Alberta's U22 female box lacrosse team wins gold at nationals in Regina

Alberta's U22 female box lacrosse team is back home with gold medals around their necks.

Team Alberta, with 11 players from Calgary, knocked off Ontario 8-5 in the championship game.

Captain Brittney Howse led the way in the final, scoring three goals and adding an assist.

The 21-year-old says it was a team effort.

"It was a great group of girls that we went with. Everyone got along with each other," she said.

"We looked at some of the other teams and, you know, there's the little groups within but our team hung (out), everyone hung out with each other and enjoyed each other.

"I think that's what really made it work for us to be able to get the gold."

UNDERDOGS

Team Alberta went into the nationals as underdogs, having to beat two powerhouses on the same day to win the gold.

In the morning semi-final, they got past B.C. 3-2 and then they knocked off Ontario in the afternoon.

Head coach Robin Finley is proud of the team.

"For perspective, some of the other teams (Ontario and B.C.) had hundreds of players try out," Finley said.

"We only had about a dozen girls due to the age group, so we had to do some recruiting to find some girls to get involved.

"Not a lot of time to practise as a team, so they came together really quickly and they bought into our process and the results prove themselves."

NEXT ONE UP

When a player went down, others were there to step up.

In the first period of the championship game, 18-year-old Lizzy Finley had to leave with an injury.

She says she wasn't too worried.

"I got checked into the boards and broke my hand," she said.

"I was just proud to watch my team. I still got to play the first period, which was exciting to still be a part of the gold medal game.

"But even with one player down, our team pulled through and it was amazing to watch them win."

A GAME THEY'LL NEVER FORGET

For 19-year-old Mika Kulynych, this was a lacrosse career highlight.

She says she's still processing what they were able to accomplish.

"The whole bus ride home, I was just saying to my teammates, 'No way it's actually real,'" she said.

"It's been such a long time coming and we've fought so hard for this.

"This team has so much heart and I couldn't have asked for a better group of girls to accomplish this with and I'm so proud of everyone."