There's much to celebate and a bright future ahead for the Junior Ladies Silvertip lacrosse team, who recently finished their second season of play.

The Tips earned a berth in the provincial, July 8-9 in Sherwood Park, by finishing fourth in the seven-team league.  Although they lost all of their games there, most were close and head coach Todd Betterton says the team proved they belong.

"Three out of four games could have gone either way," says head coach Todd Betterton. "The positive thing is we know we can compete with the best teams in the league."

The only exception to that rule was their match with the powerhouse Jr. Titans, of Sherwood Park, who won their seventh consecutive title and their 11th in the team's 12-year history. The Silvertips lost that one, 20-6, but bounced back the next game to come close against the Capital City Saints in a 8-6 decision.

Their last two games were against the Okotoks Raiders, who finished third in the regular season. They lost their round-robin match against the Raiders, 9-7, before facing them again in the bronze medal match on July 9, ending up on the wrong side of a 7-6 seesaw battle that came down to the wire.

 "This was our first crack at it and what a wonderful experience for the girls," says Betterton.

"They were having fun. Even at the end of the year after a disappointing provincial tournament the girls were in great spirits. They never quit. We can't really coach that so we're delighted to get back at it next year."

 The team's roster grew this year, including 10 from Cochrane, and there's many young players who gained a wealth of experience.

"That's what makes it so encouraging," says Betterton. "We've got a really nice core of ladies that are only getting better and we're real excited about that as a coaching staff."

The team now takes a break until the New Year. Conditioning camps starts in January and the hard and heavy practices begin in late March.

While they do have a solid core, they are always reaching out to other potential players.

"I think we'll get most of our core girls back and we also want to attract girls from northeast quadrant of Calgary and the Strathmore region. We can accept players with open arms."