The first senior lacrosse showdown of the season between the three-time defending champion Northland Nissan Assault and the revamped Westwood Pub Devils failed to live up to the hype.
The Assault had twice as many no-shows as they did players in uniform with just nine available Saturday to play the full-strength Devils at the Coliseum. Consequently, they got clobbered 16-4.
Andrew Schwab and Mike Padalec each scored three goals for the Devils, while right-handers Cameron Braun and Blake McIntosh each scored a pair. John Makowsky found the net twice for the Assault.
The Devils have a potent forward lineup and that's allowed 46-year-old Scott Anderson the luxury of returning to defence, the position he grew up playing in Ladner. The influx of talented finishers up front has rekindled the previously-retired Anderson's senior lacrosse career.
"My body doesn't hold up to the pounding anymore and this is perfect," said Anderson. "We've got the young guys to take over my spot and I can do my thing and keep playing at this age. Chris (Stylers manager Scott) has done a fantastic job of putting this team together. We should have good numbers all year."
The Devils were a playoff surprise last year, advancing to the league final and while its still early in the season they seem destined to play for the title again. They've certainly got strength in numbers and that was obvious watching them crowd into the players' bench Saturday sporting a full 20-player lineup.
"We'd kind of been down in the dumps for a few years and we've tried to get some of the old guys back and have brought in some fresh blood, just trying to build off what we started in the second half last year," said Devils forward Brent McIsaac. "Now we're and we can just roll guys out there. Everyone's strong and we feel we can compete with anyone now. You can just leave everything out there on every shift and know the next line will follow up and do the same.'
The Assault had just three spare runners and fatigue was an obvious factor, especially in the late stages.
"They won three in a row and they were missing Dave (Jenkins) and Craig (Dunfield) and we know this is far from their best lineup," said McIsaac. "To be honest, I think the score really flatters them."
It would have been a lot worse for the Assault if Russill Mills hadn't arrived at the arena. Selected the top goalie last season in the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association, Mills picked up where he left off, making 50 saves in a losing cause.
"They've really upped their ante and they have a lot of good shooters," said Mills. "We're always missing some key guys and to be honest I was really proud of the boys. We played pretty good considering we were outmanned by 11 runners. It was fun, it was good practice for me. It was the first one for me since last season."
The Devils have what's considered the top goaltending tandem in the league but it wasn't much of a test for Steven Brizan nor Jamie Bellamy, who faced a combined 13 shots while splitting Saturday's game in half.
The senior A Maple Ridge Burrards picked 22-year-old Devils forward Danton Nicholson in the eighth round (52nd overall) in the Western Lacrosse Association draft.... Brogan O'Brien, a 16-year-old who plays hockey for the Prince George Spruce Kings, is now playing intermediate A lacrosse with the Coquitlam Adanacs of the BC. Intermediate Lacrosse League.
