Lacrosse makes its return this weekend

By Dale Woodard on June 18, 2021.

It has taken over 700 days, but lacrosse is back.

And this weekend, minor lacrosse teams in the Southern Alberta Lacrosse Association will celebrate the sport returning after losing the 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic with a marathon of games in Taber.

“The games start this weekend,” said Mike Medhurst, president of Lethbridge Lacrosse. “We’re really excited. You wouldn’t believe the smiles on the players’ faces. They’re so happy to be back playing the sport they enjoy.”

The age groups have been changed this year by Alberta Lacrosse and are now by birth year with six-and-under, U8, U10, U12, U14 and U16 all the way up to the Lethbridge Barracudas Junior B Tier I major lacrosse for those aged 18 to 21

In addition to Lethbridge, minor teams from Medicine Hat, Brooks, Taber, Crowsnest Pass and Kainai will return to play in what will be an exhibition schedule this summer.

“The teams will practise twice a week and they’ll play weekend games in the Southern Alberta Lacrosse Association,” said Medhurst.

“They’re trying to schedule them so they avoid long weekends. So there should be six weekends of games, two games per weekend. Each team will get 12 games and they’ll be done by the July 24 weekend.”

Traditionally, lacrosse starts in early-to-mid-February and usually this weekend would be league playoffs and the last games for a lot of teams, said Medhurst.

“If they had traditional tournaments in July, they would go to provincial championships if they qualify for that,” he said.

“This year the excitement of getting to play against real teams is there, but by the same token it’s summertime and people have other plans and other commitments. It’s a really shortened season compared to what it would be in prior-COVID years. Our numbers are down, but that’s to be expected. We’ll have one team in each age division.”

This weekend and next weekend, the games will be held in Taber for the minor teams.

“They try to make it fan and player friendly so nobody is driving all over the place,” said Medhurst.

The Barracudas’ first home game is June 27 and some of the minor teams will also play on that day, said Medhurst.

Since this year is an exhibition season, there won’t be updated standings and stats as there has been in past years, said Medhurst.

“At the end of the season, within the organization, there could be a tournament or playoff type of thing, a wrap-up fun sort of thing.”

As per Alberta Health Services protocol and with Alberta nudging toward Stage 3 of the Open For Summer initiative, arenas can be one-third full of spectators, said Medhurst.

Local games will take place at the Logan Boulet Arena.

“We’ve been following AHS guidelines from the beginning,” said Medhurst.

“The spectators have to wear masks and be physically distanced if they’re not in the same household. Hopefully in Phase 3 we can have a bigger capacity and the City can open the concession stands.”

The Barracudas program is set up differently because of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League being set up through the entire province.

“Their schedule is going to be really condensed,” said Medhurst. “Hopefully they’ll get four Lethbridge games and eight away games.”

This weekend’s games in Taber start at 8 a.m. Saturday and go until 7:30 p.m. with action starting again at 10 a.m. on Sunday and running until 5 p.m.

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