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Senior "C" Pioneers crowned Western Canadian champs

Ladner captures Alcan Cup for first time in 19 years after reeling off five straight victories
lacrosse
Ladner Senior "C" Pioneers are Alcan Cup champions for the first time in nearly two decades after a thrilling win over Alberta powerhouse Airdrie Mohawks in the gold medal game.

Ladner Pioneers Senior “C” lacrosse team is Western Canadian champions for the first time in 19 years.

The Pioneers captured the Alcan Cup on the weekend in Coquitlam with a thrilling 10-9 victory over Alberta powerhouse Airdrie Mohawks in the championship game.

Ladner entered the 10-team tournament coming off a 12-3-3 regular season in the West Central Senior Lacrosse Association that plays on Saturday nights out of Port Coquitlam.

The run to the title actually began with a 13-10 loss to Airdrie on Friday afternoon in what proved to be a fast-paced game. The Pioneers then battled their way back into contention with a big 13-4 win later that night over the Mission Cedarkings.

It was followed by a 10-3 triumph on Saturday afternoon over the Lower Mainland Mutts — a team featuring players from Langley, Burnaby and Richmond. That set the stage for a pivotal and must-win game against league rival Coquitlam Cobras — a team Ladner had not beat all season. The boys clutched up to produce a 9-7 win, clinching second spot in their pool group and a Sunday morning semi-final date with defending Alcan Cup champions Port Moody.

In an absolute thriller, Port Moody looked like it was on its way to victory after taking a 7-6 lead on a power play goal with just 35 seconds left. However, the Pioneers pulled their goalie and Spencer Bianchini produced the equalizer with 15 seconds remaining.

That sent the game into a 10-minute non-sudden overtime period. Paul Bains broke the deadlock at the six minute mark and goaltender Allan McLucas took over from there with some terrific play down the stretch, including a clutch save in the dying seconds.

The rematch with Airdrie was tied at 5-5 after 40 minutes when Ladner exploded for a 10-5 advantage, led by the offensive efforts of Randy Jones, Jesse Rumeo, Spencer Bennett and Ryan Chan. The Mohawks showed why they were riding a 55-game unbeaten streak — dating back to three seasons in the Alberta league — by fighting back within a goal.

They had a great chance to equalize in the dying seconds but McLucas came up with a spectacular diving stick save to preserve the win and the championship.

Cam Kirkbride is the Pioneers’ GM and playing coach. He is assisted by Bennett while Rajan Singh is the team captain.

The rest of the roster for the tournament featured: Andrew Sinclair (AC), Quinn Waddington (AC), Carter Mains, Colten Burr, Liam Bianchini, Quin Bianchini, Matt Gatto, Nathan Wilson, Dylan Sharpe, Nathan Macedo, Fino Gentile, Phil Guiria, Nico Ballarin, Cam Summers, Curtis Fraser and Reece Griffing. Others contributing throughout the regular season were: Matt Holding, Patrick Butler, Jon Arthur, Garett Holmes, Travis Bianchini, Kyle Eyolfson and Ryland Davidson.  The team trainer is Meaghan Snow.