U17 Mustangs Fall Short In Otherwise Incredible Season

Illness and a shorter than normal short bench cost the Moose Jaw U17 Mustangs lacrosse team as they fell to the Weyburn Panther Drilling Thrashers 12 - 8 in the provincial final on Sunday.

Prior to the game Moose Jaw, who were the odds on favourite, sported a 15 - 0 regular and playoff season record.

The loss to Weyburn for Moose Jaw was the only loss in what had been a spectacular season.

Sickness hit the Mustangs hard as they only had 11 players in total while Weyburn sported a full 20 player roster.

MOOSE JAW U17 MUSTANGS PROVINCIAL SILVER MEDALISTS - SUBMITTED PHOTO

Despite having their goaltender taken by ambulance to the hospital for a knee injury on Saturday evening the Thrashers managed to secure an early two goal lead in the first period that set the tempo for the game.

The Mustangs’ Landon Leroux would respond with a goal at 17:16 assisted by Giles Guse and Cordell Yellowtail.

Unfortunately for the Mustangs the Thrashers used their full bench to tire out the Mustangs and score another pair of goals.

Jaxyn Houle would score an unassisted goal at 8:05 for Moose Jaw.

Weyburn would score with yet another goal.

Moose Jaw would take a big jump closer to Weyburn when they managed to score a pair of goals.

Once again the Thrashers would score with 36 seconds left in the period.

The second period was good for the Mustangs as they would outscore the Thrashers by a margin of 3 - 2 and move just one goal behind at the end of the period.

A potential comeback in the making.

Misun Goodwill would score for the Mustangs at 9:37 assisted by Brett Bowerin and Cordell Yellowtail.

Missing Goodwill would score an unassisted goal for Moose Jaw at 8:35.

Brett Bowerin would score a big shorthanded goal at 6:02 assisted by Cordell Yellowtail to tie the game.

But with 55 seconds left in the period Weyburn’s Gradu Larocque would score the go ahead goal assisted by Ronin Pouteaux.

The late goal seemed to give the Thrashers momentum in the third period where they outscored the Mustangs 4 - 1 to claim the provincial title.

Moose Jaw’s Colin Peterson would score at 13:14 to tie the game. The assist went to Brett Bowerin.

With the game tied 8 - 8 in the third period the Thrashers would score four unanswered goals to capture the provincial title with a 12 - 8 score.