Author’s Note: Through the 2017 season, we’ve partnered with the Interstate Box Lacrosse Association (IBLA) to give you an inside look at what’s going on in all three Regional Box Lacrosse Leagues (RBLL). The RBLL Colorado’s Front Range Cup has finally been claimed by the Parker Rangers and now all focus is on Nationals.
The IBLA season will finally come to a wrap this coming weekend in Denver. The Hastings Walleye, Portland River Monsters, and Parker Rangers have all laid claim as champion of their respective state’s RBLL and now it’s time for a 3-way dance for National Champion.
To know what to expect in the first installment of IBLA Nationals, we need to know how the teams got there. We know the Hastings and Portland stories, now we focus on how the Rangers came from behind to win Colorado.
Colorado
Sr. A: Rangers 10, Stars 9 – Game 2
After the Stars took the series lead in game one, the Rangers were determined to push the finals to a third game. Game one finished 13-12, and while we had another one goal finish, the meeting was varied heavily from the Stars’ win.
Shots were exchanged both ways in the early minutes and nothing was cracking the seal of Parker’s Chris Lyons and Mile High’s Brandon Scharaga. That was until Lyons went down with what was appearing to be a collar bone injury. Monte Montgomery was called to replace Lyons at nearly the 4th minute and in the 5th, Brendon Anger found a way to get the first shot past him.
More rubber was flying from both sides, but very few looks were getting through. The second goal for the Stars would come from the hot stick of Rob Milnes, deep into the frame. Scharaga would continue to stonewall everything from Parker, turning away look after look. In the final minute, Clark Woodward broke the seal with the first Rangers goal of the game, coming on their 10th shot on goal of the period.
The game’s pace picked up a bit in the second, Milnes registering his second to get things rolling. Wasting little time, Woodward struck again for Parker, with Luke Miller right on his heels to knot the game at 3. Both net-minders continued to fight off a flurry of attempts, both facing double-digits in the period. After 11 minutes, the Stars got a kickstart from Rowan Sloss, followed not long after by strike from Tyler Burgasser. Trailing by 2, Ethan Heritage tried to fire his bench up by tacking in the Rangers’ 4th goal, but it would be the last action the scoreboard would see before the 2nd Intermission.
After watching a battle of great goaltending and strong defense, it was time for both offenses to start shining. On the first possession, Tyler Snyder took the ball to rack to force a, 5-5, tie. Nick Amendt would follow up moments later to give Parker their first lead of the night. The Stars knew all to well about not giving up the momentum and Tyler Doskins took the initiative to the Stars back in the scorebook. It took less than a moment for Parker to fire back and recapture the lead, Woodward making it a hat trick in the 3rd minute.
Shots kept finding their way at the nets, but the next goal would provide the first bit of safety for the Rangers. A timely connection from Dan Finck would be a calming insurance goal for Parker. But, the feeling wouldn’t last long. Sloss roared back for Mile High to cut the deficit to 1, paving the way for Milnes to lock the score at 8 with his third. With 5 minutes left, Woodward struck again for Parker, giving them a late lead for the third time.
Rowan Sloss had other plans, racking up his 3rd goal of the night to make the scoreboard read 9 on each side with less than 2:54 remaining. Yet, it only took one possession for Jordan Hendry to score his first career goal, and it couldn’t have come in more clutch. Extending the tally to 10-9, Hendry’s lone strike would hold out as the last ball to cross the goal line, evening the series at 1-1.
The two sides would have less than 24 hours to rework the game plans before meeting in Parker on Sunday night to decide a champion. Both teams would be looking to ride the coattails of the exceptional goaltending from Scharaga (.750) and Montgomery (.750) after a onslaught of attempts.
Sr. A: Rangers , Stars – Game 3
The third and final game of the Front Range Cup would move back to Parker on Sunday night. Like the first two rounds, action in game three wouldn’t disappoint. Aggression settled down for game two, before game three would ramped back up the chippy nature of the rivalry. Unfortunately the penalties were costing the Mile High penalty kill, significantly more than Parker’s.
