By Jeff D'Andrea

Predators to shake off odd playoff run, gear up for main camp

Apr 15, 2015 | 7:12 AM

The Prince Albert Predators are preparing for their new campaign with their main camp this weekend, and looking ahead, it’s very unlikely they’ll repeat last season’s very unusual postseason journey.

The Predators had third place locked down heading into the last Prairie Gold Lacrosse League regular season game on June 15, but the Regina Riot forfeited the matchup. Then on June 22, their first playoff matchup was cancelled as the Yorkton Bulldogs pulled out.

That meant the Predators entered the playoffs without having played in nearly a month, losing to the eventual Tier I champion Saskatoon Smash 17-9, before going down to the B side and winning the second tier.  

“I don’t care how hard you practice or how intense you practice, it’s never the same as a game,” said Predators head coach Darryl Frenette. “It’s hard to turn around and put your game face on. But overall in the league, we played every team in the league as hard as we could.

“We fell short of our objective but hey, you know what? I have a pile of young guys here that were there last year and learned from that experience. I think it’s going to help us in the long run.”

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The Predators will lose a lot of experienced talent on their team, as they could lose their top three scorers from last season. The Preds will lose 1993-born Tyler Tilford led the Preds with 24 goals and 44 points in 11 games while being named as a PGLL All-Star, as well as their long-time captain in Brady Leachman and last year’s third best scorer. Frenette doesn’t anticipate the 1994-born Brennan Werrett to return either, who was second on the team in scoring, led the club in loose ball retrievals and was named as the team’s best Defensive Player.

But the Predators will return a number of key players in key positions, especially veteran goaltender Lucas Wells. The Predators named Wells as their Most Valuable Player last year.

The Predators had the second-best goals against average at 9.36, and Wells did all the heavy lifting, playing in nine of the Preds’ 11 games.

“I wouldn’t be afraid to say he’s the league’s top goaltender right now, for sure,” said Frenette. “He’s just a real wall, he really helps us. When we have a young team like we’re going to have this year, we’re going to make mistakes and have some crazy turnovers at times.

“A top-rated goalie like that, he’ll bail you out when you’re having trouble with your defence.”

The Predators main camp will be held April 17-19. Frenette will field calls for anyone who would like to try out at 961-0725.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea