While the Mavericks had a standout season, going 16-2, and dropping only two games to their rivals from Lethbridge, the Olds Junior B Tier II lacrosse team was unable to defend last year's provincial title, and even bronze evaded them this past weekend in Strathcona County.
"We picked the wrong weekend to not play very well," said head coach Andy Sweetman.
The Mavs dropped 10-8 to their nemesis, the Cudas, in their first provincial game last Friday night (July 21), which doubled as the south conference playoffs, leaving the team ranked second overall.
Olds rallied Saturday afternoon to handily beat the Sherwood Park Titans 16-7, but went on to a disappointing 6-12 loss to the Lakeland Heat, sending the Mavs to the bronze medal game. Both the Heat and Titans are north conference teams that they hadn't faced yet this season, and Sweetman said it was hard to know what to expect going in.
The Mavs faced the Titans again in the relegation final, but couldn't seem to find the motivation, losing 6-7 to finish the championships ranked a disappointing fourth.
The Cudas went on to face the Lakeland Heat in the finals to win the provincial title.
Sweetman said that while the weekend was a tough one, the Mavs have plenty to be proud of: the team dominated throughout the season, and qualified for the provincials a second straight time in only their second year at the junior B level.
"Some teams in this tier have never even been to provincials," said Sweetman. "We can't be disappointed with how things went overall."
"Some teams in this tier have never even been to provincials.We can't be disappointed with how things went overall."ANDY SWEETMAN HEAD COACH OLDS MAVERICKS
