Six seconds.
That was the amount of time the South Okanagan Flames were tied with the Kamloops Venom during Monday’s Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League game.
The Venom left Penticton’s Memorial Arena with a 17-13 victory, but the Flames made it difficult.
Trailing 9-3 after one period, the Flames rattled Kamloops, scoring six goals in the second frame. Their strong play led to the Venom coach being tossed before the period ended. Trailing 10-9 entering the third, the Flames kept pushing.
After being down 11-10, a tally by Liam Neary, who finished with two goals, evened the score at 12. A goalie change for the Venom, who put Mike Frolek in relief of Mitch Horsman, gave the Venom a boost. They outscored the Flames 5-1 to secure the win.
“We came out strong in the first 10 minutes, then kind of fell apart,” said Flames runner Jean Luc Chetner, who finished with two goals and four points. “We made a few mistakes on the faceoff, we’d lose our guy. Just little things.”
Flames coach Tony Ramsay liked what he saw from his group against what he described as a “very, very strong” team. The Venom also has players from the Kamloops Rattlers, who were forced to fold this season because of team problems.
“Our players are young, a little bit of inexperience on the floor,” he said. “With Derek (Grimm) our captain out of the lineup (due to suspension), he is one of the more senior guys. The younger guys are getting the job done. They are hustling and moving the ball.”
The Venom scored gritty goals by going hard to the net.
“They allowed Kamloops to get the jump on them,” said Ramsay. “They picked up a few quick goals.”
With the effort the Flames showed to get back in, Ramsay said the players were feeling confident.
“They are moving the ball well,” said Ramsay. “Our movement on the left side of the floor on our strong side has been improving. The players are beginning to trust each other to make the plays.”
On Thursday, the Flames will play their fifth game in nine days against the Kelowna Raiders in Kelowna. Chetner said the main thing they need to focus on is playing a complete game without mental lapses.
