CALGARY, AB — Who ever said lacrosse was for the boys?
This past weekend in Calgary, Bantam, Midget, and Senior girls showed that they can bring it, too.
Taking place at the Max Bell Arena, 10 teams in three different age groups competed for National Box Lacrosse supremacy over the course of six days.
Playing on their home turf, there was a significant Calgary contingent on the Team Alberta rosters.
At the Bantam level, there were eight girls on the roster from Cowtown. While they played tough all weekend, the Bantam Alberta team finished the round-robin with a 2-4 record and did not advance to the playoffs.
Seven Calgarians suited up for the Team Alberta Midget squad and had plenty of success on the weekend. With Hannah Bourget leading the offence with 12 points (5g, 7a) and Meghan Robbins minding the net (3.25 GAA), they were able to earn a spot in the playoff rounds and find themselves competing for bronze on the tournament’s final day.
While the offence had a strong performance in the Bronze Medal Game, it was Robbins who led the team with a stellar performance between the pipes. The young netminder held the Nova Scotia team to a single goal, while making a number of big saves.
Bourget added a goal and two assists, while Northern Albertans Adrienne Boudreau and Kennedy Conn each netted two goals inAlberta’s 6-1 win.
While the Bantam and Midget girls put on a good show for the fans, the Alberta Senior girls were simply dialed in during the tournament.
Leduc County native Addie Hobbins may have led the way for the Seniors’ offence, but eight native Calgarians produced at a high level as well throughout the tournament. That’s not to mention Megan Janzen in net, who was incredible all week.
Janzen, a 22-year old, played 240:00 minutes throughout the six days and earned a 2.75 GAA en route to a perfect 4-0 record.
Strong goaltending and a deadly offence helped the Seniors roll through the round-robin with a perfect record.
That earned them a spot in the Gold Medal Game against a talented First Nations squad.
With the top prize on the line, both teams came to play in the first period. With excellent defence on both sides of the floor, Alberta managed the lone goal of the period. The second period brought some more offence with it as Team Alberta scored three goals, while Charlene Lazore netted the first goal for First Nations.
Up 4-1 heading into the final frame, Team Alberta put their foot on the gas and ran away with the game. They tallied five goals in the period and secured a gold medal on home turf.
Congratulations to Team Alberta, the Female Box Lacrosse Senior National Champions!
