Change is in the wind for the Westwood Pub Devils and they think it's enough to blow away their opponents in the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association.
Renewed interest from some key Devils veterans, the addition of a top-notch junior B goalie and a blockbuster trade to acquire two senior snipers have the Devils convinced they have what it takes to take the trophy out of the hands of the three-time defending champion Northland Nissan Assault.
It has been five years since the Devils shared a victory sip from the Dale Rolufs Memorial Trophy but this year they think they've got the team to do it.
"The depth we have definitely reminds me of years past - all the guys are seasoned lacrosse players and our defence and offence look super strong," said Devils goalie/manager Chris Scott.
"We can only sign so many players and it's a lovely predicament to be in. We're limited to 25 players and you can only dress 18 players and two goalies every game."
The Devils added to their list of available bodies when former league MVP Blake McIntosh indicated he plans to play more games this year while veterans Scott Anderson, Jamie Klarenbeek, Brent McIsaac and Brian Horning also plan to rejuvenate their careers. Captain Dave Bennett looks as strong as ever, having fully recovered from a knee injury two seasons ago.
The Devils have depth in goal as well with Jamie Bellamy returning to the senior league after graduating from the junior B ranks. Last season he helped the Delta Islanders win the provincial championship. With Bellamy back and Scott available to play goal if needed, longtime mainstay Steven Brizan won't feel obligated to commute from his job in Alberta to stand in the Devils' crease.
Last week the Devils picked up Andrew Schwab and Mike Padalec in a trade with the Cowboy Ranch/Regional Security Stylers in return for Gary Sidhu and his kids - Ashley, Josh and Mark - as well as Cody Rochon and Cole Thorne.
Schwab, Padalec and Horning have played together since they were peewees.
"This team should win this year," said Schwab. "It's going to be really nice coming from a team that doesn't usually win much. The last couple years we've started turning it around with the Stylers and it was a good deal for both teams.
"This team has so many veteran players and they're so good, they can score from anywhere on the floor. Now with Brian Horning here, me and Padalec, we're going to have the best offence in the entire league."
The new-look Devils opened the season Wednesday night at the Coliseum against the Stylers.
The Devils last won the championship in 2009, which ended a remarkable stretch of two undefeated seasons and three straight cup wins. