May 11, 20077 -- The
Victoria Shamrocks have what the other six teams want: the
Western Lacrosse Association championship.
All
seven teams begin their quest for that coveted title this
weekend as the 2007 WLA season kicks off, in a year that seemingly
has the teams more closely matched than they’ve been
in a decade.
Teams are listed from first to worst last season.
Victoria Shamrocks
Going
through a rebuilding process isn’t the same for the
Victoria Shamrocks as it is for other teams in the WLA.
So
when head coach Walt Christianson says that for 2007 the defending
WLA champions will be minus the services of standouts Tyler
Heavenor, Kelly Hall and Andy Turner — each is taking
a year away from the summer game — it’s not as
catastrophic as it sounds.
“The
last time we had a rebuilding year like this was 2004 and
we went to the Mann Cup,” Christianson said.
Despite
a lineup that will feature six or seven rookies, the team’s
roster remains talent rich. Not only do they have two of the
league’s top young forwards in Lewis Ratcliffe and Dan
Dawson, they’re blessed with what Christianson calls
“the best 1-2 goaltending punch in the league”
with former Maple Ridge Burrard standout Nick Patterson replacing
the departed Anthony Cosmo, and rookie Aaron Bold playing
the backup role.
Ironically,
Cosmo and Bold teamed up to play goal for Christianson’s
San Jose Stealth in the National Lacrosse League and played
key roles in the team’s trip to the West division finals
this year.
On
defence the Rocks will be anchored by Chris McKay and John
Sullivan, once they, like many others on the team, return
from the NLL.
Up
front, players such as third-year man Buck Stobart will be
looked at to step up their game, as will veterans Noah Talbot
and Jordan Sundher.
–
Don Descoteau
New
West Salmonbellies
The
last two seasons the New Westminster Salmonbellies have raised
the bar for themselves and they’ve touched it both times.
If they’re to raise it again in 2007 it will mean a
trip to the Mann Cup.
The
upstarts finished second last year and then lost the WLA final
to the Victoria Shamrocks. They shipped Kerry Susheski, the
2005 WLA MVP, to Langley so they could get the guy they coveted
in the draft, Burnaby junior Lakers captain Ilija Gajic.
Grizzled
captain Craig Stevenson has retired and Douglas Fir-sized
defender Dave Morgan isn’t expected back. But the nucleus
of the young guns will be.
Their
top three scorers – Athan Iannucci (44-31-75), Craig
Conn (29-32-61) and Jordan Hall (23-27-50) – are all
young and gunning to go again. Iannucci was named to the NLL’s
all-rookie team while Conn is playing for the Arizona Sting
in this weekend’s NLL final.
But
they’ve also got the likes of veteran Chris Gill, the
Edmonton Rush leading scorer, Peter Morgan, Ian Hawksbee,
Jamie Floris and Gajic’s older brother Nenad.
The
’Bellies have also reloaded with some new young guns
led by Ilija. They also picked up Cliff Smith, Bob Snider,
Cory Melville and goalie Ron Schibild from the Lakers in the
first three rounds of the draft.
Their
talents, along with the emerging core they already have, are
what general manager Dan Richardson and head coach Bob Salt
hope will help them clear the Mann Cup bar.
—
Grant Granger
Burnaby
Lakers
The Lakers have taken some hard hits before even one hack
of a stick had been waved in the 2007 WLA season.
For
one, long-time playmaker Ian Paterson (19-44-63) has retired.
Another sniper, Brad Dairon (9-18-27), decided not to play
this year, either. Kevin Fines (24-24-48) has returned to
Ontario after getting traded in the National Lacrosse League
to the Toronto Rock. Jordan Cornfield (22-21-43) needs to
find someone to run his bar before he can come. Spencer Martin’s
(20-21-41) still undecided. Jeff Callard (19-16-35), a rookie
last year, took a pass on ’07.
The
Lakers selected last year’s B.C. Junior ‘A’
leading scorer Jamie Shewchuk of the junior Lakers with their
first round pick, fifth overall. At first, the Edmonton native
was gung-ho to come, said Lakers head coach Russ Heard.
But
after spending the winter in Denver playing for the Colorado
Mammoth, for which Heard is an assistant coach, Shewchuk got
homesick and was lured into staying around Alberta to play
Senior ‘B’.
That
means Burnaby will have to rely heavily on Kevin Olson (28-35-63)
and Cam Sedgwick (28-33-61) for their offence.
The
Lakers should be solid in net with Curtis Palidwor and Andrew
Leyshon, fresh off full seasons in the NLL.
—
Grant Granger
Coquitlam
Adanacs
The goal-starved Coquitlam Adanacs appear to have curbed their
hunger.
Scoring
wizard Colin Doyle, who played hero in the Adanacs’
one and only Mann Cup national championship in 2001 and is
an NLL star with the San Jose Stealth, returns to the squad
after spending the last two seasons in Ontario. He alone should
help the Adanacs recoup the three goals per game they lost
last season from 2005 and again make them a contender for
the league crown.
