Slash News

June 7 , 2006
Slash Win Two Down South
The Spruce Grove Slash headed south this past weekend to play the Airdie Knights and the Calgary Sr. Mountaineers. Goaltending was the story in both games for the Slash. Matt Somes and Chris Standing both turned in stellar performances in their respective win.

On Friday night the Slash were in Airdrie to visit the first place Knights. The Knights didn't take long to score as they found the twine behind Somes with less than 3 minutes gone in the game. The Slash fought back to tie the game on an individual effort from Brad Scott. Six seconds later the Knights regained the lead. The Slash responded by scoring the next four goals to take a 5 - 2 lead into the dressing room after one period of play. It was during the last half of the first period that Matt Somes started his outstanding performance. He stopped 3 or 4 breakaways and made numerous saves to keep his team alive.

The Knights came out in the second period and scored the first three goals tying the game at 5 - 5. Somes was the reason the score stayed tied as he made countless number of saves. The Slash offence didn't find the net until the 13:00 minutes mark of the second when Drew Howell beat the Knight tender on a nice pass from Jeff Pringle. Two minutes later Shaun Wilhelm scored to give the Slash a 2-goal lead and one that they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game. With less than 3 minutes left in the second period the Knights scored to make it a 7 - 6 game. This is how the second period would end.

The third period is where Matt Somes really was the player of the game. He stoned the Knights time and time again not allowing a single goal in the period. The Slash offence responded by scoring 4 goals in the third. Shaun Wilhelm tallied his Hat Trick goal, defensive specialist Chris Sherbanuk scored 2 goals and speedster Tom Watt scored a single. Other goal scorers for the Slash were Paul Koch with his first of the season, Brad Scott had 2 goals and 2 assists, and Jeff Pringle tallied 1 goal and added a couple of assists. Drew Howell added 3 assists to his 2nd period goal and Shaun Wilhelm also had 2 helpers giving him a 5-point night.

The win vaulted the Slash into first place in the RMLL Sr./Jr. A Division with a 5 & 1 record. The Knights fell to second place with a 5 & 3 record.

The Slash continued their southern road trip as they played the Calgary Sr. Mountaineers on Saturday night in Cochrane, AB. The game started off very slow as the Slash and Mounties seemed to be tired. It took 9 minutes before the Slash could get one by the Mounties goaltender. Chris Standing was tested numerous times and stopped everything the Mounties could throw at him until the 4:44 mark when a ball got by him. The Mounties scored again late in the 1st period to take a 2 - 1 lead to the dressing room.

May 31, 2006
Slash edge Miners for first time in franchise history

The Slash scored the first goal of the night 29 seconds in setting the pace early. After some mental errors, the Slash fell behind 4-2 going into the second period. They came out firing, scoring seven goals to the Miners two, taking a 9-6 lead into the third.

A little penalty trouble and some huge kills by the penalty killing unit and the Slash hammered out the victory. Huge games were turned in by newly returned Drew Howell, Dan Claffey, and Tom Watt. All arrived from St.Andrews College in North Carolina NCAA Division 2. Drew brought some stability and finesse in the offense, Claffey a stalwart defender, and Watt an allstar performance on the transition game.

It was a well rounded game for scoring. Big games were turned in by Jordan Finkbeiner and Brad Scott. Defense was unstoppable for the final two periods lead by Paul Koch and Chris Sherbanuk Goalie Matt Somes stopped 36 of 46 shots fired at him, making huge saves to keep the Slash ahead from the start of the second on. The Slash head to Calgary for the weekend for matchups against the Knights of Airdrie and the Calgary Mountaineers.

May 5, 2006
Spruce Grove Slash Win Season Opener

The 2006 lacrosse season is under way in Spruce Grove for the Spruce Grove Slash. The new tenants of the Grant Fuhr Arena started the season off with a bang beating the Calgary Sr. Raiders by the score of 18-5. The more than 300 fans were entertained by the fast pace of the game and the offensive talent displayed by a number of the Slash players.

