Lakeland Rustlers Playoff Weekend Preview - Mar 8, 2024
It is another busy playoff weekend for our Lakeland Rustlers.
Women's Hockey
Fresh off of a thrilling semifinal victory over the SAIT Trojans, featuring the program's first playoff win and playoff series win, the Rustlers will be the top seed in the ACAC Finals against the NAIT Ooks. While NAIT may come in as the more experienced roster, Lakeland's squad won a league best 21 games this year and scored 116 goals, 31 more than the Ooks.
Individually, the Rustlers were also dominant. Hailey Carothers, ACAC player of the Year in 2023, was once again a force with 21 goals and 15 assists for 36 points. Third year forward Darby Robertson finished second in points with 30 and rookie Keyra Buziak was fifth with 23. Goaltender Mackenzie Dojahn finished second in win percentage and fourth in save percentage.
Through three playoff games, Claudia Lammers leads the league with 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points, while Carothers is second with 5 points. Despite the Trojans limiting the Rustlers offence, they were still able to explode in the latter periods on Sunday with four straight goals.
"We're excited for the opportunity to compete for a league championship in a best of 5 league final," Head coach Morgan Mann said of the matchup.
Puck drop is 7:00 PM at the Russ Robertson Arena tonight, with Game 2 kicking off at 6:00 PM Saturday in Edmonton. Game 3 is back at the Russ on March 15 at 7:00 PM.
Men's Futsal
After a bronze medal in 2023, the Lakeland Rustlers are anxious for another shot at the podium this weekend.
The squad finished 7-3, good for second in an extremely competitive North Division, scoring the most goals with 38. The squad features several younger players, along with key veterans like Soccer All-Conference selection Hani Tekheste. They share a pool with Medicine Hat and Ambrose, the first and third place teams in the South
"We need to execute in each game and not get lost in the emotion of the [competition]," Head coach Kevin Wagner said. "Good goalkeeping and timely goals with strong defense will lead us to successful moments."
Men's futsal competes at 6:15 and 8:45 Friday evening and will wait to see where they line up for the playoff round later this weekend.
Making a return to the championship for the first time in five years, the Rustlers are looking to play spoiler this weekend. They finished 6-4, good for third in the North Division, but were within a few goals of winning all four of their losses.
This year's team has a solid mix of veteran savvy from players like Sarah Mandeville and youthful athleticism from rookies like Darian Pluhator. First year head coach Doyle Church said the team's focus is to hit their peak at the right time against several experienced programs.
"The team is excited, we have all the pieces and believe in what we do, but overcoming the playoff experience gap will have to be a fast learning curve in the first two games if we are going to be successful," Church said.
The team plays Lethbridge Friday evening and then play the Keyano Huskies Saturday.