While the WLA regular season is slowly kicking into form, some players have hit the ground running with great starts to their season.
With surprising results – Victoria starting 0-2 is the big headline out west – brought surprising performances from unheralded players. Nanaimo got a lot of productivity over their trio of Brody Eastwood, Cody Bremner and Mitch Parker, New Westminster looks rock solid defensively, while Burnaby and Maple Ridge renewed their acquaintances with another close game.
If opening week is any indication, we’re in for an exciting and unpredictable summer of boxla in BC.
Here are week 1’s three stars:
1st star – Zak Boychuk, Goalie, Nanaimo Timbermen
When you look at some of the shot totals from Victoria’s big guns, you would think they ran away with both games. Corey Small and Rhys Duch combined for a total of 52 shots in the two games, but only ended up with six goals and 11 points overall, thanks to Zak Boychuk’s efforts in goal.
Nanaimo was outshot over their home-and-home with the Shamrocks, but Boychuk stood tall both nights, stopping 96 of 111 shots for a .865 save percentage. If Nanaimo is in the thick of things come playoff time, they could potentially look back at these two games as a big reason why. Boychuk gets the nod over Penney thanks to a heavier workload and two big wins over their Vancouver Island rivals.
2nd star – Eric Penney, Goalie, New Westminster Salmonbellies
Penney was rock solid in net through the ‘Bellies first two games, allowing just seven goals on 80 shots for a sparkling .913 save percentage. New Westminster look to play tough defence first under head coach Steve Goodwin, but Penney looks right at home behind that D. He’ll have to be as the ‘Bellies can roll with either goalie – Alexis Buque is a second year goalie who originally made his name at Queen’s Park with a fantastic Minto performance with the Whitby Warriors in 2013.
This will be an important summer for Penney’s development as he struggled at times as a rookie in the NLL with the Stealth. But if these two games are any indication of what’s to come on the hallowed floor of QPA, New Westminster may be a surprisingly tough team to deal with in the Dub.
3rd star – Brody Eastwood, Offence, Nanaimo Timbermen
The T-Men sent shockwaves through the league by winning two close games against the defending champion Shamrocks thanks to two excellent team performances. But Brody Eastwood arguably lead the charge, scoring four goals on just six shots to help spoil Victoria’s home opener with an 8-6 win.
In the second half of their back-to-back, Eastwood played more of a facilitator as Cody Bremner found his scoring touch, dishing two assists in critical situations. Eastwood has five goals on 14 shots with four coming at even strength; he looks to be a focal point of the Nanaimo offence moving forward.
This week’s game of the week is in Maple Ridge, where the Burrards host the Shamrocks for the first time since last summer’s WLA Championship series. You can catch that game on Sunday, May 31 at Cam Neely Arena, with the first faceoff at 6:45. All games are available to watch on PlayFullScreen for a low cost of $8.
While you’re at it, check out the WLA’s newly re-designed website at wlalacrosse.com for schedules, statistics, analysis and more.
