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Sports

High Hopes For Woodbury Boys Lacrosse

Coming off its biggest win of the spring, the Royals host a trio of tough opponents in concluding pre-playoff stretch.

While it hasn't been entirely the kind of spring that the boys lacrosse team has hoped for, the Royals enter the final week of the regular season trending upward. And it is the kind of swing that coach Rich Limpert hopes—and believes— can continue.

"On the surface, it appears that we have had a rough go so far," said Limpert of Woodbury's 4-6 record heading into the week. "However, three of our losses were by a single goal."

One of those single-tally setbacks came in a 5-4 loss to Mounds View on April 27; currently, the Mustangs lead the Suburban East Conference with a 6-0 record and are 9-1 overall.

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Limpert said that while the sub-.500 record is indicitive of how Woodbury has dealt with both "adversity and injuries" and was also a result of the complacency the Royals showed in several games, he said his team also knows how to peak at the right time.

"We know what it is like to lose," he said. "But we also know that we can win. People look at our record and say 4-6 is not that great, but we have some of the top players in the state in scoring and we know that we could be 9-1 right now."

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Ben Alberts is currently the No. 2 player in Minnesota with 58 points, just three off the lead, with 27 goals and 31 assists. Blake Bergherr is fifth in points with 53 after recording 31 goals and 22 assists in 10 games.

Woodbury improved to 3-2 in the Suburban East last week with back-to-back circuit wins, 16-3 at Forest Lake on May 9 and 13-6 at cross-town rival two nights later.

The latter gave the Royals possession of the "Big Oak" Cup, a travelling trophy competed for between the two Distict 833 teams; it is a prize yet to leave Woodbury's grasp in the two years the teams have played for it.

"The East Ridge game got us really fired up," Limpert said. "We came out firing—as did they—and (goaltender) Josh Erickson made some really big saves for us."

The victory sent Woodbury triumphantly into this week's set of contests against visitors Stillwater, Edina and Totino-Grace on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, respectively.

"All three games are against teams ranked higher than us," Limpert said.

The coach said he planned out his team's schedule this way after seeking advice from a friend and contemporary, Woodbury boys hockey coach Wes Bolin.

"We really wanted to warm up for the playoffs and I consulted with Wes about our schedule, because he's had a lot of success with his teams," Limpert said. 

Woodbury again faces an imposing schedule come playoff time as a member of Section 5, a grouping that includes defending state champion Benilde-St. Margaret's and state power Blake.

"Every (Minnesota State High School League) state champion so far has come from Section 5," Limpert said.

Before then, however, the Royals will close out the regular season in celebratory manner, with pre-game events to honor both team and school each night.

On Monday, Woodbury will hold "Alumni Night," although Limpert said every home game has already seen its share of former players coming out to watch.

"Guys have been coming back all year," he said. "It really says something about the program and how tight-knit it is when kids are not just leaving once they are done playing."

On Wednesday, the team recognize "Staff Appreciation Night," a Woodbury tradition that honors a contingent of the school's faculty.

The week closes out with "Senior Night," when the team's 14 seniors and their families are acknowledged by the home crowd for their contributions to the team.

A successful week will no doubt boost the Royals seeding for the upcoming sectional tournament, with bracket competitors to be decided next weekend and postseason play scheduled to run from May 25-June 2, with the state tournament slated to take place from June 7-10.

"We're in a good place right now," Limpert said. "We'll see how this week goes."

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