Four young lacrosse players with a local connection played a major role in helping their teammates take home gold medals at the U15 provincial box lacrosse championship.
Sooke residents Max Schuman, twin brothers Nixon and Barrett Szadkowski, and Cayden Johnston play for the Juan de Fuca Whalers U15 box lacrosse team that defeated Ridge Meadows Burrards in the championship game of the provincial tournament.
The Whalers avenged an 8-6 defeat to Ridge Meadows in the round robin with a convincing 11-3 victory in the championship game of the tournament, which took place in Comox from July 4 to 7.
"Losing to them in the round robin made the whole team want it even more," said Barrett Szadkowski. "Everyone on the team was super excited after losing to Ridge Meadows in the provincials for the last two years."
"Beating them made it special after working so hard to get to the finals again," Nixon Szadkowski concurred. "Our coach has been with us for the past three years, and I think he wanted it as much as we did."
Barrett praised his coaches for keeping the entire team focused during every game and practice throughout the season.
"It was a total team effort and everyone pulled together," added the 13-year-old brothers, who will attend Grade 9 at the Pacific Coast Hockey Academy in Langford in September.
Head coach Jordan Waters said ther team wouldn't have had such a successful season without the efforts of his three assistant coaches, Sabrina Booth, Armaan Sohi, and Nick Szadkowski.
Waters has nine years experience as a volunteer coach, the first two with Saanich, and the past seven with Juan de Fuca.
"What set this team apart from every other team is how tight-knit they were," he noted. "They were more than a one-man show and much more like a family. They played for each other and not just fort themselves."
Waters said Whalers goalie Chase Dixon-Liddle was phenomenal, especially during a 10-0 win over the Port Coquitlam Saints in the semi-final.
"Chase showed that he's probably the best goalie in BC., and our captain was named most valuable player at the tournament," he noted.
Waters also had lots of good things to say about coach Curt Malowsky, who serves as head coach and general manager for the National lacrosse League's Vancouver Warriors.
