In 2022, the Rockyview Silvertips achieved a franchise best by finishing the regular season in first place of their Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) division.
This year, the Cochrane-based club did one better, finishing not only as the top Central Division squad, but as the top junior B Tier 1 team overall in the RMLL's regular season.
“It feels absolutely incredible,” said Foster Stainthorpe, the team's 20-year-old captain.
“We set [topping our division] as a new standard and this is the second year in a row. Of course, it feels great, but that isn’t our ultimate goal. The regular season does only go so far, so our true goal is come playoff time.”
The Silvertips finished their 2023 regular-season schedule on July 16, producing their first and only tie of the campaign: an 8-8 draw against the Calgary Junior B Mounties after overtime.
It was a fitting and perhaps expected result, as head coach Tyler Waycott noted Rockyview went to overtime against the Mounties the last two times they played them as well.
“In the previous two, we were fortunate enough to come out with overtime wins, and last night, both teams battled hard and played an exciting game that resulted in a tie,” he said on Monday.
The tie meant the Silvertips finished the campaign with a 16-3-1 record. Their 33 points gives the Cochranites a healthy 13-point lead over their nearest opponent in the central division, the Calgary Chill.
“It is a big statement for our group and it just shows we’re finally getting the attention we deserve,” said Stainthorpe. “People are finally starting to talk about our team as one of the powerhouses of the league.”
Waycott credited his players for how quickly the Silvertips were able to come together this spring and summer. Despite losing some key members from last year's squad, Rockyview's rebuild was swift, and clearly successful.
That being said, Stainthorpe denied calling this year's Rockyview squad a rebuild.
“We do have a young team this year,” he said. “However, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a rebuild, just because we had a lot of those guys in our program, whether they were affiliates last year or first-and-second-years who have really been given the opportunity to step into bigger roles this year.
“Although they were kind of overshadowed last year, I think we’ve given those guys the chance to step up and show what kind of players they are and that we didn’t need to rebuild.”
Thanks to their first-place finish, the 'Tips will enjoy a bye through the first round of the RMLL post-season. Next week, they'll play the winner of the first-round playoff battle between the Calgary Chill and the Red Deer Rampage.
That set-up bodes well for Rockyview, who beat the Chill in all four games against their divisional rival this season. They also beat Red Deer in both games against the Rampage.
But Waycott and Stainthorpe each noted there's a difference between the regular season and the playoffs. Waycott predicts a battle is on the horizon, regardless of which adversary Rockyview ultimately faces in the second round.
“Both teams are good clubs and we’ve had good games against them,” he said. “Whoever we play is definitely going to be a tough opponent and we look forward to preparing for both. This upcoming weekend, we’ll dial in our prep work [depending on who our opponent is]. We fully expect it to be a hard playoff series in round two for us.”
For scores, schedules, statistics, and other info on the Silvertips, visit rockymountainlax.com
