PETERBOROUGH – It was a good playoff run for the Fergus Thistles, but in the end, it was Peterborough who claimed the Ontario Junior C lacrosse championship.
“We had a great series with them, but they came out ahead,” said Thistles GM and coach Dean Harrison.
Fergus lost at home 9-6 on Aug. 7, before heading to Peterborough for back-to-back games on Aug. 9 and 10. Peterborough won both – 13-9 and 14-7 – for the sweep.
But despite the loss, Harrison spoke positively of the team’s successes.
“There were a lot of great accomplishments, including winning the western conference and beating teams that were above us in the standings,” he said.
The Thistles finished the regular season in fourth place in their seven-team division. But they went on to beat teams in the playoffs that were seeded above them.
They beat Brantford 3-0 in the first round, and went on to beat the first-seed Barrie Bombers in four games.
Fergus then beat Orangeville 3-1 to become western conference champions.
The team vied for the Meredith Cup against eastern conference champs Peterborough, but the Lakers continued their playoff winning streak.
Harrison said he was “very proud” of his team, and sorry not to make it at least to Game 4, which would have been played at home.
“We’ve had great community support … with fans packing the Fergus arena like has not been seen in years,” he said.
He added his thanks to the Fergus Legion for its sponsorship support, and said he is looking forward to next season.
