losing out to the Wranglers.