The junior "A" Delta Islanders bowed out of the post-season earlier this week after being swept by the first place New Westminster Salmonbellies.
"[We] battled them really tough," said Islanders head coach Greg Rennie. "They've got a lot of veterans on their team and they're poised to try and go to the Minto (Cup)."
The series came to a close with a 17-12 Salmonbellies win Tuesday in New Westminster. Delta trailed 7-5 after the first period and closed to within a goal at 9-8 in the second frame before New West pulled away.
The Salmonbellies move into their next series having dropped only one game in regular and postseason play this year - a May 17 tilt against Delta.
Asked if there was any particular area of the matchup with New West that was a big factor in the series, Rennie mentioned the offence and noted the Islanders struggled to get inside and get goals.
He said the team also didn't get a lot of power plays, which he referred to as the club's bread and butter.
"That hurt us a lot. Scoring five-on-five has been a struggle for us all year."
Delta's defence played with heart and emotion and put in a lot of minutes against arguably the best offence in the league, possibly even the country, Rennie said.
"We showed a lot of good signs there."
Rennie also said he was pleased with the team's younger players.
"I'm really happy with the way our young guys stepped up to play at the level of playoff lacrosse. It was really a test for a lot of younger guys to see where they were really at. A lot of guys showed very well, I thought, this series for us."
Jonathan Phillips, technically a rookie age player, was playing smart and doing the right things, Rennie said.
"He definitely had a bit of a coming out for us this last week."
Phillips led the Islanders in playoff scoring with 14 points in the three games.
Looking ahead, Rennie is positive about the Islanders' future.
He noted the future considerations return on the team's big trade deadline deal, one that saw leading scorer Eli McLaughlin and defensive standout Taylor Northway move to defending champion Coquitlam Adanacs, has yet to be announced.
The commitment and desire with the team's younger players is there and he thinks the talent is there as well, Rennie said.
Northway also returns to the team for next season.
"Moving forward, we've got a lot of talent to build on for the future. We've got a couple more trades that are going to happen. The future is definitely bright for our program."
