The Estevan Devils picked up their first win of the Queen City Minor Box Lacrosse season on Sunday afternoon. The Devils squeaked out a 6-5 victory over the visiting team from Moose Jaw.
With the win, the Devils improve to 1-4, tied with Moose Jaw for fourth place.
Head coach Evan Handley said the team didn't let early-game adversity get to them.
"We got down 2-0 early, but there was no panic on the bench," Handley said.
The Devils came out of the gate fast in the second, as captain Rhett Handley scored eight seconds into the frame. The goal sparked a rally that resulted in four second period goals for the Big Dogs. Heading into the third period, Estevan was up 5-2.
Moose Jaw tried mounting a comeback, scoring three goals early in the third period to tie it at five, but Rhett Handley scored his second goal of the game to put the Devils back on top with 12 minutes left.
The Rebels held onto the one goal lead for the remaining minutes to pick up a thrilling 6-5 win at home.
Trey Anderson led the Rebels in scoring with two goals and an assist.
The win comes four days after a 10-3 loss to the Regina Blue Devils on Thursday in Regina. Even though it was a loss, Handley is seeing improvements, as the Devils are making games closer. In the first game of the season, the Blue Devils beat Estevan 22-1 and again 21-8 on May 2.
Up next, Estevan plays the Blue Devils in Regina, and then returns home to play the Bandits. The two teams are atop the QCMBL standings at 4-3 and 7-0 respectively.
The Devils will be short a few players due to injury and suspension, but Handley is still optimistic that the team can have success.
In practice this week, Handley says the team will be working on winning loose ball battles.
