Senior C lacrosse is alive and well in Western Canada.
In fact, it's a growing concern, and nowhere will that be more apparent than this weekend at the Kin Centre, site of the Treasure Cove Casino Senior Invitational/B.C. Senior C championships.
The eight-team tournament starts tonight at Kin 1.
"Two or three years ago we didn't have any senior C lacrosse in Alberta and only one team in Saskatchewan, and now Alberta has six senior C teams, Saskatchewan has three or four and Manitoba has two or three," said tournament organizer Glen "Moose" Scott, commissioner of the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association (PGSLA).
"What this shows is that the interest in senior C lacrosse has just started to explode. It's expanding across Western Canada and that's what we were hoping would take place when we formed the senior C league [in 1991]."
There are now 15 senior C teams in B.C., five of which play in the PGSLA.
The senior C provincial tournament was cancelled last year in Port Moody when only three teams committed to play in it. Scott said now that the invitational tournament has been combined with the provincial championship on a permanent basis, he predicts it will thrive.
"It always seemed the last three years that the B.C. senior C provincials had a tough time attracting teams and we formulated this scenario where we will have the two tournaments combined and we will move it throughout the province," said Scott.
"It means you can be playing against seven other teams and teams don't have to decide what tournament they will go to. Everybody has a shot at winning [both titles] and that's what everybody loves."
Tonight at 6 p.m. at Kin 1, the Armstrong Shamrocks of the four-team Okanagan league open the tournament against the Coquitlam Cobras, champions of the West Central Lacrosse League (WCLL), followed by the BX Pub Bandits-Red Deer Silverbacks game at 8 p.m. Meanwhile at Kin 2, the College Heights Pub Assault play the Riverstone Pub/Regional Security Stylers at 6 p.m., leading into the Port Moody Express-Ladner Pioneers game at 8.
Although the Shooters Pub Devils of the PGSLA are not entered, several players from that team, including Jordan Zacharuk, Chris Scott, and Tony Degans, will suit up for Armstrong, while Kyle Adams and Phil Michel of the Devils will play for BX Pub.
Plans for Armstrong to import a handful of players from Calgary were scuttled due to Canadian Lacrosse Association restrictions on players transferring to other lacrosse jurisdictions. The Calgary players will instead play for Red Deer.
Port Moody agreed to allow Prince George to host the 2011 tournament, knowing the Kin Centre will not be available next summer while Kin 1 is being renovated for the 2015 Canada Winter Games. The Express will host the tournament in 2012.
Tickets are $5 each per game, $3 for students and seniors, available at the door. Tournament passes are available for $30 each.
