The Estevan Big Dogs junior lacrosse team ended their season with a 22-7 loss to the Regina Riot on June 27, and with the loss, ending a season that saw the team finish with a 1-10-1 record. The team now looks for positive storylines heading into the playoffs.
The Big Dogs are expecting to play the Smash in the first round of the playoffs, which will begin next weekend.
The biggest issue that plagued the team throughout the season was the number of players suiting up for each game. In the final game of the season, they played only nine. Even with the small bench, head coach Even Handley, said there were promises of hope in the team's play.
"We did do some things really well. We scored a couple of power play goals," he said.
Rhett Handley buried six shots and added an assist, while Tanner Froese had four points. Mark Moriarty also scored. Those goals helped Rhett finish third in scoring with 59 goals in the 12-game season. He will play in the junior B lacrosse nationals in Halifax this summer along with Big Dogs teammate Tanner Froese.
"It's nice to see those kids keep scoring even with a small bench. Our biggest problem is we haven't had the numbers in any game," said Handley, noting the only game they played with a full bench resulted in a tie in Regina against the Riot.
"We have a huge roster but with people working, they can't come out. It's tough when you don't have three or four my guys on the bench so that people can rest and we can play the way it's supposed to be played with guys either on offence or defence. It's really frustrating as a coach and as a player I'm sure it's really frustrating as well."
This season, the Big Dogs were able to spread the ball around more, providing a more balanced attack.
"Growth wise, offensively we were even better this year than last year. We relied on Dylan Smith a lot last year. We spread the offence out a bit this year. We had a lot of goals from the young kids. We had three midgets who played with us regularly and they all scored," said Handley.
"Defensively, when we did have the bodies we made improvements. We were in a lot of games. We only lost to Yorkton by a goal. There were some games against the Smash that were high scoring, but we were really in those games.
"I think we stepped back in some areas. We didn't play as tough, which allows (the other team) to run more. I don't mean going out and starting fights. I just mean playing tough, not being fun to play against," added the coach.
Tough is a difficult style to play with a short bench, as it requires some extra energy and at times, a team will take some penalties, something the Big Dogs could rarely afford with so few players in the game.
"You can't play it. When you play tough, you do tend to take some penalties, and we tend to only have 10 or 11 guys on the bench the whole game. You can't have guys in the penalty box because you're putting more stress on your skilled players."
Handley said with the young team the Big Dogs had this year, next season will see players with an extra year of experience under them.
"Other than the four or five guys who will move on at the end of the year, we have a lot of young guys so, going forward, is a good sign. We have some young people who want to carry the torch going forward."
He said there are four or five players who completed midget and are eligible to move up and Handley hopes they do. The lacrosse ranks are flush with young talent. Handley said he is happy with how the sport is progressing in the Energy City, with lots of players in the bantam and peewee levels.
"The biggest thing is getting those younger kids playing and have them continue playing. They've done a good job in Estevan Minor Lacrosse getting the kids playing lots of games and going to tournaments. That's what you need. You need to play games."
He said when he coached younger kids through the system, who are now Big Dogs or former Big Dogs, they played a lot of games. That's what has kept those players playing through to the junior level.
"They're still playing because they played a lot, and they liked it."
For playoffs, which will start on the weekend, Handley said they need a full bench, first and foremost.
"We just need as many people as possible. Our big guys need to play well, and we need some fairly solid goaltending. When we do get beat in a one-on-one situation we'll need a big save. It's tough as a goalie when the guys playing on the perimeter are real tired, too."
