The wildfires and road closures that have interrupted travel plans for tourists the past month did not result in any senior lacrosse teams canceling their plans to come to Prince George this weekend.
That meant a few additional hours on the highways for players making the drive up from the Lower Mainland or Vancouver Island, but with the chance to win the Fred Doig Championship Trophy as B.C. senior C champion or hoist the Treasure Cove Casino Challenge Cup that goes to winner of the invitational tournament, it's worth it to them.
"We have 11 teams - it's the biggest senior C lacrosse tournament ever held in British Columbia," said tournament chair Glen (Moose) Scott. "Senior C lacrosse is growing throughout B.C. and also Alberta and it's starting to spread eastward because more and more players want to continue playing Canada's national summer sport. A lot of them can't dedicate the time and effort to play and practice (as senior A or senior B players) four or five times a week, so they play senior C."
The tournament starts today at 11 a.m. at Kin 1 and Kin 2.
Teams from B.C. will be playing for the senior C title, having won their respective league playoffs or they will play for the Treasure Cove Challenge Cup as an invitational entry. The Westwood Pub Devils, champion of the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association, and Port Moody Express, who won the West Central Lacrosse League crown, could end up with both trophies if they capture Sunday's 3 p.m. championship game at Kin 1.
"The invitational side of it opens it up to everybody and we've combined the two because it allows a team not to have to choose between two tournaments - they can go for both championships," said Scott.
Scott said the five Lower Mainland teams - the Coquitlam Adanacs, Mission Cedar Kings, North Shore Indians, Ladner Pioneers and defending senior C champion Port Moody Express - will not face each other in the preliminary round because there are enough teams from other leagues entered this weekend to match with different opponents.
The Wsanec Arrows will represent the Victoria Lacrosse League, while the Airdrie Mohawks are part of the Alberta-based Rocky Mountain League. Four teams from the PGSLA, including the Devils, RPR Mechanical/BX Pub Bandits, Co-op Petroleum Stylers and Quesnel M. Daniels Consulting Crossfire are also in the mix.
"Wsanec is a First Nations team, as is the North Shore Indians, and I'm quite thrilled to see two First Nations teams competing in the tournament because, traditionally, lacrosse was not embraced by West Coast First Nations," said Scott. "The First Nations probably invented lacrosse and it's very big back east."
Each team is allowed three pickup players from within that team's league provided those players are registered to play this season. The Mission roster includes two former PGSLA players, John and Paul Makowsky, while former Prince George resident Ryan Okada will be playing for Airdrie.
The top four teams after the preliminary round meet in the semifinals Sunday at 9 a.m. at Kin 1 and Kin 2. The bronze medal game is at noon and the championship final will be played at 3 p.m. Both medal games are at Kin 1. (See page 11 for complete schedule.)
Game admission at the door is $5 (adults) or $3 (students/seniors/children).
