A shorthanded but determined Delta Islanders lacrosse team travelled to Victoria where it came away with a silver medal at the Juan de Fuca Pee Wee A1 Tournament.
The Islanders road to the final began with a thrilling 5-4 victory over the host Westshore Whalers. Mark Yingling provided the difference by netting the game winning with just 16 seconds remaining.
The second outing was a hard fought battle with Cowichan Valley. The locals overcame some penalty trouble to earn a 5-5 tie. Delta then clinched top spot in round-robin play and a berth in the championship game with an impressive 5-2 victory over the Saanich Tigers.
The result set-up a rematch with Saanich in the battle for gold. Led by captain Dean Kishiuchi and assistant, Jake Cantlon, the boys came out strong and took a lead into the final period. However, injuries and a short bench left them with just eight available runners for the final 20 minutes That paved the way for Saanich to battle back and pull out a 5-4 win.
Stellar goaltending by Jarvis Dashewytch and Connor Sillet was a key to the tournament success.
The team received consistent goal scoring from Jake Cantlon, Mitch Godlington, Jackson Tutkaluke and Kishiuchi.
Jackson McLeod, Ben Simms and Max Cantlon displayed strong defensive movements and quickness to loose balls, giving Delta many opportunities to maintain possession.
Pee Wee B team call ups Ben Andrews and Ben Morrison were a great fit with the team and contributed strongly to the success of the weekend.
MVPs for the tournament were awarded to Kishiuchi and Cantlon.
The team was exhausted, but happy to leave with some hardware, great memories and lots of laughs.
The Islanders are coached by Seth Cantlon, Glen McLeod and Warren Tutkaluke.
The roster also includes: Michael Calvert (assistant captain), Jared Molici, Billy Matwychyna, Maxwell Stalling and Douglas Jameson.
