The Vets conclude season with U13-F team winning gold at provincials

August 27, 2026 · 0 Comments

Written By Chris Perrotte

The Vets top tournament scorer, Cooper Reed, notched two goals to help his U13-F team win gold at the Ontario Lacrosse Association Festival Provincials held at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby from July 31 to Aug. 2.

Jaxson Horsley and James Wright each scored twice as well, with Bentley Sawyers and Gilby Harper both chipping in with a goal apiece to secure an 8-3 win over the Quinte Bayhawks. Nolan Nisbett played strong in net to backstop them to their gold medal victory.

“[It] feels pretty good winning a gold medal, which is the end goal of any team. So [I’m] pretty excited about that,” said Head coach Tucker Cunnington. “Watching the kids find their role and perform in big time moments.”

This was Cunnington’s first year as head coach after spending the previous year as an assistant coach.

The Shelburne Vets won all five of their games in their round-robin tournament to advance to the final game on Aug. 2, ending their season a perfect 6-0.

“It feels great to see where we started at the beginning of the season. To watch the team grow as a whole,” said Cunnington.

Seventeen U13 players donned the Vets jersey this season, including 11-year-old Claudia Sodoma, who has been playing with the boys for the past three seasons and plays very strong defence for her team. The backstop to the defence is the Vets’ two goaltenders, Jack Brown and Nolan Nisbett, who have been taking turns all season tending the net.

In the U15 C Division, the Vets faced the London Blue Devils and lost a close match 7 to 5. The U11 squad advanced to the quarter-final, losing by two in a high-scoring game 11 to 9 to the team from Clarington.

The U13 Vets brought home the ultimate prize by winning the gold medal with a 6-5 victory. The U9 team’s quest for the gold medal fell short as they lost 7 to 5 to the Kahwanake Mohawks in the D Division Finals.

Trevor Reid, who is the president and development skills coordinator, expressed that all the Vet teams had a great season and he can’t wait till next season.