The Slash had 9 players score in this game. Colin Sherbanuk led the offensive outburst scoring 3 goals and adding 4 assists. Spruce Grove native Doug Tokar added 2 goals and 3 assists while Captain Mike Koch had a goal and 4 helpers. Other notable veterans that hit the score sheet were Roith Jomha (1G, 2A), Jordan Finkbeiner (2G), Brad Scott (1G, 2A) and Chris Habkirk (1G, 1A).

The Spruce Grove Slash are loaded with young talent and this talent came through tonight. Rookies Kyle Weiher and Shaun Wilhelm put on a show for the Spruce Grove fans. Kyle scored 4 goals and added 1 assist. Transition is one of Kyle's strengths and tonight was no exception as he scored a couple of times off his transition. Kyle was the # 1 draft pick of the Slash and 3rd overall in this years Junior Draft. Kyle played his last 3 years for the Edmonton Miners Jr. "A" team and has been to 3 Minto Cups.

Shaun Wilhelm or Turtle as he is more commonly known around lacrosse circles is tearing up defences since he came to the Slash a few weeks ago. Shaun was picked up in a trade with the Sherwood Park Outlaws. The Slash sent Jordan Long and a couple of draft picks to the Outlaws to get Shaun and he hasn't disappointed anyone. Shaun scored 3 goals and added 2 assists tonight against the Sr. Raiders.

It's easy to overlook the defence when a team scores 18 goals in a game. The Slash defence was outstanding in tonight's contest. Led by veterans Paul Koch, Chris Sherbanuk, Geoff Wright and Cris Anderson the defence handed out plenty of big hits and didn't allow the Raiders very many good scoring opportunities. Rookie defender Jeff Jones handed out many of these had hits. Jeff played Jr. "A" in Mississauga, Ontario for the past 3 years for the Tomahawks. Jeff is a welcome addition to the Slash.

The Slash next home game is Saturday May 6th against the Airdrie Knights. The Knights are the pre-season favourites to finish first place in the senior division of the RMLL. Game time is 7:30 PM at the Grant Fuhr Arena in Spruce Grove.

April 24, 2006
Slash Win Wescan Cup in Regina

What a difference one year makes to a lacrosse team. In 2005 the St. Albert Sr. Rams struggled to get players to games and practices. They were a competitive team but the lack of commitment was reflected by the success on the floor. In 2006 things are totally different for the new Spruce Grove Slash. There is no lack of commitment this year and that was very evident last weekend in Regina. The Slash took 24 players to Regina to compete in the Wescan Cup, a senior lacrosse tournament that saw teams from 4 different provinces compete. The defending champions Prince George Pub Devils represented BC; the Winnipeg Warhawks and the Winnipeg Ravens represented Manitoba. The Saskatoon Brewers and host club Regina Heat represented Saskatchewan. Alberta was well represented by the Calgary Sr. Raiders, Red Deer Rage and the Spruce Grove Slash.

The Slash started the tournament playing the defending champs Prince George Pub Devils. The Slash started fast scoring 8 goals in the first period. The score was 8-1 after one. The Slash then coasted to a 13-6 win setting the tone for the remainder of the tournament. Saturday morning's game against the Saskatoon Brewers turned out to be a complete disaster for the Slash. The Slash played their worst game of the tournament and fell 7-5 to the Brewers. The Slash only had a few hours to collect themselves before stepping on the floor against the Winnipeg Warhawks. Ex-Rams play Dean Casey was a member of the Warhawks team so their was a friendly rivalry right from the first whistle. The Slash controlled the game right from the opening faceoff. The Slash came out with a balanced attack and went on to beat the Warhawks 13-4.

Now the Slash had to wait to see who won the Saskatoon Brewers vs Prince George Pub Devils game. If the Brewers won the Slash would play for a bronze medal. When it was all said and done the Pub Devils won putting the Slash into the gold medal game against the Red Deer Rage of the RMLL.

