Week #2 - Recap

The Pacific Northwest Junior Lacrosse League's Oceanside Sharks hosted back to back games this weekend at the Oceanside Place Arena in Parksville. Saturday's game saw the Sharks host the visiting Westshore Bears; both playing their first games of this shortened exhibition season.

The Bears jumped out to an early lead with a goal by Jaxon Parkhouse before Adam Fyfe of the hometown Sharks put a marker on the board to tie the game. The Bears Mike Perry and Hayden Cardinal would make the score 3-1 before Oceanside's Jayden Haftner would make the score 3-2. The Bears Parkhouse would bury his 2nd, bringing the game to the score of 4-2 at the end of the first period.

Both teams played exciting lacrosse in the second period with action going back and forth throughout. The Sharks scored first making the game 4-3 but then the Bears rifled off 3 unanswered to make the score 7-3 and take control. But the Sharks wouldn't quit and they too, buried two more to close the gap to 7-5. Second period tallies for the Bears were Parkhouse (2) and Ryan Blundell and for the Sharks, Ben Tisdelle (2) and Blake Knoll, one of two talented midget players from the Alberni Valley Tyees.

The third period began as a goalie duel as Jake Colley (Oceanside) and Evan Lindsay (Westshore) would thwart chance after chance from opposing offensive players. Westshore scored their 8th goal (Jake Morin) halfway through the final period and the Sharks Blake Knoll would pot his 2nd of the game just afterward. Action went back and forth until the 3:28 mark of the frame when Ben Tisdelle of the home team brought the Sharks within one. Each team in the dying moments had outstanding opportunities to tie the game or pull away but neither was able to capitalize; with the Bears coming away with the 8-7 victory.

Sunday saw the Sharks host the Saanich Express at 3:00pm. The visitors coming in fresh took the early two goal lead on goals by Brayden Flynn and Robbie Tytgat but it's another Alberni Valley Tyee midget call-up Declan Fines burying his first Junior goal to make it 2-1. Saanich answered back with two more goals within 2 minutes by Tory Bains and John Etzel Jr. bringing the score to 4-1. The goalies Jake Colley (Oceanside) and Max Lavoie (Saanich) stymied the opposition for the remainder of the period.

The middle period saw a total of 10 goals being scored, with Oceanside netting 4 and the Express 6. Sharks goals by Ben Tisdelle (2), Declan Fines and Nanaimo product Zach Giszas. The Express goals by Tory Bains (2), Mason Lo, Will Hale, Brett Bilodeau (another Alberni Valley product) and John Spaans. After two periods of play, the score was 10-5 Express.

The third period was exciting with each team ripping twine twice in the first 11 minutes but then the goalies stepped up stopping everything coming at them (Colley & now Gains for Saanich). A tired Sharks squad gave all they had and played hard, tough lacrosse but the visitors put in 2 more before the end of the game (Bains and Robbie Walker) to end the game with the score 14-7 for the visiting Saanich Express.

The weekend saw some pretty good lacrosse with Oceanside showing the most improvement from the 2019 PNWJLL season. Next action... Saturday July 17th with Oceanside hosting another home and home, this time with the Campbell River Ravens at 6:30pm and then a return match with the Saanich Express on Sunday at 3:30pm.