The Okotoks Marauders are going streaking.
Okotoks equalled its wins total from all of last season with its second straight victory in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League’s Junior B Tier I ranks in a 13-6 triumph over the visiting Calgary Mountaineers on May 19 at Murray Arena.
“We moved the ball really well and we caught them a bit flat footed in the first period,” said Marauders head coach John Millar. “We got off to an explosive start in the second and in the third and we won all three periods.”
A little bit more fortune and the fourth-year club could easily be looking at a mark of 4-2 after seeing two of its games with the Silvertips and Shamrocks slip away in the final frame.
“We’ve had a few bounces go the wrong way on us and dropped a couple third period leads,” he said. “If you take away those two third period leads we dropped, we’re a 4-2 team.
“Now that we’ve won a couple games it will take us towards holding onto those leads and being able to battle to the end of the game. It’s a big step forward for us.”
Okotoks allowed just six goals against in both of its victories, a figure which will give a lacrosse team at any level a pretty good chance to enter the win column.
“The key to our defence is getting the guys to work together,” the coach added. “So if they’re working together against the other teams lefties we make sure those two guys are on the same page, constantly communicating, knowing their responsibilities and doing it together.”
Impressively, those out of the back gate and in transition are largely the newcomers to the club including the likes of Holy Trinity Academy Grade 11 student Stephen MacNutt.
“The first couple games of the year we struggled because we had guys who didn’t understand assignments,” the coach said. “Now that we have everyone on the same page our defence is really stifling them.”
When the defenders do let the odd attackman slip by, the last line of defence has proven to be pretty difficult to beat.
Veteran netminder Kyle Vernon has been stellar in 2016 for the Marauders.
“The other teams are getting shots, but we’re forcing them to take lousy shots,” Millar said. “We’ve had great goaltending from Kyle Vernon and every time someone has been able to get in alone he’s been able to take away goals from them.”
Taking goals away from the Marauders hot sticks on offence has proven a challenge of late.
Okotoks’ Taylor McNeill, Eric Porter and freshman Cameron Chesser all rank in the top-20 in league scoring.
“The key to our game is ball movement, even in a five-on-five setting,” the coach said. “When we get into that powerplay setting and we outnumber them, they move the ball really quick down low and get the goaltender moving back and forth and usually by the time they’re able to put it in the net the goalie is exhausted.”
The Marauders’ winning streak will face a stiff challenge this week in the form of the Calgary Chill. The reigning division champions bring a high-pressure defensive style to the floor and really force quick decisions out of the opposition.
Millar said the South Division showdown will come down to who wins the one-on-one battles.
Okotoks takes on the Chill at 9 p.m. on May 26 at Calgary’s Brentwood Arena. The Marauders’ next home date is June 11 versus the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers. For full Marauders schedule information go to rockymountainlax.com
