Over 650 athletes from 32 teams competed in the Innisfail Spirit of the Sticks Lacrosse Tournament over the weekend with games spanning three days and played in two different towns.
The Innisfail Phantoms were host to another successful competition in what is quickly becoming known as a great tournament for all levels of players, said Mandy Mitchell-Himer, president of the Innisfail Minor Lacrosse Association and tournament coordinator.
“We have had great support from the community and from everyone in the association,” said Mitchell-Himer, adding that the support enables the association to keeps costs down and still be able to provide prizes and medals for the players.
The “B” level tournament is a competition for novice, pee wee, bantam, and midget lacrosse teams. Players and their families travelled from as far north at Spirit River and Grande Prairie, and as far south as Lethbridge to participate in the tournament.
Over the years the tournament has grown so that games are not only held at the Innisfail Arena but are also held in Olds thanks to a new partnership between the two lacrosse clubs.
This year the Phantoms had another good showing at their home tournament with three out of the four Innisfail teams making it into the medal rounds and two walking away with hardware.
The Innisfail Servus Credit Union Pee Wee Phantoms won gold in a 5-3 victory over the Red Deer Rock after gaining a quick lead in the first two periods and holding onto it until the last shot in the final seconds of the game.
The Innisfail Co-op Pee Wee Phantoms nearly missed the bronze in a close 3-1 loss to the Sherwood Park Titans on Sunday.
The Innisfail X-Treme Energy Phantoms took home the bronze medal in an 8-4 victory over the Red Deer Chiefs in the Bantam league with the Olds Stingers 2 team taking gold in a 12-5 win over the Olds Stingers 1 team.
The novice gold medal winners were the Red Deer Chiefs who took a 9-3 victory leaving the Red Deer Beasts with silver. The Lethbridge Rage won gold in the Midget division after a 7-3 victory over the Calgary Knights 1 team.
During the tournament the bantam and midget players also took part in a fun skills competition and many of the teams had the chance to dunk their coaches in a dunk tank fundraiser hosted by the Phantoms on Saturday.
