Less then three years into their journey as a recognized lacrosse outfit and the Lakeland Jr. B Heat have established themselves as one of the best teams the province has to offer.
After squeezing past the Sherwood Park Titans in second-round playoff action this past weekend, the boys will be travelling west once again on Saturday as they prepare for a north division title tussle with the Fort Saskatchewan Rebels.
“It's a really nice feeling to be able to sit here and (call ourselves) northern finalists,” the team's head coach Dennis Hodinsky told the Nouvelle on Sunday. “The guys have really come together at the end of the season, we've been on a heck of a role. Things have been clicking really well for us in recent weeks.”
After racing away with a 13-10 victory in Game 1 against the Titans on Saturday afternoon, the boys had to come back from a narrow loss in game two to take the series courtesy of an 8-5 win on Sunday evening.
In watching his team once again upset the odds, Hodinsky believes it's the togetherness of the young squad that has inspired them to victory after victory in recent weeks.
“Honestly, I think it's just a case of everybody is buying into the system and doing their part for the team,” Hodinsky said. “We have a few guys who really take the lead from an offensive standpoint and put up the goals for us, but then we have the workers who have really come on strong recently. We've got some guys that have really stepped up their game and surprised, which is important at this stage of the season.”
He added, “Our defence has been incredible too. They've been doing their part to help push us across the line. It really does take an entire team to win a game of lacrosse.”
While he was keen to press home that team effort, Hodinsky reserved special praise for Bonnyville native Eric Gratton – a first-year rookie with the team.
“Some young guys have really been stepping up and playing well for us at an important time of the season. It really is do or die at this point and Eric Gratton stepped up in a big way this weekend,” Hodinsky said. “Not usually a goalscorer, Eric grabbed three important goals for us and as a first-year Jr. kid stepping up, that's great to see.”
While Hodinsky was delighted with the performance of his players down in Sherwood Park, he was equally as delighted with the drones of supporters that had traveled down from Bonnyville to cheer the Heat on to victory.
“From the boys perspective, it's absolutely huge having that fan support there cheering you on,” Hodinsky said. “We had an incredible turnout of fans once again down in Sherwood Park. That support really motivates the kids, especially on the road. It's nice to be able to look up and see that support when you're in somebody elses barn.”
Now, as the team prepares for a northern final with the top-ranked junior team in the province, Hodinsky took some time to reflect on just how far the local lacrosse club has come in its short three-year existence.
“The growth and the progression has been incredible, the team has really come on incredibly well and the support has been fantastic,” Hodinsky said. “I'm a true believer though in the fact that success really does start from the bottom. Our feeder clubs have been awesome in providing us with the players to compete at (a higher level).”
He added, “We've been able to bring guys in that have a lot of experience playing lacrosse and that helps. We've got a good mix here of experienced guys and new guys. It's been a great (couple of years).”
Having played already played and beat the Rebels twice this season, Hodinsky believes his boys have what it takes to travel down to Edmonton once again this weekend and emerge victorious.
“The boys have been shocking and surprising themselves all season long. We really didn't know what we'd be able to accomplish at the beginning of the year, but now that we've put things together, I truly believe anything is possible,” Hodinsky said. “I think we can go all the way now. This far into the summer we might as well keep going and bring the trophy home.”
The team will travel to Fort Saskatchewan to play out a best of three series this coming Saturday and Sunday.
Should the Heat once again come out on top, they will host the provincial championship series against either the Lethbridge Cudas or the Medicine Hat Sun Devils. Games are tentatively set for the first weekend of August.