Mile High came out explosive and laser-focused on winning the hardware. The same shooters were laying back into net-minder Monte Montgomery with Rowan Sloss, Brendon Anger, and Tyler Doskins all heating up early to run off to a 3-0 lead. It would take Parker a while to get the motor running, but once Tyler Snyder got rolling, they got dangerous. Snyder would bang in 3 goals around a solo shot from Dan Finck, while nothing was slipping past Montgomery. Owning their first lead, the Rangers popped up, 4-3, before the period could close.
Over 20 minutes ticked away until Mile High would get back on the scoresheet. Anger would even things up before another flood of Parker scoring broke loose. Nick Amendt opened the gates for a quick strike from Finck, before Kevin Tait could notch back-to-back connections. Watching the Rangers build their largest lead of the series, 8-4, the Stars worked up some momentum of their own. It would be Doskins and Sloss punching in a goal each to close the period, before Anger could open the third period with a goal in the first minute, cutting the deficit to 1.
Nail-biting minutes would tick off the clock before Finck and Tait would each finalize hat tricks. Down 3 and refusing to give up, Sloss roared back for the Stars with his 3rd, with Daniel Henhawk following suit on the next possession. Nick Amendt had an answer for Parker, pushing their lead back to 2, but the Mile High fire was far from extinguished.
In the 14th minute, Stars’ Henry Sulzbacher came up huge with his first goal of the postseason, bringing the game to 11-10. With the fans on the edge of their seats, both teams kept in control and each net-minder sealed off their goals. Tension was mounting, and both sides were getting their chances, but time was ticking and the Rangers controlled the lead. With just barely over two-minutes left, Mile High made the executive decision to pull goalie Brandon Scharaga for the extra-attacker.
The offense couldn’t come up successful with the 6th man, and when the ball ended back up with Woodward, it was only a matter of seconds until Parker could toss in the empty-netter. Down 2 with 2 minutes left, the Stars now were forced to recall the net-minder again in hopes that the added stick on offense could work a miracle. Unfortunately for Mile High, defenseman Kyle Karaska would come up with the rock and mail it into the open net, using his first goal of the season to hammer the final nail into the coffin.
The final 44 seconds would run off without another tally and the Parker Rangers would storm the floor as RBLL Colorado Champions for back-to-back seasons. Hoisting the Front Range Cup this time would mean a trip to the first-ever IBLA Nationals, meeting the winner of Minnesota and Oregon.
Without a point in the final game, Mile High’s Rob Milnes would still finish as the overall goals (10) and points (12) leader of the series. Ranger success game from a variety of scorers, with over 7 runners collecting a point each game. Monte Montgomery would finish with 27 saves in each game, with a .718 average. In the other crease, Brandon Scharaga would have an excellent series, stopping 92 shots on goal with a .736 average.
Parker will now join the Hastings Walleye and Portland River Monsters in the inaugural National Championship, set for this weekend in Denver.
Upcoming Schedule
Sr. B: Platte Cup – Game 2
#1 Parker Rangers (0-1) vs. #2 Mile High Stars (1-0)
Thursday, November, 2nd – 8:45 pm
Parker Fieldhouse – Parker, CO
Minnesota
Hastings Walleye wins seires, 4-2.
Hastings will meet the Parker Rangers on November 4th, 7:00 pm, at the Foothills Fieldhouse in Denver, CO.
Oregon
Portland River Monsters win series, 4-1.
Portland will meet the Parker Rangers on November 4th, 3:20 pm, at the Foothills Fieldhouse in Denver, CO.
IBLA Nationals 2017
The first rendition of the IBLA National Championship is officially set for the coming weekend. The two day event will feature the top senior box lacrosse teams from Colorado, Minnesota, and Oregon, featuring the Parker Rangers, Hastings Walleye, and Portland River Monsters, respectively.
Game one begins at 10am Saturday morning, with the grand finale schedule for 2:30pm on Sunday. Tickets available at the door, with all games at the Foothills Fieldhouse in Denver.
Visit the IBLA Nationals website to keep tabs on the weekend and for full event details.
