Olin Erricson knows better than any of his Prince George George Posse teammates how tough it's going to be win games this season against teams from the B.C. Intermediate B Lacrosse League.
Erricson, 18, played last season for the Fraser Surrey Stealth and learned firsthand how deep the intermediate B talent pool runs in the Lower Mainland, where all 10 teams in that league are based.
This year, Erricson is staying put in his Prince George hometown as a charter member of the intermediate Posse, part of the three-team Cariboo Central Intermediate Lacrosse League, and he's expected to be one of the Posse's offensive leaders. Last year, he collected 17 goals and seven assists in 10 games with Fraser Surrey, where he lived for five months as a Grade 11 student.
"It was fun, a lot of fast-paced lacrosse, definitely a lot higher-paced than I had ever played before," Erricson said. "It'll be a really big challenge, a lot of the top players in that league choose to play intermediate B because they don't want to play A, so there are guys there who are pretty phenomenal lacrosse players."
Quesnel and Mackenzie will be the Posse's opponents in the Cariboo Central league. Erricson says most of the Posse players grew up playing at the A2 or B levels in minor lacrosse provincials and that gives them a developmental advantage Quesnel and Mackenzie players don't have.
"I'm just excited to play some more, I thought I'd have to go somewhere else and I'm glad to stay at home," said Brandin Daychief, who captained the midget Posse last year. "It's going to be a lot tougher in intermediate B. We have a strong defensive team with a lot of hard workers, grinders and loose-ball junkies. We might not be as skilled on the offensive end but nobody's going to outwork us. We won't shy away from the physical game."
Several Posse players, including Daychief, Andrew Sivell, Braedon Lalonde, Brogan O'Brien and goalie Liam Miller, and head coach Scott Anderson were part of the team that won silver at the midget B provincial championship last year.
"We finished second in the province last year and that was pretty good for a small team from the north," said Miller, 16. "We've been together for a couple years now and we work well together. It will be a challenge beating Quesnel and Mackenzie, they're pretty strong, but I think we can take it."
Posse player Drydon Barlow, 18, aged out of the midget ranks last year and played in the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association for the Shooters Pub Devils. While he seemed to have no trouble adjusting to the senior league, not all graduating midgets are ready for that.
The Posse has just 10 runners and two goalies, as compared to Vancouver-area teams which have more players trying out than there are positions on the 20-player rosters. Despite the challenges the Cariboo champion will face at the provincial tournament in August, Posse assistant coach Brian Horning says the benefits of forming the new league far outweigh any drawbacks.
"What this league allows them to do is progress in their own community so they have the support system that's integral to their success and they don't have to work part-time while attending school while being billeted out in unfavourable conditions," said Horning.
"What's really beneficial is these guys that are in intermediate have been drafted into the senior league against men. They're not getting the constant games at the same level [in the BCILL] but a game of lacrosse is a very honest game and after learning the systems it's a game of who's faster and who's stronger. By playing against senior guys who are tougher and more experienced these guys will progress."
Although the Posse is favoured to win the new league, there are no guarantees.
"I don't know what to expect from them this year but usually Quesnel is very competitive and Mackenzie always has good numbers," Anderson said. "It's not going to be a cakewalk for us by any means."
Other members of the Posse are goalie Keith Bizicki, Parker Kerkoff, Mitch Schultz, Ben Walls,Kelly Walker and Jason Yee. O'Brien and Trevor Clark will be available for only part of the season.
The Posse opens the season on Saturday, May 3 at Kin 2 against Mackenzie, followed on May 4 by the Prince George-Quesnel Crossfire game.
