2013 was a great year in the WLA with all seven teams competing night in and night out for a chance to host the Mann Cup.
The Lacrosse was hot this summer in the west, much like the temperature. With a chance to hoist the Mann cup on home turf, all teams stacked up and battled hard this season with the Victoria Shamrocks eventually taking the WLA title. The Shamrocks would fall to the Six Nations Chiefs in a memorable Mann cup final, as the Ontario major series champs would capture the sportsʼ most coveted trophy in a entertaining 6 games.
Nanaimo Timbermen:
The T Men entered the season with little doubt in anyoneʼs mind that this was going to be a transition year. They finished the season on the outside looking in with a 5-11 record. This was to be expected with not a single player remaining from their inaugural 2005 season. New coach Kaleb Toth definitely had his work cut out for him and his players fought hard till the bitter end. Losing Scott Ranger and Cory Conway definitely hurt the teamʼs offense, but gave way to guys like Cody Bremner (last yearʼs rookie of the year) Cayle Ratcliff and Blake Kenny to step up.
New Westminster Salmonbellies:
Fans in the royal city were mired in a rebuilding state yet again as they saw their beloved Bellies go 7-10-1. Although loaded with young studs like Logan Schuss, Jordan McBride and Keegan Bal, New West could just never get it done in close games. Goaltender Neil Tyacke really stepped up this season playing 1011 minutes and played very well. Canadaʼs most storied lacrosse franchise has much to look forward to in the future with plenty of young talent, veteran core, and character guys. At times injuries would pay a toll on the club. If anything the nostalgia of historic Queenʼs Park arena would serve as the best place to watch the fastest game on two feet. With its theatre like setting, classic wooden floor, and rich history. The Salmonbellies will be better in 2014.
Maple Ridge Burrards:
Starting strong out of the gates the Burrards would fizzle out near the end of the season finishing a mediocre 8-10 this season. With not much success in recent years the club had a reason to get spectators out to Maple Ridge to see a game this season… Curtis Dickson! finishing with a staggering 103 pts in 17 games he alone was worth the price of admission. If the ever inconsistent club can curb the “good game, bad game trend” that has plagued them, they could potentially be a league power. At times young guns like Riley Loewen, Jarrett Davis, and Andrew Murphy looked impressive yet the team just could not close out the year as they started. Chris Levis did what he could in net but at times showed signs of fatigue. With Coach Fridge stepping down for the 2014 season there is room to grow for an willing participant looking to change the culture of a team with all the tools and a fan base begging for success.
Coquitlam Adanacs:
The Coquitlam Adanacs started slow with a 4-6-1 start with reigning 2012 league MVP Nick Rose being out with injury, but would right the ship and turn things around finishing with a 9-8-1 record. The thing that sticks out in everyoneʼs mind this year was the infamous Sunday night deal just before trade deadline that sent Coq sniper Dane Dobbie to the Langley Thunder along with goalie Nick Rose and Defender Damon Edwards. This trade almost instantly signaled the concession by the Aʼs to the top dogs in the “Dub”, the Victoria Shamrocks and the Langley Thunder. Fortunately somebody forgot to tell the player on the squad as they battled even harder playing an inspired brand of ball down the stretch. Riding a hot goalie in Adam Shute, the Nacʼs rattled off a 6 game win streak when they needed it most and made the playoffs. Shute was brilliant down the stretch turning in big wins vs New West and Burnaby in the last week of the season with 41 and 36 saves respectfully. While not all of the credit is to him this was a big surprise for many as the net-minder out of the prairies was expected to fill a back up role all season long. Brett Hickey was consistently consistent on offense and the team seemed to pull together at the end of the year. Real inspiring play from a team who many had written off at trade deadline.
Burnaby Lakers:
The 2013 version of the western league Lakers were as talent laden as theyʼve ever been. Good on both sides of the ball, solid in net and for the most part pretty youthful. Many looked for this yearʼs squadron to turn the corner but the task proved to much, eventually losing to Victoria in the playoffs. Justin Salt was very consistent in his good play all year, and quietly was noticed all around the league. Delta product Dane Stevens had a good year and as the offense matures this will be a team to watch out for in the future. This is a franchise that has made the WLA finals 4 times in their history, losing every time. The closest they have came to a league championship was in 1993 when they suffered a heartbreaking game 7 double overtime loss at the hands of the Coquitlam Adanacs. If this group sticks together they could find themselves in the finals once again. Coach Rory McDade was the recipient of the Dorothy Robertson award for Coach of the Year. If you talk to the players, they will tell you that he not only did a great job taking them to a 3rd place finish and playoff birth, but he was great to play for. Way to go Rory!
Langley Thunder:
Talent laden, experienced, balanced, and star studded. The Thunder were the odds on favorite to repeat as Western champs once again this season. Having lost in the last 2 Mann cups the Thunder really stacked up. With the acquisition of studs Mark Matthews, Dane Dobbie, Nick Rose, Adam Jones and Damon Edwards, the reigning champs were poised to make a third straight trip to the the big dance but ended up losing in 6 to Vic. Many fans questioned the chemistry with the “too many cooks in the kitchen” theory. After a Successful 11-5-2 regular season record mainland fans were pumped to watch a great final between two teams stacked with pro players but it wasnʼt in the cards. Goaltender Brodie MacDonald had another stellar year and Athan Iannucci, Shayne Jackson and Alex Turner were mainstays on the offense side, putting up good numbers. Brett Mydske and John Lintz had great years on the back end. Coach Jensen came back after the questionable suspension and everything was falling into place. Credit the Shamrocks they just seemed to want it more.
Victoria Shamrocks:
All the hype behind the Thunder was just that…hype. Any experienced veteran Bear Mountain Arena observer could tell you, that Iʼm willing to bet. Their team sure did back that up in the playoffs earning the right to host the Mann Cup. The solid gold trophy valued at $60,000 has been around since 1910 and is what every lacrosse player in Canada dreams about playing for and winning. The Victoria Shamrocks have won the Canadian Lacrosse Associationʼs Senior menʼs trophy 8 times and were looking to make it a 9th, but they would have to get through the powerhouse eastern champs the Six Nations Chiefs. Offensively and defensively the Shamrocks were quite loaded with the likes of Rhys Duch, Corey Conway, Jeff Shattler, Scott Ranger and Mitch Jones. But stacked too, were the Six Nations Chiefs. Syracuse University product and proud Iroquois team member Cody Jamieson proved to be too much for the WLA champs as he was outstanding in the Mann Cup finals. Jamieson was named the Mike Kelly Memorial award as the Mann Cup MVP leading the Chiefs to victory in 6 games. Victoria had nothing to be ashamed of as they played their hearts out and Shamrocks goalie Matt Vinc was great. In the end the experience of the Six Nations squad proved to be too much.
The summer lacrosse had ended on a hot night in Victoria B.C. where the Bear Mountain faithful were privileged to witness the best lacrosse on the planet. The WLA Mann Cup drought continues for another year. Having said that, It is my opinion that the league has never been better, and the product on the floor reflected that in 2013. The future looks bright, and only time will tell whatʼs in store for the British Columbia teams in 2014.
