The Rocky View Silvertips Junior Ladies Lacrosse team have dreams of a provincial title running through their heads this weekend.

The Silvertips are one of four teams taking part in the Junior Ladies Provincials that start tonight (July 7) in Sherwood Park.  The Silvertips, who finished fourth in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League this season, take on the number one ranked team, the Sherwood Park Titans, in their opening round robin match tonight at 9:00.

Head Coach Todd Betterton says facing the best teams in the league will be a formidable task but he believes the young Silvertips are ready to compete.

"The chances are better than you might think.  I think we're going to be able to show them that we can compete with them and that we're coming.  You know, if I think back to the 1980 U.S. men's hockey team, nothing's impossible.  That'll be my motivation speech as we approach some of these tough teams this weekend is that, you know, you play these games for a reason, so, let's just go show them what we've got."

Against the Titans, Betterton says his team must do two things extremely well.  "Number one is make quick decisions when they get the ball and number two is play a combination defensively of man on man and zone defense because they move so well we've got to know where their players are at all times."

Betterton says coaching the Silvertips this year has been a treat for him.  He says team chemistry has definitely been a highlight of the year.  "We've got a great dressing room.  We've got a young team, there's some strong, physical girls there but we've got enough leadership with some of the core girls.  I've been involved in dressing rooms that are divided, you know personalities clash a bit but I didn't see any of that.  They became a family, they became friends and that's so important for team chemistry."

The team also showed great improvement through the year on the floor as well.  "I guess the highlight for me was a lot of improvement in terms of systems play and they never quit, you know even when they were down a few games they never quit.  A lot of good work ethic and I can't coach that, it just comes from them."

The other two teams involved in this weekend's tournament are the Okotoks Raiders and the Capital Region (Edmonton) Saints who square off to start the tourney at 6:30 pm.  The four teams will play a round robin with the standings deciding who'll play in the bronze medal and gold medal finals on Sunday. 

Whatever happens this weekend, Betterton says he's proud of the Silvertips and the season they've had.  "They're highly coachable and we're going to have a ton of fun this weekend, regardless of the outcomes."

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