The 2011 Wendland Memorial featured three teams, with each
team playing one game against each of the other two. Scheduling availability
determined the lineups of the teams, which had the following lineups: Boxwood:
Ed Caycedo, David Kanches, Mit Carothers, and Bill Matheson; Cowboys: George
Galvan, Will Tankard, Samira Waernlund, Will Traver, and Zak Smith; and Team
Rakk: Chris Withers, Matt Catchpole, Nate Berube, Duane Stevens, and Wesley
Bryan. Traver, Smith, Withers, and Bryan each played only one of the two
games for their respective teams.
Play began on Saturday, December 15, with the Cowboys facing Team Rakk.
The first chukker was competitive, with the Cowboys taking a 3-1 lead on
goals by Traver, Tankard, and Galvan; Stevens scored the only goal for Team
Rakk. Galvan scored the only goal in the second, giving the Cowboys a 4-1
lead at the half. Tankard added two more in the third, and the roof fell
in on Team Rakk in the fourth as Tankard and Traver each added three more
for a 12-1 final score.
Play resumed the following morning with Team Rakk facing Boxwood, with Wesley
Bryan replacing Withers on Team Rakk. Bryan scored the only goal for Team
Rakk in the first period, but Mit Carothers tallied three and David Kanches
one for Boxwood. Catchpole and Stevens scored early in the second for Team
Rakk, but another goal by Carothers gave Boxwood a 5-3 lead at the half.
Boxwood widened their lead in the third, as Carothers added two more while
Kanches and Ed Caycedo each added one, while Catchpole matched Carothers's
effort for Team Rakk. Boxwood also won the fourth chukker, as Carothers scored
three more to make his total for the game an impressive nine; Catchpole and
Bryan each notched one for Team Rakk.
The final game was held at 4:00 on Tuesday, with rain having postponed it
from Monday's scheduled time. The first chukker was a defensive struggle,
with Smith and Tankard scoring for the Cowboys and Kanches notching one for
Boxwood. Boxwood had a strong second chukker, with Caycedo, Carothers, and
Kanches each scoring once to give them a 4-2 lead at the half. Caycedo and
Carothers scored again early in the third, giving Boxwood a 6-2 lead, but
Smith cut the lead back to three late in the chukker. The Cowboys tied it
up in the fourth on two goals by Tankard and one by Smith, but Boxwood regained
the lead on a great shot by Carothers. It seemed time might run out on the
Cowboys, but Smith scored off a scramble in the goalmouth after the warning
horn to send the game into overtime. Smith also scored the game-winner in
the extra period, making him the game's top scorer with five. Tankard and
Waernlund got their names engraved on the trophy for the second consecutive
year.