A 2-1 win Sunday in the gold medal game at the Trevor Wingrove Memorial tournament gave the Juan de Fuca Whalers bantam A team their second major lacrosse title of the season.
The Whalers got the winning goal against the hometown Coquitlam Adanacs two minutes into the third period, when Jacob Obee fed a pass to Casey Wilson, who whipped a hard shot past the Coquitlam goalie to snap a 1-1 tie.
Juan de Fuca goaltender Adam Bland was solid in net, stonewalling Adanac shooters the rest of the way and earning game most valuable player honours.
Obee had given the Whalers the early lead in the first, converting a pass from Isaac Swan. Coquitlam got one back in the second, setting the stage for the final period showdown.
Following the final, Swan was named most inspirational player for the tournament, an award based on quality of play, sportsmanship and being an inspiration to his teammates.
The tournament win was a followup to their win at the Hyack tourney in New Westminster. Both competitions are considered good benchmarks leading up to the provincial championships, which happen this year July 15 to 19 in Kelowna. Many players on the Whalers bantam A team won the pee wee A B.C. championship last season.
The Whalers opened round robin play with a 7-3 win over the Delta Islanders, with Brodie Strugnell and Casey Wilson providing most of the scoring punch for Juan de Fuca. Next came a come-from-behind 8-8 tie with Semiahmoo, in which Juan de Fuca’s Logan Wright bagged the tying goal in the third.
A 7-2 win over the Calgary Sabrecats, started off with an early goal by Josh Eden, gave the Whalers first in their pool and saw them face Saanich in the crossover semifinals.
In that game, Juan de Fuca started strong, building a 4-0 lead after 20 minutes on goals by Riley Hawes, Logan Wright, Evan Law and Chase Klassen. Saanich got three back in the second to make it close, but the Whalers poured it on in the third, getting goals from Jacob King, Matt Atkinson and Strugnell to cap a 7-3 win.
– with files from Susan Atkinson
editor@goldstreamgazette.com