The Delta Islanders have come home with some serious hardware.
Thirty-eight of Delta’s top U11 field lacrosse players travelled to Nanaimo in early February to compete in the provincial championships.
The tier 2 team kicked things off playing a physically challenging game against Nanaimo winning handily.
By the end of round robin play Saturday, the Islanders were in a three-way tie for first place in their pool. Thanks to their robust defensive play and goaltending, the team had the lowest goals against to propel them into a clear first-place finish and a coveted spot in the semifinals.
The semifinals kicked off against the Port Coquitlam Saints.
All four quarters were a battle with the Islanders working tremendously as a team in a 9-6 win, which secured a spot in the gold medal game against Juan de Fuca (Victoria).
The gold medal game began with both teams scoring within the first minute.
Delta fought valiantly right to the final whistle but lost 10-7 to come away with the silver medal.
The Islanders tier 3 team won its first two games racking up a remarkable 20 goals.
Delta then picked up two more wins in the round robin to earn a spot in the semifinals.
Their exceptional goaltending and strong defensive play were no match for the teams they were up against in round robin and semifinal.
The gold medal game also ended up being against Juan de Fuca - clearly a rivalry in the making. Like their counterparts, the Islanders rocketed off the face off and scored the first goal within a minute of play. Juan De Fuca answered right back and kept the physical play going. The Islanders came up just shy and proudly walked off the field with a well-deserved silver medal.
“As a coaching team, we couldn’t be prouder of these kids,” said divisional head coach Brian Harris of the double silver medal haul. “From the moment we stepped on the field this season, we operated as one U11 division with every practice including team building and the results speak for themselves. We’ll be back next year for double gold.”
