The Airdrie Mohawks proved once again it is the dominant force of Sr. C mens' lacrosse in Alberta July 29, winning the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) Sr. C championship for a third year in a row. The Mohawks dominated its best-of-three championship series with the Edmonton Warriors in two games, dispatching the visitors 14-3 July 28, and 15-10 the following day. After a one-sided result in Game 1, the Warriors pushed the Mohawks to the brink in Game 2, before a strong third period propelled Airdrie to win the championship. “It was way closer than the first game yesterday, but they put up a good battle today,” said Mohawk forward Randy Levick after Game 2. The Mohawks’ success in playoffs – the team also eased through its semi-final series with the Okotoks Erratic – came after another undefeated regular season. Remarkably, the Airdrie squad has gone 15-0 two years in a row in the RMLL Sr. C south division, and went 12-0 the season before that. In addition, the team has won 50 regular season games in a row and hasn’t lost a regular season fixture since 2015. According to player/coach Gareth Barley, the team’s success is due to the experience of the players. “We’ve kind of made it a team rule that people have to have played Sr. B before to play on our team,” Barley said. “Although we’re drastically older than every other team in our league, the playing experience and the calibre [at which] guys have played before is a big factor in why we’re so successful. “We’re not going to run anyone out of the arena. We’re definitely a slower team, but the skill and higher level of lacrosse helps us.” Having been crowned Sr. C champs once again in Alberta, the Mohawks will now challenge for the western Canadian Sr. C championship in British Columbia. The team won bronze at the last two western championships after losing in the semi-finals to teams from B.C. in 2016 and 2017. “The bigger prize is yet to be obtained,” Barley said. With a full roster travelling to B.C., Barley said, the team is optimistic it can overcome that semi-final hurdle this time around. “We’re going in this year with more players than we’ve [brought] before,” he said. “I think that’s what it’s going to come down to. We’ll play six games in a three, four day-period, if [we] go all the way to the final.” The tournament will take place Aug. 10 to 13 in Coquitlam, B.C.
