Ben Low-On

There was an excited energy at Blue Magnums practice Thursday night as they prepared to travel to Surrey for the provincial semi-finals this weekend.

“I feel really excited,” said team member Kyle Fitzpatrick. “We know we can win against these guys and we can go to the final.”

“I’m a little nervous, but I think we could definitely beat them,” said another teammate, Eli Horne.

The road to this point has not been easy. The team had seven difficult games in the regular season. They also had their backs against the wall during the regional championships against Kamloops Orange on November 10.

“They ended up scoring 20 unanswered points, and it was 20-16 in the last five minutes, but my boys didn’t give up,” head coach Connor Rothwell said.

The Blue Magnums will take that courage with them as they take on the Westshore Warriors in Surrey on Sunday.

“That was pretty big because we were able to outscore everyone in the last quarter,” Fitzpatrick said.

According to Rothwell, these attributes like work ethic and the ability to overcome adversity are things that athletes can take with them into the future.

“They’re going to carry these things over to the next program they go through and then further into their adult lives, because it shows that what you’re doing translates into real success.”

If the Blue Magnums beat the Warriors, they will advance to the provincial final on Vancouver Island.