They’re young and they’re fast.
And that youth and speed was on display as the Rockyview Silvertips made their 2013 season debut in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League’s (RMLL) Tier 1 Jr. B exhibition tournament April 21 at Calgary’s Brentwood Rec Centre.
Despite missing several of their senior starters, the Silvertips defeated the Okotoks Marauders 4-1 in their opening game at the preseason tourney.
While the speed was there, the hands showed room for improvement as there were plenty of turnovers and loose balls being chased.
“The next practice is going to be a half hour of ball-handling and a half hour of running,” said Silvertips head coach Gord Henry following the Okotoks game. “It’s one thing to run, and another to pass. We need to work on our ball-handling skills at full speed.”
Three of Cochrane’s six starting Silvertips players made the tourney, with Cordell Lee showing some of his explosive speed in the Okotoks tilt.
“We’re fairly young and have great team speed,” observed Lee, one of the senior members on the squad at 19 years old. “We’re not going to push many teams around, but we’re going to beat them to a lot of balls.”
One of the revelations to come out of the Okotoks game was the play of young goalie Craig Campbell of Olds. The 16-year-old stopper didn’t look out of place on the floor, making several key saves over the course of the game.
“He was pretty nervous before the game,” Henry related. “But you just have to put them in there. There are some great athletes in these small towns in our area. We just need to get them in the game.”
As for his team’s pre-season performance: “It was a good start. Get rid of those turnovers and we’ll be in great shape.”
