Barry Wright
The Sarnia Pacers intermediate girls and midget boys lacrosse teams each captured silver medals at the recent Ontario Lacrosse Association Festival in Whitby.
The girls, aged 15 to 21, beat teams from Orillia, Gloucester, Kingston and Burlington to reach the final.
In a back and forth championship game, Orillia scored with 90 seconds remaining in regulation time to beat the Pacers, 4-3 for the provincial title.
It was the second consecutive year the Pacers made it to the final. Last year, they fell to Niagara-on-the-Lake in the championship game.
Pacers Head Coach Denise McDonald says her team should hold their heads high.
"The girls left everything on the floor," she said. "I am very proud of all the girls this year. They fought very hard and came home with a provincial medal to show for their hard work."
The team consisted of: Lindsay Kirkland, Aleeza Dobson, Karley Roache, Lauren Helps, Krystal Adair, Sydney McDonald, Marcy Stevens, Michaeline Falla, Darian Nahdee, Emily Donkers, Naomi Parsons, Jennifer Rand-Hillman, Phoebe Pickle, Kayla Charrette, Bridget Folk, Aleah Boresma, Emma Armstrong, Brooke Jacobs, Jessica O'Leary-DiLosa, and Jada Henry.
The bench staff included head coach Denise McDonald, assistant coach Amanda Rand trainers Jan Charrette and Bonnie Helps.
Meanwhile, the Sarnia "Sentry Fire" Midget Boys Pacers also won silver in their division.
After going 2-1 in the preliminary round, the Pacers disposed of Milton and Niagara in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.
In the gold medal game, Newmarket jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and the Pacers never recovered, bowing 6-1 to the Redbirds.
"Despite the outcome in the finals, the players enjoyed an incredibly successful season," said co-head coach Randy Dunn.
The Pacers were finalists in all five tournaments they played in this season, winning two of them, including the Herb Lea Invitational Tournament in June in Sarnia.
The Pacers finished with an overall record of 32-5-1.
Team members were: Josh Barraclough, Jack Dunn, Peyton Cox, Bert Thorpe, Dawson Vautour, Brennan McKegan, Colton McGugan, Jacob Caughlin, Keelan Kells, Jack McAuley, AJ Mara, Logan Scott, Cameron Rannie, Brett Barnes, Kyle Vince, Matt Stevens and Braydon Bell.
The bench staff consisted of: co-head coaches Randy Dunn and Ryan Dark, assistant coaches Corey Laframboise, Jeff Cox and Jim Bell, and trainer Steve Baker.
