Thrashers take bronze at U15 lacrosse provincials

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Taber Times

By Garrett Simmons
Taber Times

It was a bronze-medal finish for the Taber Thrashers at the 2025 Alberta Lacrosse Association Provincials in Calgary.

Taber had designs on an even better finish, after the team began the tournament with a tight 5-4 win over the Sherwood Park Titans.

After a three-week break with no games in between, Thrashers head coach Dennis Lebeuf said his team responded extremely well in the opener.

“Our captain, Hayden Eldridge, had an outstanding performance, scoring four of our five goals, while our assistant captain, Kash Kover, added the other,” said the coach. “It was a well-played, disciplined game.”

But a trio of hard-luck defeats knocked the Thrashers out of title contention. It all started with the team’s second game on Friday, as the Olds Stingers stole a 7-4 win.

“Our second matchup against Olds was a tightly contested battle from start to finish,” said Lebeuf. “We had four different goal scorers in that game and generated strong offensive pressure throughout. Despite outplaying them in many areas, we ran into exceptional goaltending that ultimately made the difference.”

Saturday, two one-goal losses sealed Taber’s fate, as the Vermillion Roar held on for a 9-8 win over Taber and the Calgary Axemen edged the Thrashers by a score of 4-3.

“The game against Vermilion Roar was another strong showing,” said the coach. “We executed our systems well and played with intensity, but penalties proved costly down the stretch. If we had stayed out of the box, the outcome could have looked different. Still, the effort and compete level were exactly what we wanted to see.”

Lebeuf added that facing an undefeated Axemen team, later in the day in a very hot building, was a big challenge for this team.

“It wasn’t until the second period that we managed to break through with a goal, but the team matched Calgary’s pace throughout,” he said.

“We moved the ball well on offense and held our structure defensively.

In the end, it came down to a battle between two strong goaltenders, and we came up just short.”

On Sunday, Taber rebounded with a win over the Sherwood Park Titans to take third.

“The bronze medal game against Sherwood Park was the perfect finish to our weekend,” said Lebeuf. “We had a slow start, but with under a minute left in the first period, our first-year U13 affiliate player, Kade Lebeuf, stepped up, scoring from the top of the crease off a great assist from our assistant captain, Jonah Fournier, who was set up by Cohen Lebeuf. That goal fired everyone up and we went to work in a back-and-forth battle.”

With just 56 seconds remaining, Barrett Devlieger scored the game-winning goal to give Taber the lead. The team locked it down defensively in the final minute to secure the win and claimed bronze.

When all was said and done, Taber finished with a 2-3 record in provincials and ended the tournament with 26 goals for and 29 against.

“The 2025 provincial championship weekend was a memorable experience for our group, and one that truly reflected the growth, commitment and character of this team,” said Lebeuf. “Coaching this group of boys has been an incredible experience. Over the course of the season, we developed not only as a team but as a lacrosse family. We finished with a record of 19 wins and six losses, and we couldn’t be prouder of the effort, dedication and growth we’ve seen from each player. This season wouldn’t have been possible without the commitment of the entire group — players, parents and coaching staff. We’re already looking forward to what the next season brings for this special team.”