Four-peat complete: Preds capture fourth straight PGLL title as Cudmore claims Triple Crown

The last time a team won four championships in a row was in the early 2000’s when the Moose Jaw Mustangs won it from 2002-05. The winning didn’t stop there as they went on to claim the league title again in 2006 and 2007 to mark a streak of six in a row. That has since been accomplished one other time in league history when the Regina Senior Heat won from 2005-10.

Wells said the club is now eyeing that record, stating, “I think that’s the next one we go look for.”

That same six-peat Moose Jaw Mustangs team also had a player that produced some of the longest standing individual records the league has seen. That being Kenny Stewart, active from 2002-05, who held the PGLL scoring Triple Crown with the most career goals (150), assists (135) and points (285).

The crown was officially handed to its new owner over the weekend when Predators attacker Matthew Cudmore scored his hat-trick goal in Game 1 of the finals in Swift Current, making him the new PGLL Triple Crown holder. He ended that game with eight points and added another six assists in Game 2, ending his time on the Predators with a PGLL record of 152 goals and 194 assists for 346 points.

Wells said that after his third goal, the team made sure Cudmore received the record-breaking ball he scored with. He also recalled a story from when he first coached Cudmore during a season with the U15A North Sask Predators.

“We were sitting and talking while we were watching a lacrosse game in Saskatoon, and he asked if I thought he could play at that level. And I said, I’ll never forget it, I said to Matthew ‘You can be the best PGLL player or the best player this province has ever seen if you really want to work at it.’ And he’s done that. I always knew he was a special talent.”

“Last year, he broke the assist record, and I ended up sitting down and figuring out how close he was on all the other ones,” Wells continued. “We figured it out, and he came up to me the one day and we were [chatting], and then I said, ‘You know, you’re pretty close. You’re going to do it this season.’ He said that it’d be pretty cool, but it doesn’t matter to him. He said what matters is if we win the games and we win the league. I think that kind of just speaks on the character of Matthew and the character of our entire team and our organization and the culture we’ve built where, yeah, records are great, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter as long as the team gets it done.”

After the final buzzer on Sunday, the club said goodbye to the core group that helped establish Prince Albert as a force in the Canadian lacrosse scene, which included Cudmore along with Ryley Prediger, Theran Lysitza, Luke Eggerman, Aidan Horn, Bennett Acorn, and captain Braden Shewchuk.

“I’ve been coaching them since they were 13. That group has been fantastic in ushering in the younger kids and taking them under their wing and teaching them what we do and what the culture is and what the program expects. Those guys are very, very important to the history of the Prince Albert Predators lacrosse when we look back on it in 10, 15, 20 years.”

Wells said that while the team will look different next season, the game plan and expectation will stay the same.

“The goal every year is to win a league championship. I think if you’re going into any season not wanting that to be the goal, I think that’s a failure.”

He added that while they should’ve been hosting the MacDonald Cup (Western Championship) later this summer, the team feels bittersweet towards it as they now get some well-earned time off.

“I was talking to some of the parents, and they said that it was kind of nice to have an extra month and a half of summer. I’m kind of looking forward to it too, to be honest with you. It’s been a long three years.”

He continued by thanking the community for their support, and said the club is already planning for next season.

The Predators ended this season with a 10-2-0 (W-L-T) record while outscoring their opponents by a league-high 56 goals. Over the last four seasons, Prince Albert has accumulated a record of 52-2-2, which includes regular season, playoff, and MacDonald Cup games.

The MacDonald Cup will not be played for this year as a lack of interest forced its cancellation.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

by Logan Lehmann

Four-peat complete: Preds capture fourth straight PGLL title as Cudmore claims Triple Crown

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