The final chapter has been written for the 2017 lacrosse journey of the Mission Cedar Kings.
After falling in the playoff semi-finals of the West Central Senior C Lacrosse League, the team set its sights on the Senior C Provincials and Invitational in Prince George from Aug. 11 to 13.
The event saw 11 of the best teams in the province duke it out for the top prize in B.C.
Mission opened on Aug. 11, falling 7-6 to the Airdrie Mohawks.
The Mohawks, ranked the top team in Alberta, had not tasted defeat all season prior to the Senior C Provincials.
“Jeff Lissimore stood on his head and gave us a great chance to win like every game,” said Cam Slater of the Cedar Kings, about the loss to Airdrie.
The Cedar Kings returned to action later that day, taking down the Wsaenc Arrows 19-3.
Mission continued the momentum on Aug. 12, with another 19-3 win over the Prince George Co-Op Petroleum Stylers.
The Cedar Kings then took down another Prince George team later that day, with a 9-4 win over the Westwood Pub Devils.
The record of three wins and one loss put Mission in a tie with WCSCLL arch-rival the Coquitlam Adanacs, but Mission advanced to the playoff round thanks to a goal differential advantage on Coquitlam.
The Cedar Kings fell 15-10 to the Ladner Pioneers on Aug. 13, but it was discovered that Ladner was using an illegal player.
They were then disqualified from the event, and Mission had the opportunity to play for the bronze.
The bronze-medal game saw Airdrie edge Mission 9-6, which meant Mission finished fourth at the tournament and second in the province.
“We had some big performances all weekend by both our goalies and, up front, Johnny Makowsky really led our team playing in his hometown,” Slater reflected.
“It was nice to play some different teams for a change as well and can’t wait to see what we can do next year after being 4-12 last year in our first season as a team to going 9-8-1 and making playoffs this year. We can’t wait to see what we can do next year.”