Greg Rennie was bang on with his pre-season forecast although it came at the expense of his own team.
Back in May, the head coach of the Richmond Roadrunners predicted the Maple Ridge Burrards would be the team to beat this season in the B.C. Intermediate "A" Lacrosse League. That prognosis became a reality on Monday when the Burrards used home floor advantage to double Richmond 12-6 in the gold medal game.
It was the Roadrunners' only loss of the B.C. Day Weekend as they opened the tournament with a huge 9-8 win over the Burrards, then clinched a spot in the final with a 7-3 victory over Coquitlam before toppling Victoria 10-5. The difference in the rematch with Maple Ridge was the second period as the hosts solved standout goalie Ryland Hood and pulled away with seven unanswered goals.
"Maple Ridge is a good team with a lot of talent," said Rennie. "It was one of those tough things that just happens and unfortunately it was in a gold medal game. We hit the post when it was 6-4 and that might have at least swung the momentum. We just couldn't get any breaks."
The Roadrunners finished second in the regular season then were extended to a deciding game in their qualifying series against Langley after a surprising game two loss. The setback, however, served a purpose as the team dominated game three then rolled through round-robin play in provincials.
It was Richmond's first podium finish in three consecutive appearances at the B.C. championships despite winning regular season titles in 2011 and 2012.
"That Langley series was probably the best thing that could of happened to us," said Rennie of the playoff wake-up call. "It's nice to finally come away with a medal although we sure wanted gold."
Under Rennie, the Roadrunners have a sparkling 48-12 record in three seasons worth of league and playoff action which has led to a lot of speculation he will be returning to the junior "A" coaching ranks next season where he has enjoyed previous success in Delta.
"It's really up in the air what I am going to do," said Rennie. "This is an outstanding organization to be part of. I don't know really how much farther I can take it but I sure would have liked to have gone out with a provincial championship.
"What I'm most proud of is the number of players who have gone through and are now excelling at the next level. That's the most important thing and why players want to come to Richmond."
League scoring champion and first team all-star Tyler Vogrig had a hat trick and two assists in the gold medal game. Tavin Grant, Braeden Jensen and Wyatt Kinna also scored.
Josh McLaughlin, Vogrig and Jensen each scored twice in the opening win over the Burrards, while Patrick Szabo earned game MVP honours. Against Coquitlam, McLaughlin's hat trick earned him the MVP award.
Chandler Bradley was Game MVP against Victoria thanks to his four goal performance. Wyatt Kinna and Tysen Stoddart added two each. Spencer Bromley and Brad Hoffman also scored.
