Two graduates of the North Okanagan Minor Lacrosse Association and Thompson Okanagan Junior B Lacrosse League are searching for a trip to the Canadian Junior A Minto Cup finals.
Vernon’s Kaden Doughty, a former sniper with the Vernon Iron Ghost Construction Tigers, and former Kamloops Venom netminder Troy Cuzzetto of Vernon, are with the Langley Thunder of the B.C. Junior A League.
The Thunder are taking on the Victoria Shamrocks in the best-of-seven championship, which is tied two games apiece. Game 5 is slated for Wednesday, Aug. 10, in Victoria. Game 6 is Saturday, Aug. 13, in Langley. If a seventh and deciding game is needed, it will be played Sunday, Aug. 14, in the provincial capital.
Langley tied the series at home Sunday, Aug. 7, scoring nine times in the final 20 minutes for an 11-9 come-from-behind win.
The series winner advances to the Minto Cup Canadian championship tournament starting Aug. 19 in Brampton, Ont., joining two teams from Ontario and the champions of the Rocky Mountain League in Alberta-Saskatchewan.
Doughty, held off the scoresheet in the Game 4 win, has five goals and eight assists for Langley in the post-season, appearing in nine of the Thunder’s 10 games. In the regular season, the former Tigers’ scoring champ was seventh in team scoring with 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points. He played in all 14 regular-season contests.
Cuzzetto is the back-up to Brayden Wandler in Langley. He has played 33 minutes and 53 seconds in the post-season, recording an 8.85 goals against average and has picked up a pair of assists.
Cuzzetto appeared in four regular season games, compiling a 3-1 won-lost record and a GAA of 9.50. He recorded two assists.
The Thunder finished tied for second place in the eight-team league with the Nanaimo Timbermen. Both were 10-4, two points back behind the pennant-winning Shamrocks (11-3). Nanaimo won a tiebreaker to join Victoria in receiving a first-round playoff bye.
Langley swept the sixth-place New Westminster Salmonbellies 2-0, then advanced to the final by downing the Timbermen 3-1 in the best-of-five semifinal.
Victoria needed five games to eliminate the Coquitlam Adanacs.
• The Thompson Okanagan Junior B champion Venom lost the provincial two-game, total-aggregate goal series on their home floor to the Coquitlam Adanacs.
Coquitlam won both games, 11-5 and 17-6.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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