The Estevan Vipers novice lacrosse team fell 7-1 to the Moose Jaw Mustangs at Affinity Place on Sunday, but the team’s newly learned skills had their cheering home crowd on its feet throughout the contest.
“We had our issues, but I think we came together in the third period,” said Vipers coach Tim Hollingshead. “Moose Jaw’s program is seven to eight years older than ours, so I think we’re doing all right. We’ve got some first year kids who haven’t played lacrosse before, but we’re teaching them the skills and hopefully we’ll progress from here.”
The Mustangs jumped on the board early with Colton Ebbett scoring 10 seconds in on a rush off the opening faceoff. Moose Jaw’s Trevor Maurer, Cashton Seaborg and Ebbett, with his second of the game, made it 4-0 before the first period ended.
“The goal right off the bat,” said Mustangs coach Kyle Galgarno. “That gets the whole team pumped up and anted up for the rest of the game.”
Chase McKee brought the Mustangs’ lead to 5-0 seven minutes into the middle frame on a far-side shot from the side of Vipers goalie Marcus Jumbe’s net. On the next play, Estevan’s Ryder Davidson found the back of the net on a shot from in close.
Moose Jaw added a couple more goals in the second period thanks to markers by Josh Johnson and Chase Callaghan, but it was Mustangs goaltender Luke Andrews and Vipers netminder Levi Hollingshead, who split duties with Jumbe throughout the game, controlling the play in the final frame.
“The kids came out to play hard,” said Galgarno, whose team moved to 5-0 with the win. “Both teams played very well. Our goalie from Moose Jaw, Luke, he stood on his head today and saved a lot of shots that weren’t expected to be saved, so he helped us a lot on the back end.”
Hollingshead said the Vipers (2-5) are comprised of kids who have never played lacrosse before and other first-year novice players who have moved up from the tyke program, which involves less contact and opposition pressure than the novice level. He said the coaching staff’s main objective with this group is to build up their skills and that has happened to a great degree over the course of the past month.
“We’ve really improved from the first games we’ve played,” said Hollingshead. “We’re playing more structured and a more positional game. I try to teach them more defence. That’s my big thing. If they’re defensively sound, the offence will come.”
