The Yorkton Bulldogs captured their first win of the season on Sunday, June 9 at the Farrell Agencies Arena against the Prince Albert Predators after dropping their first six games in the Prairie Gold Lacrosse League
In the Bulldogs' 7-6 victory over the Predators, they showed more hustle and determination than their previous contests.
"They wanted the ball more today," said Bulldogs head coach Joey Choptuik. "The team wanted the win and worked hard to get it. When the game was 5-4 after the second period and we were within one goal, it was up to them to work hard for 20 minutes and get the win and that's what they did."
"It's nice to get the monkey off our back that's for sure," added Jerrison Fisher, who was one of Yorkton's top players against Prince Albert. "Our focus in the game was defence and discipline. I think we did a good job of that."
The win was also a statement game for the Bulldogs as they lost 16-3 to the Predators the last time they played them on June 2 in Prince Albert.
"They responded well and had a much better game than the one in PA," said Choptuik. "It was nice to see them have more hunger for the win."
The game was a rough affair to say the least. In the second frame, a Predator jumped the Bulldogs' Machenzie Shore. But Shore chose not to fight back to avoid a suspension because he knew his team is short on players as it is.
"We can't afford to lose any players to suspension," said Choptuik. "We need all our players every game because we're short on players."
Yorkton already lost their leading scorer Davis Vandane, who notched 11 goals in just four games. He rolled his ankle against the Predators on June 2 and isn't expected to return during the regular-season.
"The doctor said he'd be out 5-6 weeks with a rolled ankle," said Choptuik. "He was one of our top scorers at the time. It's a big loss. He was scoring 2-4 goals a game. He was one of our bigger guys and controlled the game. And he was just starting to learn his skills because he hasn't played in a long time."
As for why the Bulldogs got off to such a rocky start, Choptuik believes it is because of his team's lack of experience and depth.
"Our team has quite a few new guys," he said. "And we don't have that many guys, so we're short on the bench. And on the road trips we only have nine players because of other commitments going on."
The Bulldogs' next match is on Sunday, June 16 at 2 p.m. at the Farrell Agencies Arena against the 4-1-2 Saskatoon Steelers. Admission is free.