“We’re
pretty optimistic,” said Adanacs general manger Les
Wingrove. “We’ve improved our offence and it’s
no secret we’re pretty strong on defence and in goal.”
The
Adanacs received a bit of jolt recently when they learned
Andrew Biers, one of the best transition players in the game
and the WLA’s Unsung Hero award winner, will miss the
entire season after suffering a knee injury playing with the
NLL’s Minnesota Swarm. Jimmy Quinlan has also elected
not to return to the club.
Newly
acquired Devan Wray will fill one void and is a specialist
in the face-off circle, where the Adanacs sorely missed Geoff
Snider last campaign. Expected returnees Jason Wulder, Andy
Secore and Kris Bryde will complement Doyle offensively.
It’s
doubtful veteran goalie Dallas Eliuk will return but the Adanacs
still have Chris Levis and are high on Brandon Atherton, a
goalie out of Victoria they drafted 11th overall last winter.
—
Larry Pruner
Maple
Ridge Burrards
Though
the Maple Ridge Burrards knew they were licked last season
prior to their final game, head coach Daren Fridge has high
hopes for a better performance in 2007.
With
the return of former team and league MVP and past high scorer
Kyle Goundrey along with the addition of several good prospects,
Fridge says the outlook is good for his fifth year with the
squad.
Hoping
to earn at least 20 points during the 18-game season, Fridge
has his sights set on third place after league play with a
good shot at the playoffs, which were missed with the team’s
fifth-place, 7-11 finish in 2006.
The
key to this is to “try to have a good start to the season;
last year we didn’t,” he said.
With
trading off of top goalie Nick Patterson to the Victoria Shamrocks
a couple of months ago, the Burrards have picked up Alex Coutts
of the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League’s Red Deer Rage
and third-string goalie for the Calgary Roughnecks of the
National Lacrosse League.
Also
new to the lineup are first-round draft pick Mark Phillip,
a RH offensive transition defender; third-round draft choice
Curtis Hoyland, a RH offenceman and Justin Hawksbee and Donevan
Ruesen, free agent cousins from St. Catharine’s, Ont.
From
the New Westminster Salmonbellies, the Burrards acquired Greg
Hinman, who joins the lineup after his play in the NLL championship
with the Arizona Sting.
—
Laura Jansen
Nanaimo
Timbermen
The
Timbermen merely treaded water in 2006, their second Western
Lacrosse Association season. The team finished 3-14-1, slightly
worse than they’d been in their 2005 expansion year.
They
paid for it at the gate, as attendance dropped almost 50 per
cent. Now, entering their third WLA season, the franchise
knows it must take a tangible step forward.
General
manager Earl Nicholson has attempted to strengthen every area
of the roster.
“I
think you’ve got to have question marks right through
the lineup when you’ve got the record that we have,”
he said. “We’ve got to move up three spots to
get into the playoffs.”
The
team’s biggest move of the off-season was the trade
of veteran scorer Shawn Cable to Maple Ridge, a three-way
deal that saw the T-men receive goalie Matt King. King will
ease the workload on No. 1 goalie Jay Preece, who faced far
too many shots a year ago.
The
team generally likes its offence, which will be led in 2007
by Kaleb Toth, Scott Ranger and Matt Taylor. Joining the mix
will be Ontario’s Mike Morrison, a former university
field lacrosse standout. The T-men will also need improved
offensive numbers from their top draft pick from last year,
Shane Pederson.
Speedy
transition threat Shane Chalker should chip in offensively.
This
year, Nanaimo used its top draft pick to choose big defensive
player Luke Hinton, who played with Toth and Ranger in Calgary
in the NLL this past season. Hinton will bolster a defensive
corps led by team captain Sterling Mitchell and veteran Kyle
Couling.
—
Greg Sakaki
Langley
Thunder
When
a team combines for just five wins over three seasons, there
is no surprise when changes are made.
With
that in mind, the Langley Thunder have turned over about half
of their roster in an effort to improve on a last-place finish
at 2-16 in 2006.
And
with the moves, Roger Ross — in his first full season
as head coach — expects the team to compete, something
they were not always able to do in year’s past.
“We
just didn’t have the horses,” he explained about
a team that gave the effort last season, but without the desired
results.
“But
we can field a competitive team now.”
Young
guns Rob Van Beek and Matt Leveque, the club’s two players
from the National Lacrosse League, will be expected to be
among the team’s leaders, while Rob Buchan, Matt Green
and Jamie Hackel will provide the veteran leadership to a
Langley team with an average age of just 24.
Offence
can also be expected from 2007 WLA top draft pick Tom Johnson,
the leading scorer in the B.C. junior A league last season.
Joining
Ross behind the bench will be assistant coach Gerry Van Beek,
who has coached five of the Thunder players as juniors, including
his son, Rob.
The
Thunder enter the season with three goaltenders, Ryan Williams,
Nick Schroeder and promising rookie Kevin Croswell.
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