After rolling through the routine season with an ideal record for the very first time in club history, the Kamloops Venom are taking goal at the Thompson-Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League title
After rolling through the routine season with an ideal record for the very first time in club history, the Kamloops Venom are taking goal at the Thompson-Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League title.
“We would love to pack the Snake Pit for our first playoff game, the barn full of fans cheering on our boys,” said Venom basic supervisor Brad Watson, whose group published a 14-0 mark in routine season action.
The No. 1 seed Venom — six-time TOJLL champs given that signing up with the league in 2008 — will square off versus the No. 4 Kelowna Kodiaks (0-12-2) in a best-of-three series in Round 1.
Game 1 is slated for 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, at Memorial Arena in the Tournament Capital. Kelowna will host Game 2 on Tuesday, July 11, a 7 p.m. start at Kelowna Memorial Arena.
Game 3, if needed, is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday, July 14, at Memorial Arena in Kamloops.
In the other semifinal, the No. 2 Vernon Tigers (7-7) will square off versus the South Okanagan Flames (5-7-2) of Penticton.
The league champion series will be a best-of-five affair, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday, July 16.
“The right pieces came back from school at the right time,” Watson said. “The core of players we’ve had here for the past few years have been really good and then we’ve had a couple little additions to our younger core. Everything just seemed to come together and we’ve played some pretty good lacrosse.”
Kamloops runner Trey Dergousoff led the league in points (66), objectives (33), helps (33) and points per video game (5.5).
“He’s been kind of head and shoulders above everybody else,” Watson said, keeping in mind Caleb Campbell, Owen Barrow, Connor Barrett and goaltender Robert Gerow have actually likewise been amongst essential factors.
“It’s just a good crew. The young guys are stepping up. The older guys are showing good leadership.”
Gerow led the TOJLL in goals-against average (4.39), save portion (.895) and wins (13).
“I can be honest,” Watson said. “We’ve had not a lot of competition. It’s been a tough year because it doesn’t kind of prepare us for anything more than our league. We know when we get to a provincial championship, if we get there, we are going to have to go above and beyond. We need to be ready. Our practice and play throughout the playoffs is going to have to be top notch.”
The two-time provincial champ Venom won the TOJLL title in 2015 and failed versus the Coquitlam Adanacs in the Tier 1 Junior B B.C. Lacrosse Championship.
Coquitlam controlled the two-game aggregate series in Kamloops, winning 11-5 in Game 1 and 17-6 in Game 2.
This year, the provincial champion will once again include the TOJLL champ and the winner of the B.C. Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League.
The Tier 1 league champ will host the series, however the format is yet to be identified, said Watson.
Kamloops is competing to reach the nationwide junior B champion, the Founders Cup, which will this year be hosted by the Port Coquitlam Saints from Aug. 14 to Aug. 20.
The Saints (13-4) are 4th in B.C. Junior Tier 1 Lacrosse League standings, with the Nanaimo Timbermen (14-4) in 3rd and the Victoria Shamrocks and Adanacs connected for very first with matching 15-3 records.
If the Founders Cup-host Saints reach the provincial last, Watson said it is unclear if the TOJLL champ will immediately receive the championship game competition.
“That’s the joy of Interior and Coastal lacrosse politics,” said Watson, whose Venom made bronze at the 2010 Founders Cup and published an 0-4 mark at the 2012 championship game. “We’re kind of in a huge debate on how the format is. We’re seeing where things are at.”
For now, the focus is on bring in a capacity this Saturday.
“They deserve it,” Watson said. “They’ve had a really good year.”
