Few expected the Nanaimo Timbermen (7-2) or Burnaby Lakers (8-3) to be where they are in the 2019 Western Lacrosse Association standings. But the Timbermen haven鈥檛 looked back since last season when they made the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. The Lakers, meanwhile, are off to their best start since 2007.
The Victoria Shamrocks (6-4) will face the two surprise league leaders in successive nights on the road, beginning with the Island derby tonight at Frank Crane Arena in Nanaimo, and continuing Friday at Bill Copeland Arena in Burnaby.
鈥淭he dark horses have taken it by the reins,鈥� said Shamrocks head coach Bob Heyes.
So much so it is perhaps becoming evident one of three teams who had geared up for Mann Cup national championship runs this year 鈥� Shamrocks, Maple Ridge Burrards (7-5) or New Westminster Salmonbellies (5-5) 鈥� will not even be in the post-season.
There are four playoff berths in the seven-team league.
It is at the point where teams are looking at season-series standings, as well, because they are the first tiebreakers. That鈥檚 why Victoria鈥檚 9-7 victory last weekend over the Salmonbellies at Queen鈥檚 Park Arena in New Westminster was so critical. Not only did it give the Shamrocks two valuable points but also the season-series edge over the 鈥橞ellies.
Tonight鈥檚 Island derby will decided the season series between Victoria and Nanaimo, which stands at 1-1.
鈥淚t makes these matchups like four-point games,鈥� said Heyes.
The Shamrocks began 0-3 but have turned it around with five consecutive victories and six in their last seven games.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to keep pushing forward,鈥� said Heyes.
With a roster shake-up.
With the Coquitlam Adanacs (2-8) and Langley Thunder (2-10) pretty much out of playoff contention, they loaded up by Monday鈥檚 trade deadline on young players and draft picks for the future by loaning out their star players for the remainder of the season to contenders. The most notable of these moves had goaltending prodigy Chris Del Bianco of the A鈥檚 and veteran Thunder star Dane Dobbie 鈥� who both won the NLL pro championship this spring with the Calgary Roughnecks 鈥� go to Maple Ridge, while Thunder offensive stars Connor Robinson and Tyler Pace have come to the Shamrocks.
Pace was a member of the 2019 NLL champion Roughnecks this season along with four Shamrocks, while Robinson plays pro for the NLL Saskatchewan Rush.
Robinson was the first overall pick in the 2018 WLA draft out of the Junior Salmonbellies and Pace the top overall selection in the 2017 WLA draft out of the Junior Adanacs.
Robinson, the former sa国际传媒 Junior A League MVP who led Langley in scoring with 17 goals and is third in WLA points with 41, makes his Shamrocks debut tonight in Nanaimo.
Pace led the Thunder in scoring last year with 30 goals and 65 points in 18 games but has not played in the WLA this season. He is coming off an ankle injury and is questionable for tonight.
The third player in that trade, in which the Shamrocks鈥� 2019 first-round selection Keegan Bell and first pick in the 2020 draft went to Langley, was NLL pro Matt Dinsdale. But the Shamrocks confirmed Dinsdale is not expected to report to the Victoria team.
Meanwhile, a knee injury to Timbermen star player Chase Fraser in Saturday鈥檚 8-5 victory over Burnaby could be cause for concern in the Harbour City, although the team has not said how serious it is and the league does not issue injury reports. The Shamrocks say they will prepare as if the NLL Buffalo Bandits pro will be in the Timbermen lineup.
鈥淐hase Fraser is a highly-skilled guy who brings a lot of energy and emotion to a Nanaimo team that plays a free-wheeling and fast transition game, and relies on its goalies at the other end, to keep them in those games,鈥� said Heyes.
Burnaby will provide a different sort of matchup Friday.
鈥淭he Lakers are a more structured team,鈥� said Heyes.
鈥淩obert Church is one of the best players in the game and Eric Penney is having the best season in the league by a goalie [and was named WLA goaltender of the week for allowing only seven goals in his last three games].鈥�
Because of where they are in the standings, noted Heyes, 鈥渂oth Nanaimo鈥檚 and Burnaby鈥檚 confidence is sky high.鈥�
That鈥檚 something, the Shamrocks hope, that can be pierced by a few Robinson lasers to the top corners of the twine.
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