Castlegar native Kyle McIntosh has been named the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League’s most valuable player.
McIntosh hitched a ride to Vernon in 2017 with fellow Castlegar product Jarod Reid to try out for the Vernon Sun Valley Source For Sports Tigers Junior lacrosse team.
The Tigers liked what they saw in the 6-foot-3, 250-pound backstop.
Taking over the No. 1 duties in 2018, Kyle McIntosh led Vernon to a league-best 9-1-2 record and swept the South Okanagan Flames and Kamloops Venom in three straight on the way to the Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League playoff championship.
RELATED: Vernon sweeps Kamloops to win junior lacrosse title
On Sunday, McIntosh, 18, was named the league’s top goalie and its most valuable player.
“The top goalie award I kind of expected but the shocker was the MVP,” said McIntosh, back home in the Kootenays where he works construction in the off-season. “We had a great group of guys last year, we all jelled right from the start and we knew we could go far. I share the award with them.”
McIntosh finished the year with eight wins, a 6.00 goals against average (second only to emergency call-up Derek Pereboom, who suited up after a season-ending injury to Jordy Scherk and posted a 4.00 average). McIntosh led the league’s goalies with a .869 save percentage.