Langley’s professional lacrosse team were in celebration mode to begin Saturday night inside Langley Events Centre, but sadly the party didn’t last.
The Vancouver Stealth celebrated Family Day with more than 70 friends and family members of the players who took the floor to line up with the team.
In addition to Family Day, the Stealth held a ceremony to honour a long-time player and retired captain Curtis Hodgson.
His family, including his wife, son, and parents sat and watched his number six jersey, that he wore for 13 years as a member of the Stealth, get raised to the rafters.
“Curtis is the kind of player that you want every player to be, he is a leader on and off the floor,” said Stealth owner Denise Watkins.
“He has been a leader in our Stealth academy and has been a tremendous contributor to our organization. I want to say personally, I appreciate his years of commitment, he embodies the spirit of the game,” she said.
On the field, Vancouver found themselves in 6-0 deficit after one, 11-3 after two, 14-6 after three, and with a 16-9 final.
Logan Schuss continued his hot-hand scoring a pair of goals and adding two helpers.
Schuss extended his goal scoring streak to seven games with 2 or more goals.
Another bright spot for the Stealth was newcomer Pat Saunders, who scored one goal and three assists.
“We had some chances and did not bury, and they had a hot start, it obviously was not the outcome we wanted,” Saunders said.
“Our focus is on Calgary, we need to beat them to get into the playoffs, we cannot win as individuals, we need to come as a team to beat them and to make the playoffs,” he added.
The Stealth have a quick turnaround heading to Calgary this coming Friday night in pivotal western match.
The Roughnecks have maintained a lead ahead of Vancouver in the battle for a playoff spot.
Vancouver returns home on Saturday, Feb. 24, when they host the New England Black Wolves in their Stealth experience night.
Tickets are available at StealthLAX.com