Although they were the youngest members of the Zone 6 (Vancouver Island-Central Coast) box lacrosse team, Nate Akhurst and Addison Urquhart pulled their weight on their way to winning gold at the 2022 BC Summer Games in Prince George.
Akhurst had a goal and two assists and Urquhart had five helpers as the Zone 6 team went undefeated over four games to top the tournament. They were the only two first-year U16 players on the Zone 6 team.
The Island team dominated the Games, winning 9-2 over Zone 5 (Vancouver Coastal), 8-4 over Zone 8 (Cariboo-North East) and 5-3 over Zone 3 (Fraser River) before beating Fraser Valley 9-4 in the gold-medal game.
Although the boys — teammates on the U16 Cowichan Thunder — played it down, their parents, who attended the games, said the Vancouver Island players were “pretty stoked” to bring home the gold medal.
Akhurst admitted that the Games in general were “very exciting,” and it was “go, go, go” with four matches in a three-day span.
“Travelling with the team was fun,” said Urquhart, who named the opening and closing ceremonies as highlights.
Akhurst became the second BC Summer Games medallist in his family, following in the footsteps of his sister, Anna, who collected silver and bronze medals in synchronized swimming at the 2018 Games in the Cowichan Valley.
Jayden Strom, who played with Akhurst and Urquhart on the U16 Thunder, also attended the 2022 BC Summer Games as a goalie on Team Indigenous, which was held to one win and finished seventh overall.
