Steve Priolo鈥檚 love of Vancouver Island has brought him back to the Victoria Shamrocks for the 2017 Western Lacrosse Association season.
Actually, it was his 2006 Chevrolet van 鈥� complete with a unique hand-painted mural, featuring a couple of alien forms, one carrying a lacrosse stick (representing Steve) and the other a hockey stick (symbolizing his fianc茅e, Jacqueline, who coaches hockey) 鈥� that brought him back to the Island.
The two slapped the mural on prior to heading west.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a beauty, isn鈥檛 it?鈥� said the six-foot-five, 235-pound behemoth, who can be a menace on the lacrosse floor, but is very much a character off it. One look at the van tells you that.
Priolo arrived to Victoria just in time for the Shamrocks鈥� opening 10-9 win over Langley last Friday. He will be an integral part of the club tonight when the team plays host to the Burnaby Lakers at 7 p.m. at The Q Centre.
Following the opening win, the St. Catharines, Ont., native climbed back behind the wheel and headed to Tofino for a few days of frolicking before returning for practice on Monday night.
鈥淚鈥檓 not really a surfer, but when you go to Tofino you鈥檝e got to surf, right?鈥� he said, his board still strapped to his precious ride, which he intends to live in all summer. 鈥淚t gives me the freedom to do stuff like that.鈥�
He purchased the vehicle 10 days before he left, and 鈥渂asically turned it into a house. I hopped in it and drove across to join the Shamrocks,鈥� he said of the four-day journey.
Jacqueline, now teaching in Ontario, will join him at the end of June. He began his adventure near Niagara Falls, then dropped Jacqueline off in Algonquin Provincial Park, where she was chaperoning a school trip.
鈥淚 just peeled out from there,鈥� he said with a chuckle prior to an early-week practice. 鈥淚鈥檝e been here a few days and it鈥檚 been nonstop, just doing all the fun and favourite stuff I did back in 2015. It鈥檚 nice having the van, because you don鈥檛 have to have a home base that you have to come back to. You just keep going from one spot to the next 鈥� all your favourite stops.鈥�
Which Victoria has become for the member of the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much to do. The people here are so great. It鈥檚 that West Coast culture or British Columbia culture. When you get to the Island, it has all the great things about the West Coast culture in a small community. Everybody seems connected to each other and I really like that.鈥�
And the Shamrocks love having the rugged defender 鈥� a four-time finalist for NLL defender of the year 鈥� back, especially after he helped the club to the Mann Cup championship back in 2015.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a memory I鈥檒l keep forever,鈥� Priolo said of the national title, his first. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one I want to keep repeating, too. Now that I have this van, maybe I can just keep coming back out.鈥�
In 2015, he also won a world championship along with then Shamrocks teammates Aaron Bold (who is also returning to Victoria this year), Dan Dawson and Ryan Dilks.
鈥淚 think we can do it again,鈥� Priolo said of the Shamrocks鈥� goals for 2017. 鈥淵ou look around: It鈥檚 not the same team we had in 2015, but that could be a good thing or a bad thing. Everyone here is willing to win, and the culture that the Shamrocks have puts us slightly ahead. If everyone鈥檚 on an equal playing field, the Shamrocks usually come out ahead just because of our teamwork and our coaches.鈥�
Head coach Bob Heyes is delighted to have Priolo back on an interprovincial transfer from the Brooklin Redmen of Whitby, Ont.
鈥淧riolo is a guy that brings leadership, brings a calming influence to the team. He鈥檚 been through a lot of pro-league stuff and he truly wants to be here, which is huge,鈥� Heyes said. 鈥淗e wants to come back. He loves it here. He loves the Island life.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a neat story, him coming out here in the van,鈥� Heyes added of Priolo鈥檚 excursion. 鈥淚 think he would love to live out here, if he or his fianc茅e could find a job out here.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a part of that puzzle that you need to go a long way. He鈥檚 a huge part of that, for sure. It鈥檚 nice to see a familiar face from 2015. Having him here, and eventually having Boldy [Aaron Bold] here, will be nice 鈥� it has a good feel to it.鈥�
And don鈥檛 let the van fool you. Priolo is all business on the floor.
鈥淚鈥檓 here to win,鈥� the 28-year-old stressed. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 come back out here just to have a good time, as fun as driving out to Tofino is or running mountains around here is. It鈥檚 not the same memory without winning 鈥� and that鈥檚 what I expect to do.鈥�
CLOVER POINTS: The Shamrocks should have veterans Greg Harnett, Rhys Duch and Chris Wardle back in the lineup for tonight, with newcomers Sheldon Burns and Tristan Rai also here. First-round draft pick Evan Messenger is doubtful due to his ankle injury.
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