Rhys Galloway scored a hat trick and Drew Lewis added two goals and three assists as the Oceanside Sharks peewees claimed the championship of the Thunder in the Valley box lacrosse tournament with an 11-9 win over Comox Valley at Kerry Park Arena Sunday, May 13., 2018
The Sharks rolled to a 4-1 record in the three-day tourney, opening with a 7-2 win over Cowichan Valley Friday and cruising to a 9-1 victory over Alberni Valley Saturday before dropping a 9-4 decision to Peninsula that afternoon in their final pool-play game.
Once final tiebreaking points were counted up, the Sharks earned their way into the gold-medal final by finishing a half-point ahead of Peninsula in the standings.
In the final, Oceanside rolled to a 4-0 lead over Comox through one period and 6-3 through two periods before the Wild embarked on a furious rally that allowed them to forge an 8-8 tie with 10:02 still to play.
The Sharks and goalie Evan Hyde tightened their defence the rest of the way, however, jumping back ahead 10-8 behind goals from Galloway and Ryland Flynn before the teams traded goals in the final minute-and-a-half to produce the final score.
Carter Goodman, Spencer Jordan and Casper Todd also scored for the peewees in the win.
Oceanside Minor Lacrosse will host two tournaments of its own this season, the Re(LAX) by the Ocean Midget Tournament May 31-June 3 at Oceanside Place, and the annual Tyke Shark Attack Tournament, with games at Oceanside Place and the Community Park lacrosse box in Parksville June 8-10.
— NEWS staff and OML submission