The box lacrosse world is focused this week on the Czech Republic and six players whose roots are in Prince George will have a chance to shape history in two international tournaments in Prague.
At the world indoor lacrosse championship, Jeff Moleski is playing for Canada, Shawn Cable is suiting up for Team England, while Brett Doig and Brad Vrecko are with Team Slovakia -- Doig as assistant coach and Vrecko as a player.
Doig will draw double duty, playing for a Czech team in the the World Championship Festival 35-and-older open division, along with former Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association veterans Scott Morash and goalie Mason Gratto.
"I am totally looking forward to getting over there meeting the guys," stated Doig Wednesday in an email from Berlin. "Vrecks is in Bratislava working with the head coach and I think they have a scrimmage with the Aussies scheduled in a couple days, so hopefully I make it over there for that.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I feel very lucky to have an opportunity to participate in a lacrosse tourney featuring the best players in the world."
Doig, the now-retired captain of the BX Pub Bandits, led the Bandits to the Dale Rolufs Memorial Trophy as champions of the PGSLA in 2010. Vrecko is a member of Slovakia's field lacrosse national team who used to play on the Bandits with Doig, Morash, Gratto and Moleski.
Moleski, 29, still plays professionally as a defenceman in the National Lacrosse League. The seven-year NLL veteran helped the Washington Stealth reach the Champions Cup final Sunday in Toronto against the Toronto Rock. The Rock hung on on to defeat the Stealth 8-7 to claim the title.
Cable, 31, who lives in Calgary, played seven seasons in the NLL with Calgary, Portland, Anaheim and Colorado, a pro career that ended in 2008. Cable, whose grandparents are English, played for England in 2007 at the second world indoor championship, which has been held every four years since 2003.
Canada, England, and Slovakia are grouped in the same pool, along with Australia. The Slovakian team is making its first appearance in the world championship. The other pool includes the United States, Iroquois First Nations, Ireland and the Czech Republic.
"I will be helping support the head coach, Travis Taylor, and hopefully the Slovakia team will do well," said Doig. "The first game [on Sunday] is against Team Canada, so we will be jumping right in against the favourite.
"I'm not sure what the team we are playing for will look like or how much experience they will have, but having Mason in net and being able to play with Scott will help out for sure. The beer here is so good and I'm very much looking forward to having a few after each game with my buds."
