At the Rod Brind’Amour Arena, the Junior B Raven moms’ received two special gifts from their boys. The first was a carnation, and the second, another win.
On Sunday, the Ravens were saluting their moms’ support for so many years spent in the arena just as the spring sun begins to shine. That afternoon the local junior lacrosse team hosted the Saanich Express, and they made their moms proud. The game was their home opener, and the Ravens provided fans with a gritty display.
The first period ended 6-1 favouring the Ravens to the delight of moms and the boisterous hometown crowd. The Ravens were able to capitalize on an abundance of Saanich penalties, and their adherence to the systems, both offensive and defensive, made it appear the afternoon might turn into a romp.
The second period saw a Saanich goalie change and some undisciplined Raven penalties, which allowed the Express to narrow the Raven lead to 8-4.
Early in the third period both teams continued to take unnecessary penalties. Saanich made the most of their man-up advantages and were able to come within one goal from levelling the score. After a late timeout called by Raven head coach Reg Elgie, the Ravens returned to the style of play that had them dominating the first period. The Express, unable to stop the parade to the penalty box, saw their comeback efforts fall short. The final score was 10-8.
With the win, the Ravens record stands at 2-1 early in the 2018 PNWJLL season. Next Raven game is at home on Sunday, May 20, in a rematch with the Express at 3 p.m.