With the WLA season now over and the Langley Thunder once again crowned champions of the WLA let’s take a look back at what was the WLA season.
The team that was by far  the worst in the league was the Maple Ridge Burrards. The Burrards finished with a record of 4-13-1 and suffered all season from late game collapses and poor goaltending. There were many games this year the Burrards could have won if they would not have collapsed in the third period. The Burrards have potential but will need to find a new goalie in order to not finish in the bottom of the league again.
The biggest disappointment this year was the New Westminster Salmonbellies who looked like they would be contenders once again. New Westminster’s biggest problem was that they could not win on the road as they went 1-8 on the road while they were 8-1 at home. New Westminster was a good enough team that they should have been able to find success on the road and most definitely should have been in the playoffs. New Westminster’s poor road play is what cost them this year.
The biggest surprise in the WLA this season was Coquitlam as they finished last in 2011 but wound up making the finals in 2012. Coquitlam were able to rebound thanks to the help of Nick Rose in net who was a brick wall all season long as he lead all goaltenders in the regular season and would bend but not break which allowed him to keep Coquitlam in the game. Dane Dobbie was also instrumental in Coquitlam’s resurrection. Dobbie was the heart of Coquitlam and had 29 goals and 30 assists.
The breakout performance in the WLA this year belongs to Scott Ranger who was a one man wrecking machined all season long. Ranger carried Nanaimo’s offense scoring 55 goals and 37 assists for 92 points with second place being 12 spots behind. If Ranger can improve upon his offensive performance in 2012 expect Nanaimo to make a push for the playoffs. Scott Ranger had a phenomenal 2012 campaign and will be a player to keep your eyes on in 2013.
The Burnaby Lakers and the Victoria Shamrocks also had a good season as they finished second and fourth. Burnaby was able to find success this season due to Dan Lewis and Joe Bell who kept them in every game along with Scott Jones and Dane Stevens powering the offense. Victoria failed to advance in playoffs due to their poor defense as Victoria struggled to slows team’s offenses .Victoria did a good job in rebounding though as they lost a lot of key players in 2011 but their offense was one of the best in the league this year as Corey Small, Jeff Shattler and Ryan Benesch lit up the back of the net for Victoria and made them one of the best teams in 2012.
Overall this past WLA season was great as all the teams were even all season long and the final battles for playoff positions came down to the wire. The WLA should be congratulated on a great season as well as a great post season. All that’s left is for Langley to win the Mann Cup and bring it back West.
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