Perfection is still alive.
The Kelowna Raiders lacrosse team entered Monday night's match against the Kamloops Rattler perfect on the season, winning all nine of their past games, to give themselves home rink advantage in the best-of-three finals of the Thompson Okanagan Lacrosse League (TOSLL).
The game was played at the Memorial Arena in downtown Kelowna, with hot and muggy air emanating throughout the old building.
A sizeable crowd still showed up to cheer on their hometown Raiders, as the game's atmosphere was raucous.
Heading into the finals, the Raiders had far and away been the dominant team in the TOSLL. Kelowna finished the regular season 8-0, while the Rattlers sat just two games behind at 6-2. Throughout the year, Kelowna had conceded just 37 goals, 33 less than Kamloops.
In addition, the team statistics looked straight out of a video game, with Raiders star Andrew Garant averaging just under nine points per game! His 39 goals and 29 assists were far and away the best in the league (40 points more than second place, Kelowna's Darcy Rhodes).
Kelowna's goaltender Graham Cousins finished 10th in the league in points, with 12 helpers! That is how dominant the team had been.
On the rink on Monday, it was a similar site, with Kelowna blowing open the doors on the Rattlers in the second period to pretty much cruise to a comfortable victory.
However, it wouldn't be a lacrosse match without some rough stuff, and that was certainly the case.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, Kelowna would walk away with an 11-4 win.
Game two is set for Wednesday, July 20 in Kamloops, with the opportunity for the Raiders to bring home the Rowcliffe Cup.
If Kamloops somehow summons up some magic to win game two, a winner take all game three will be back in Kelowna on Friday, July 22.
Pending a victory on Wednesday, the Raiders will get the opportunity to compete in provincials at the end of August in Port Coquitlam.
Click here for more information on the team.
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