Silvertips record first win of season

The Rockyview Silvertips ended a five-game losing streak with a 12-9 win over the Calgary Chill, May 22, at the Pete Knight Arena in Crossfield.

“(It was) awesome,” said Silvertips Head Coach Gord Henry. “I’ve never seen the boys so excited and I’ve never heard the dressing room so loud. They deserved it. We outworked, outran and outplayed (the Chill).”

Coming off an 18-6 loss to the Calgary Mountaineers, May 17, the Silvertips jumped out to a 5-3 lead in the first period. They doubled up on the Chill to take an 11-6 lead in the second period and stifled a Calgary comeback to maintain a final score of 12-9.

Assistant Captain Bryce Wells led the Silvertips in scoring with three goals and five assists, while Mitch Quong recorded two goals and four assists. Team Captain Taggart Jacob and Mitch Farris also had four points each. Wells and Quong share the lead as the team’s top scorers.

The win was a monkey off the back for the Silvertips, which had been outscored 65-21 in the first five games of the season. According to Henry, the losses were disappointing, but the team continued to improve with each game.

“They’re all coming together,” he said. “We’re generally the hardest working team on the floor. The compete level is amazing on this team. We lose, but the kids go through a brick wall to win. They don’t stop even if we’re losing by 15.

“(The win’s) going to be a huge confidence booster. They’ve worked so hard, and now that they’ve tasted success, they’re going to want it more. They played hard and we’ll build on that.”

Henry said he hates losing as much as any coach or player, but the development of the players is more important.

The Silvertips have a long tradition of developing young players and sending them to play in lacrosse programs in B.C., which gives them an opportunity to pursue the sport at professional and collegiate levels. He also said it’s tough sending players west and having the team struggle, but it’s worth seeing them succeed at a higher level.

“We’re in tough, and the last few years have been a struggle,” he said.

“Being so small, losing guys (to B.C. teams) always hurts. They’re tough to replace, but we’ll take losing if the boys are getting to where they want to go.

“It’s about learning and the guys know that. We don’t like losing, but as long as they’re learning, it makes those losses easier to handle. We’re there to help them along and see how far they can take it.”

The Silvertips played the Red Deer Rebels at the Kinex in Red Deer, May 27. (Results were not available at press time.) The team’s next home game is June 3 against the Edmonton Warriors.

The game will take place at the Pete Knight Arena in Crossfield at 3 p.m.