Morning Star Staff
The Vernon Source For Sports Tigers are the Thompson Okanagan Lacrosse League playoff champions.
The Tigers brushed back the first-place Kamloops Venom 9-7 in overtime before 400 fans Friday night at Kal Tire Place, taking the best-of-five final series in four games.
Vernon forced the extra 10-minute period by levelling the score at 7-7 with 16.8 seconds remaining in regulation and goalie Aaron Jensen on the bench for a sixth attacker.
“We pulled AJ and ran a play right out of the book and the boys executed,” said a joyous head coach Myles Brumpton. “Braden Barr pumped it in with a quick stick over the goalie’s (Dalan Etter) left shoulder.
“The boys were so poised on the bench and didn’t panic. They listen to us.”
Captain Brett Hanna carried the ball into Kamloops territory and dished off to Ryan Sarazin, who in turn fed Barr.
In overtime, Darrell Landels pocketed his fourth of the game and Jordan Orr added insurance with a one-handed offering through a screen.
Landels connected when he got Etter moving the wrong way with a deke on a two-on-one with Bayne Bosquet.
The Tigers ragged the ball for two full minutes when Hanna was called for high sticking in OT.
“We came out a little more controlled and stayed really focussed,” said Jensen. “Losing the last game kind of opened our eyes that it wasn’t going to be easy.”
Landels also had one helper, while Orr earned 2+1 and other goals came from Bosquet and Sarazin. Hanna collected three assists.
Brady Jorgensen supplied 2+1 for the Venom, while Colton Boomer, Kyle Pauwels, Haden Hoover, Kyle McLellan and Riley Peterson had singles.
Brumpton noted that Jensen rang up an impressive 8.5 goals against average against the league’s most potent offence.
“We’ve got the team to do better than fourth we got last year,” said Jensen. “The guys are ready to get back to the rink for practice. Like coach said, the season’s not over yet, just midway.”
Vernon hosts the four-team provincials, starting with a Saturday night tilt versus the West Coast champions – either the Delta Islanders (15-0-1) or the Coquitlam Adanacs (14-2). Vernon plays Kamloops Sunday morning.
