The West Kootenay Timberwolves defeated the Cranbrook Elite in Kimberley over the weekend to win the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League Junior B Tier 3 Championship in their inaugural season.
The two teams were a close match all season, with the Elite winning four of five regular season games by a narrow margin. The Timberwolves defeated the Elite 4-3 in Game 1 and overcame an 8-4 loss in Game 2 to win the tiebreaker Game 3 with a score of 3-0.
“They practiced hard all season and really bought into the coaching staff’s philosophy,” said Kevin Floyd, offensive coach and acting head coach for championship weekend. “It paid off at the end, after a tough season of learning.”
West Kootenay Wolfpack midget players Dustin Perepolkin, Ryan Pearce, Cody Lemay and Seth Whitehead joined the Timberwolves for the weekend. Perepolkin delivered six goals overall with Lemay scoring the winning goal in Game 1.
“This was a great opening season for the Timberwolves. I am super proud of these young men,” said defensive coach Rob Van Beek. “They pushed through with a short bench and focused on the process and the end-goal. The result was the league title which is what we wanted. We are looking forward to continued growth and success for next season, and to the graduating midget group joining the team next season.”
“These guys gave us everything and got better every shift all season. I have never been prouder,” said head coach Peter Youngblut. “We had exceptional community support for the team and wish to thank all our fans, sponsors and volunteers for their support of this new team.”
Player recruitment for the 2018 season will begin in the fall with identification camps. The 2019 team will be comprised of graduating players from the local minor program as well as athletes new to the game who bring skills from other sports.
Male and female athletes born between 1998 and 2002 are eligible to play in 2019. The box lacrosse program runs from March to mid-July and operates out of the Rossland Arena and Castlegar Complex. Interested players can contact the club at wkjrlax@gmail.com or wktimberwolves.com.
