The U19 Delta Footmen field lacrosse team capped an impressive 2011-12 campaign with a silver medal finish at the provincial tier II championships in Victoria.
The locals began play with a tough 7-6 loss to Vancouver Island's Pac Ram, despite some excellent goaltending by Game MVP Patrick Butler.
The Footmen then rebounded in tough weather conditions to roll to a 14-5 win over North Okanagan. A solid all-round effort was led by the Game MVP performance of Matt Messenger.
Delta would hook-up again with North Okanagan and this time produced a a 14-7 victory. The outcome was in doubt until the second half when the Footmen snipers went to work to put the game out of reach. Taylor Northway collected Game MVP honours as he thrived in more adverse playing conditions.
The gold medal tilt was another meeting with Pac Rim and the hosts jumped out to a commanding 6-0 first half lead. The Footmen came roaring back with six unanswered goals of their own to pull even. It stayed that way until 90 seconds remained in the fourth quarter when the Island squad capitalized on the power play for a 7-6 win. The result didn't prevent Butler from earning another Game MVP as well as tournament MVP honours for his outstanding play in net.
The Footmen were guided by John Burr who has made a significant impact in the outdoor and box versions of the sport over the past 20 years. He thanked the efforts of assistant coach Kris Gunderson, team manager Clair Gunderson, his wife Patty and the Footmen executive for all their hard work throughout the season.
"To my players, words cannot express how proud I am of you all, we had a good year and I thank you for your commitment; it was an honor to be your coach," he said.
