2018 Atlantic Championships Recap
July 08, 2018
2018 Atlantic Championships Recap
Truro, NS July 6-8
The Atlantic Championships in Truro, NS were relatively successful for the New Brunswick Spruce. Ultimately the province earned two silver and two bronze medals but the positives come from steady improvements made by each team throughout the weekend.
The first NB teams to take the field were the NB Spruce U16 & U18 Men. The U18 Men were shocked by a very skilled PEI team and by the time the team found its rhythm the 40 minute match was near its conclusion. The U16 men who have had very close results vs Nova Scotia in recent years found themselves in another tight battle. In the end the U16 men came out on top 12-0.
Next up was the U16 Women vs NS. This was a tight fought match with two rain delays that made it difficult to maintain momentum for either team. Nova Scotia took the match by 11 points (30-19).
The U16 & U18 men both had second games on day one. The U18 had a better match than their first but lost to Nova Scotia and the U16 men played the division favourites and lost but were still able to put up 19 points.
Day two started with mixed results but showed some major changes in some areas of the game for all teams. The U16 women faced the favourites of their division, Nova Scotia, and came away with a tight gave losing narrowly 24-12. In the rematch for the U16 men vs Nova Scotia the men were not able to get the same result as day one and lost. In the final game of the morning the U18 surprised the Newfoundland Rock with a very gritty effort having one of their best performances of the weekend.
Afternoon of day two was highlighted by an excellent by the U18 women over NS having won 39-5. The u16 women and U16 men both lost their afternoon matches as well as the U18 men semi-final. The senior women made their debut on day two and surprised many putting up 17 points against an extremely tough opponent Nova Scotia however they lost both matches.
Medal day saw the U18 men narrowly lose out on a bronze medal but showed one of their best performances of the weekend. The U16 &U18 women won their semi-final but lost against Nova Scotia in the final earning both teams silver medals. The U16 men lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds of their final vs Nova Scotia earning them a bronze medal – they will be looking for redemption at the Eastern Canadian Championships in August. Lastly the Senior women shocked the crowd with a dominate win over the Rock in the bronze medal game – a great result for the programs first year back.