The U18 Mustangs during a recent practice as they head to Arizona for the U.S. Box Lacrosse Nationals. (Submitted Photo/Tanner Fetch)

By Derek Craddock

LACROSSE

‘Once in a lifetime’: P.A. coach and players head to Arizona for national Lacrosse championships

Jan 31, 2023 | 9:15 AM

It’s a tremendous experience for several of Saskatchewan’s best young Lacrosse players and some P.A. products are joining the fun.

The U17 Elite A Mustangs are a provincial team that will compete at the U.S. Box Lacrosse Winter Nationals, starting this week in Phoenix, Arizona.

One of the coaches is Prince Albert teacher Tanner Fetch, who along with his brother Brady, was asked to put together a group of players from across the province to compete at the tournament.

Most of the team played with each other at the Canada Summer Games in Niagara last year. So far Fetch said the team looks good.

“We look like we we’re going to go down there and compete,” he said. “We look like we could take the title.”

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“On the practice floor, everyone seems to be competitive, the energy is there, it’s high tempo. There is nobody that looks out of place on this squad, so I think we’re going to go down there and make a mark.”

Three of the players on the team are also from the Prince Albert area including Koltin Fyrk and Waylon Altstadt who said he’s excited to be going.

“Just being in a different environment for Lacrosse, it’s pretty cool,” he said, adding the team has come together very well over their practices.

Altstadt’s teammate Thomas Ratt agrees.

“We first started off as strangers to one another. I found that after three or four practices, all the guys started to work together and mesh as a team instead of individuals.”

Ratt said one of the parts he’s looking forward to the most is the atmosphere of playing Box Lacrosse in the United States

“Because it’s a new experience that not many people get to have. Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

That experience is one that Fetch wishes he had during his youth Lacrosse days. He never had the chance to travel abroad to play the sport he loves but is grateful players nowadays do.

“These kids have opportunities to go to Europe, go to America and go all over the world to play Lacrosse. It’s just an incredible experience for them.”

He noted many College and University scouts will be present at the tournament and that the skills the players learn can be brought back to their teammates.

“They’ll come back with an experience that they can pass on to their own clubs and their own teams and get Saskatchewan Lacrosse to grow even bigger than it already is.”

The team leaves later this week and will play their first game on Feb. 4 against Denver Elite.

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derek.craddock@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @PA_Craddock