Ponoka hosts highly skilled teams at Junior A Female Lacrosse Provincials - Ponoka News
‘Phenomenal’ play at provincial tournament July 18-20 hosted by the Red Deer Riot ‘Phenomenal’ play at provincial tournament July 18-20 hosted by the Red Deer Riot 
Emily JaycoxJul 22, 2025 12:41 PM
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PreviousNext1 / 1(Emily Jaycox/Ponoka News)AdvertisementExpandListen to this article00:06:31 Ponoka was the venue for some fierce female lacrosse players at the peak of their game this past weekend, hosting the Junior A Female Lacrosse Provincials July 18-20 at the arena complex.
Ladies (aged 16 to 21) descended from Edmonton, Leduc, Lacombe, Sylvan Lake, Delburne, Acme, Innisfail and Red Deer to face off for the Alberta championship.
Four teams competed: the top three teams of the Rocky Mountain House Lacrosse Junior Female League and the host team, the Red Deer Riot. The format for provincials was three, 20-minute periods.
The Calgary Silvertips took gold in a hotly-contested match Sunday afternoon, July 20, defeating the Cardinals, also from Calgary, 8-4 in the finals, placing the Cards in second place for the silver medal.
The Cards were the provincial champs in 2023 and 2024.
“The Tips had a hill to climb, and going 16-0 through the season, their only loss was in the round robin on Friday versus the Cards,” said Julie Feragen, a parent of a player and an organizer of the tournament.
“Going into the gold medal was a ‘goal’ for the whole team.”
Early in the second period, the Silvertips were four goals ahead, and the Cards had yet to score, but keeping up pressure on the Tips’ box, they gained three, bringing the score to 5-3 for the Tips by the end of the period.
The Edmonton Central Region Saints took third place bronze, beating out the Riot 18-2.
The Riot played four games, finishing in fourth place.
The Red Deer team finished second last in their league, but got in as the host team, so they knew competition would be pretty tough, said Riot head coach Dave Couchman.
“We knew the teams we would be playing against were highly skilled and would be tough, which they absolutely were,” said Couchman.
Heading into the tournament, the Riot’s goal was to bring together everything they had learned all year, stay smart on the floor, play physical, take lots of shots, “and to stay positive all weekend, which our team did a really good job of,” said Couchman.
“I feel we did really well.”
Riot players come from across Central Alberta, from as far south as Didsbury, to Olds, Innisfail and Sylvan Lake, to Red Deer, and Ponoka.
The Riots lost their first game 18-6, then 22-4.
Their third matchup was against the Tips, and the Riot stood their ground, holding the tournament champs to just 12-1.
Their bronze medal match was an 18-2 loss.
He said while their scores at provincials may seem lopsided, besides some lapses of eight to 10 minutes where the other teams were able to break in and score consecutively, the Riot did very well overall.
The weekend was full of “phenomenal” playing from all the team, said Couchman, adding the way the ball was moving, the speed of the games, and the physicality of playing four games in 48 hours was “impressive.”
“(It was) better than any Junior B Boys game we’ve seen all season,” he said.
“Our captain, Karlee Feragen, totally stepped up and was a huge leader,” said Couchman, adding she was a “dominate force” all weekend.
Three affiliate players from Edmonton that joined the Riot at provincials also proved dependable and fit in well, he said.
The biggest highlight, however, was “just the amount of fun and energy they had the whole weekend,” said Couchman.
The Silvertips cheered on the Riot in their first game, and the players returned the favour, putting on the Tips jerseys and rooting for them during the gold medal match.
“That was one of the coolest things to see,” he said.
Couchman said the Riot are a much less experienced team than their competition, explaining it’s a common “Central Alberta issue,” as there aren’t as many female teams in rural areas than in Calgary or Edmonton.
The players from the cities at the Junior A level have a minimum of eight years of experience on average, and their top players have more like 12 years, he said.
The Riot have a core of players with 10-plus years on the floor, but another 10 to 12 of their players have 12 years of experience combined, said Couchman.
However, that may soon change, he said.
The Red Deer Ruckus has had some female teams for the last few years and in the next couple of years, those teams will start feeding into the junior level, he explained.
Next up for the ladies, four for the Riot will be representing Team Alberta in Halifax in August at the National Lacrosse Tournament.
Those selected for Team Alberta are: Karlee from Ponoka, Bridgette Nielsen from Sylvan Lake, Avery Scilley from Red Deer, and Presley Lauscher, also from Red Deer, as a ‘red shirt’ (back up player).
“These players are looking for a three-peat win for 2025 as Team Alberta won in 2023 and 2024,” said Julie.
Several players from each of the teams that played at provincials have been selected for nationals, and Couchman said while they played competitively with a fierce will to win, and there may have been some upsets about checks, once they come off the floor, that fades away.
“Once they step away from their home teams, don that Team Alberta jersey … that’s all swept under the rug - they’re all friends again,” said Couchman, adding he knows they’ll come together and “play as one” at nationals.
With the season now complete for most teams, they’ll have winter floor time for practices to prep for the spring/summer season, Julie explained.
The Riot have four graduating players this year: Cassandra Grabo from Lacombe, Olivia Mitchell from Red Deer, Madi Wood from Leduc and Erica Glanville from Sylvan Lake.
“Red Deer will start their floor time in January and look to have a full roster again going into the 2026 season,” said Julie.
The 2026 season will begin in April and run until mid-July.
Couchman said the Riot are looking forward to next year, when they’ll have a larger, more experienced roster.
“We’ll be ready to go (and) better than ever.”
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About the Author: Emily Jaycox
I’m a reporter for Ponoka News and have lived in Ponoka since 2015.Read more
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