Sandwiches and coffee were on the menu at the Mann Cup news conference on Thursday, officially welcoming both teams 鈥� the visiting Peterborough Lakers and host Victoria Shamrocks, who begin their quests tonight at 7 p.m. at The Q Centre in Game 1 of the best-of-seven series.
They could have served steak and lobster and it still wouldn鈥檛 match the hunger that Shamrocks veterans Scott Ranger and Dan Dawson have for winning the national senior A lacrosse championship.
At 32 years of age, Ranger is still looking for his first Mann Cup ring and, nearing the tail end of his playing days, the Nanaimo native and Shamrocks captain would love to finally get his hands on one.
鈥淲e鈥檒l make the decision after this Mann Cup. You never know when your day is up. It is what it is, but we鈥檒l see after this one. I鈥檝e felt good, touch wood. I鈥檝e been healthy all year and not playing in the winter certainly helps,鈥� said the former Calgary Roughneck, who won a National Lacrosse League title in 2009.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been so close for two years and I think it鈥檚 our time. We鈥檝e got the pieces on this team that we needed to address, but the team coming from the East is always going to be good. It will be a battle.鈥�
And he promises to fight to the end, especially after back-to-back six-games series losses to Six Nations the last two years. His hunger is even greater in 2015.
鈥淧ersonally, it鈥檚 always something you grow up wanting to do. The group of guys in our room is really tight and I want to win it for everyone else in there, too,鈥� said Ranger. 鈥淚 think everybody is on the same page. I don鈥檛 think anyone wants it any more than anyone else. It鈥檚 something you grow up playing and watching and it鈥檚 something you definitely want.
鈥淐hampionships are hard to win, though. If you play long enough, you鈥檙e going to get the opportunities. We have another one now and we have to take advantage of it.鈥�
Dawson has had his share, winning five Mann Cups including the last time the Shamrocks triumphed in 2005. His other four came with Brampton in 2002, 鈥�08, 鈥�09 and 鈥�11. He was twice a runner-up with Brampton against Victoria in 2003 and once as a Shamrock in 2006 against Peterborough.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why you play the game,鈥� said Dawson, who has also won two NLL crowns in 2013 and 鈥�14 with Rochester and two World Indoor titles for sa国际传媒 in 2007 and 鈥�11. 鈥淵ou play the game to see the look on your teammates鈥� faces when they get to sip from that cup and hoist it over your head.
鈥淭here are a lot of guys in our room who haven鈥檛 done it yet,鈥� said the 33-year-old. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why you play it and that鈥檚 what you鈥檙e excited for.鈥�
Certainly, as a five-time winner and a seven-time participant, he knows what it will take.
鈥淚t鈥檚 execution and effort,鈥� stressed Dawson. 鈥淭he lacrossse circle is very small, we know what鈥檚 expected, what they鈥檙e going to throw at us and vice versa. It鈥檚 going to come down to the team that鈥檚 willing to outwork the other this series.鈥�
Curtis Dickson, recognized as one of the best players in the game today, will attempt to lead the Lakers to what would be a 10th straight Mann Cup victory for the Eastern reps.
鈥淔rom top to bottom this is probably the strongest team they鈥檝e had in years,鈥� the former Maple Ridge Burrard said of the Shamrocks. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a fun series and expected to go long.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to be a great defensive battle with two of the best, if not the best, goalies in the world right now. That will be an interesting matchup to watch and I think, top to bottom, we鈥檙e evenly matched. Their defence, our defence. Their offence, our offence. It should be a fun series to watch,鈥� added Dickson, a teammate of Shamrocks players Karsen Leung, Dan MacRae and Greg and Jon Harnett in Calgary with the NLL Roughnecks.
CUP NOTES: A beer garden opens at 3:30 p.m. on game days outside The Q Centre and a post-game lounge will be open until midnight in the upper club seats. 鈥� 100-150 game tickets will be made available to walk-ups on game nights.
