With the pandemic seemingly in the rear-view mirror and threat of the virus fading, the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association is back in business and Canada’s national summer sport will be once again played in north central B.C. arenas.
The five team league includes three Prince George teams - Canadian Brewhouse Devils, Northland Nissan Assault, and BHL Bandits – Quesnel Crossfire and Conifex Power Mackenzie Lumberjacks.
Two years of inactivity have allowed the teams to recharge their batteries, rest up a few war wounds and get enthused about playing the game again. Each team will play 12-game schedule.
“From what we’ve seen, it looks like all the teams have pretty full rosters, so we should see some good tight games” said PGSLA assistant commissioner Chris Scott. “So maybe we’ll see one of these teams dethrone the Devils this year.
“I don’t know a lot of the guys on the roster for Quesnel and Mackenzie but when you’ve 16 to 18 guys on the roster and you know you’re going to get a consistent 14 guys a game that’s a gamechanger,” he said.
“When guys aren’t getting tired with the short benches, it’s a huge difference. I think that’s what the Devils ran into in 2018 and 2019; they’d have 18 guys and two goalies and they were playing a team from Quesnel with eight guys on the bench. No matter how good they do in the first period they’re going to get tired and by the third period they’re just gassed. If they can get way from that and have deep benches it will change our game completely and it’s going to be fantastic.”
The Devils are three-time defending champions, having won the playoffs in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Bandits played spoilers in 2019, handing the Devils their first regular-season loss right at the end the season, then forcing a third-and-deciding game in the best-of-three playoff final series.
The Devils will have a familiar face behind the bench with longtime veteran Scott Anderson officially making the switch as full-time head coach after years of coming out of retirement to play for the team. But don’t rule out the possibility that he’ll have a change of heart and get his gear back on. It’s happened before. Jake McIntosh will be one of the big guns for the Devils, as will Andrew Schwab, Colton Poulin and Pierce Watson. The Devils have a three-headed monster in net with a choice of Jamie Bellamy, Steven Brizan or Patrick Baylis.
PGSLA commissioner Don Wittmeier says despite the influx of players returning to the game, there are still some roster spots available.
“Every team looks good on paper, but then you’ve got your shift work and injuries and that could change that,” said Wittmeier. “It’s been a long two years and I like that we’re starting up again and I’m looking forward to the league. Mackenzie has 25 players on the roster and that’s awesome, but Quesnel has maybe 13 and we’ve got room for people if they want to play.”
Damon Calfa and Cole Paciejewski are back with the Bandits and those two and Drew Doig are likely to form a lethal scoring combination. Brett Barwise will also help but he not be back if he makes the junior A roster of the New Westminster Salmonbellies. Liam Miller provides a mountain of stability in net for the Bandits.
Brother combinations Miguel and Lucas da Silva and Mark and Josh Sidhu are back in the game playing for Northland Nissan again after a six-year absence. Spenser Rogers and Russill Mills provide the backbone guarding the goal. Jake Nohr, Gage Prince and Hayden Esopenko.
Devin Porter and Nicolas Krawcyzle are Assault property and they intend to play also play in the B.C. Junior A Lacrosse Association with the Surrey Rebels. If Doug Porter doesn’t make the Coquitlam Adanacs senior A roster he could be back in P.G. playing for the Assault.
PGSLA veteran Jonathan Wittmeier and rookie Ainslie Rushton, who backstopped the B.C. provincial girls bantam team to the national title in 2018 will be stopping shots for the Lumberjacks, while Jesse Deagle will likely get the bulk of the goaltending load in Quesnel with the Crossfire.
“Every team, their cornerstone has to be their goaltender,” said Don Wittmeier.
Although some leagues in the province played games late last summer once provincial health restrictions were lifted, the PGSLA decided not to go ahead with league play and for the second consecutive year the season was canceled.
The first game of the 2022 season, originally scheduled for tonight, was postponed due to a shortage of available referees. The Bandits are due to face Quesnel Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the season-opener at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena. Then on Thursday at 8, the Quesnel is in town to take on the Assault.
All five teams will be playing this weekend at RMCA. A Saturday night doubleheader pits the Assault against Mackenzie at 7 p.m., followed by a 9 p.m. battle between the Devils and Bandits. Then on Sunday morning at 11 the Devils square off against Quesnel.
“A lot of the guys have been having throw-around scrimmages games Wednesday night at the Roll-A-Dome since January and you had a whole mix of guys playing lacrosse for a few months,” said Scott. “Goalies have been shots on them and they’re definitely not coming into the season with cobwebs having to refamiliarize themselves with sticks they haven’t touched for two years.”
The PGSLA will switch venues from RMCA to Kin 1 as of May 25 through to the end of the regular season June 23, with playoffs to follow in late June, early July. The league has stopped charging admission at the gate to try to get fans in the building.
The league is in discussions with a group in Airdrie, Alta., to possibly hold the B.C. senior C provincials championship and Glen “Moose” Scott Senior Invitational Lacrosse Tournament in Airdrie in early August.
The Carney Street lacrosse box at Carrie Jane Gray Park will be available to senior teams for outdoor practices this season. Scott said the lines will be repainted and the facility will be renamed for his father Glen, the founding commissioner of the league, who died in February 2021.
For more information about joining the league. Players are asked to contact Don Wittmeier at 250-640-8711.
