A shorter bench led to one of the best lacrosse games Red Deer Renegades head coach Owen Rush has seen this season.
Playing with only 14 players, the Junior B tier II Renegades fought back from 8-6 and 9-8 deficits late to force overtime.
But they came up short, losing 10-9 in the extra frame as the Olds Mavericks edged the host Renegades out.
“The effort with a short bench like that, I told those guys in the dressing room I’d give out about 14 pairs of game socks for the players of the game,” said Rush. “It was a fantastic effort. Aidan Wilson stood out, he got the loose ball and the goal right after to tie it up.”
It was a tough loss for the Renegades, who played in their final home game of the regular season. The winning Mavericks goal came with less than a minute to play in the sudden death overtime.
The Renegades did get their chances, starting overtime with about a minute of a power play that spilled over from the end of regulation.
Just two weeks prior, the Mavericks had beaten the Renegades 18-6 in Olds.
“It’s a good way to finish up on at home anyhow,” said Rush.
On Saturday, the Renegades defeated the Strathmore Venom 14-4.
Despite the loss, the Renegades have a fighting chance at a playoff spot. They have two games left on the road next weekend against the Calgary Wranglers on Friday and the Lethbridge Barracudas on Sunday. If they win one, they could find a way into a playoff spot.
In other lacrosse action:
The Junior B Tier I Red Deer Rampage split their weekend games, losing 9-7 to the Calgary Mountaineers before beating the Edmonton Warriors 13-10.
The Rampage have two more road games next week against the Fort Saskatchewan Rebels and the Okotoks Marauders. Their next home game is on July 7 against the St. Albert Crude, the game starts at 8:30 p.m. at the Kinex.
The Rampage have a 6-3-1 record and sit in second place in their division.