It didn’t result in a victory, but it was a much improved effort for the Kelowna Raiders.
After a lopsided loss to Armstrong last Wednesday night at home, the Raiders closed the gap Saturday against the hometown Shamrocks before losing 13-6 in Thompson Okanagan Senior Lacrosse League action.
The Raiders, even though trailing for the first two periods, managed to decisively win the third period with the help of superb goaltending from Graham Cousins and a hot hand from speedster Nick Evans.
The Raiders, for the most part, were able to contain Armstrong’s big shooters with solid defensive play. For the second week in a row, Brett Hawrey’s six-goal performance for the Shamrocks was a deciding factor.
The Shamrocks have signed Hawreys along with a few other senior A level players and have taken advantage of a pool of graduating junior players from Armstrong and Vernon to stack their roster with younger, skilled players.
For the Raiders, Evans scored all four his goals in the third period, while Pho Heng added a pair and Joe Brown and Jacob Illichmann scored singles.
This Friday night, the Raiders (0-3) will host the Kamloops Rattlers. Face off at Memorial Arena is 8 p.m.