The final game was a very spirited one. The Rage played outstanding for two periods and took a 8-5 lead into the dressing room. The Slash went into their dressing room and did some soul searching. When they came out of the dressing room for the final period there was a resurgence and the Slash scored early and often. When it was all said and done the Slash outscored the Rage 10-1 in the final frame and winning the gold medal 15-9. The three Alberta teams came home with a sweep of the medals as the Calgary Sr. Raiders beat the Prince George Pub Devils for the Bronze medal.

The tournament MVP was the recently acquired Shaun (Turtle) Wilhelm. Earlier in the week Slash GM Paul Koch completed a trade with the Sherwood Park Outlaws to get Wilhelm.

In return the Outlaws get Spruce Grove native Jordan Long, a 2nd round draft pick in 2007 and 2008.

Slash coach Terry Dokken was very pleased with the entire weekend. A number of players that went to Regina were looking for a spot on the final 25-man roster. A few players made huge impressions and will be part of the roster. Dokken is looking forward to this year as he feels his team will be a much improved team and will compete for a playoff spot in the RMLL North.

The Slash open their first season in Spruce Grove on Friday May 5th at the Grant Fuhr Arena in Spruce Grove. Game time is 7:30 PM. The opponent will be the Calgary Sr. Raiders. Come out and watch the Slash take their new winning attitude on the floor against the Raiders.

Head Coach Terry Dokken

Colin Sherbanuk

Matt Somes

The Spruce Grove Slash are excited about the upcoming season. The team spent the last 3 years in the RMLL's Senior/Junior A Division.

In 2005 the Rams hired Head Coach Terry Dokken to try to give some direction to a team that had no direction. The Sr. Rams didn't improve in the win column but they became a very competitive team. They became a team that people now wanted to play for. In the off-season a group from Spruce Grove, AB approached Rams GM Paul Koch about moving the team. After a number of meetings, the decision to move the senior team to Spruce Grove became a very easy one. The City of Spruce Grove basically opened its arms and welcomed the senior lacrosse team.

The Slash coaching staff expects to have at least 8 - 10 new faces in the line-up this year. Colin Sherbanuk will be the marquee player after a full season playing in the NLL for the Edmonton Rush. Colin will have a good supporting staff of returning players. Brother Chris will anchor a solid defense along with Paul Koch, Geoff Wright and Doug Tokar. Up front there are some quality offensive players. Perennial team scoring leader, Mike Koch, coming off a disappointing season, looks to improve on last years totals, and with a loaded up offense, help bring this team to a level of offensive production never seen before. Along side Mike will be Chris Habkirk, Trevor Gordon, Brad Scott and last year's rookie sensation Glen Tichkowsky.

All good teams need good goaltending and the Slash are no exception. Matt Somes from Orillia, ON will be the go too guy this year. Matt was outstanding last year splitting the goaltending duties with Chris Standing. It is unknown at this time if Standing is returning for the 2006 season. The Slash are actively trying to get Grant McLeod out of retirement. Grant was the MVP of the 2002 President's Cup while playing for the champions Edmonton Outlaws. If McLeod joins the Slash for the 2006 season he and Somes will make up one of the best goaltending tandems in the RMLL Sr./Jr. A division.

The Spruce Grove Slash are not without a very talented group of junior draft picks. The Slash management picked up a few very good juniors from the Edmonton Miners. The Slash's first overall pick was Kyle Weiher. Kyle is capable of playing either offence or defense. Next the Slash picked defenseman Dan Claffey from the Edmonton Miners. Dan will be a welcome addition to the already strong defense. The Slash then chose transition player Alex Engel from the Edmonton Miners. Alex can play both ends of the floor effectively. The Slash then went into the Jr. B ranks and chose Jesse Draper from the Sherwood Park Titans. Jesse will be a welcomed addition to the left side of the offence. He plays a very in your face style of lacrosse and Coach Dokken is looking forward to Draper being in the line-up.

The future looks very promising for the Spruce Grove Slash. A new city, new name and new jerseys all point to a new attitude. This attitude is one of confidence that the Slash will be a team that will have to be taken seriously. It is not a guaranteed win when you face the Slash anymore and the rest of the league will have to take notice.