By Jeff D'Andrea

‘It’s so close,’ Predators one win away from PGLL title

Jun 22, 2018 | 11:39 PM

Back when the Prince Albert Predators formed in 2003, Carson Remy was only five years old but since then, he’s always wanted to play for the Predators.  

Now 15 years later, Remy has the chance to be a part of the first ever Predators team to win the Prairie Gold Lacrosse League junior championship.

The Predators defeated the Regina Rampage 9-4 in Game 1 of the best-of-three finals on Friday at the Kinsmen Arena, and could wrap it all up Saturday. Game 2 begins at 4:30 p.m., should the Rampage win that and tie up the series, a mini-game will follow to decide the winner.

“It would mean the world,” Remy said on what it would be like to win the cup. “It’s always been my dream to play for the Predators, no matter what… It’s so close in our grasp, it’s hard to explain what kind of a feeling this is. We don’t want to take it too far, still trying to stay focused. One period at a time.”

Remy has played five years with the Predators, but Saturday was possibly his biggest contribution to the team. Despite being a defender, Remy scored a hat trick in the game. That almost matches his four goals he scored this year in 10 regular season games.

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“I only have speed out there, my defending is all about speed,” Remy said. “I try to be as strong as I can, but my teammates always look for me whenever we get the ball and I run down the floor. Nine times out of that ten I’m gone.”

But in order for Remy and the rest of the Predators to lift the PGLL Cup for the first time, they’ll have to make one big adjustment for Game 2—cancel the penalty box parade.

They took 24 minutes in penalties, compared to the Rampage’s four. At one stretch in the third period, the Predators were shorthanded for almost eight minutes straight. They took back to back five-minute penalties and a minor offence in that span.

“We gotta stay out of the penalty box, that’s the end of that discussion,” Predators head coach Tyson Fetch said. “We can’t be taking five minute majors for blatant calls—we deserved those penalties. We’re not going to win like that. We’re lucky they didn’t come back to tie it up at the end.”

The penalties didn’t end up hurting that much as they entered that stretch with a 7-3 lead and only conceded one goal. Preds’ Kale Amundrud was able to score shortly after all penalties had expired to put the Predators up 8-4 with 3:46 remaining in the game.

The Predators entered the third period with a 5-3 lead, but scored twice in opening 1:19 of the final frame with goals from Ashton Hall, his second of the night, and a shorthanded marker from Remy.  

Fetch said there was a lot of talking in the dressing room in the second intermission, but not from him. It all came from his veterans.

“I have a really good group of leaders in there,” Fetch said. “They basically take over and start saying ‘this is what we need to do boys.’ They step up.”

If the Predators win, they will be the first team outside of Saskatoon or Regina to claim the PGLL junior championship since 2007. The Moose Jaw Chiefs were the last team to accomplish that.

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW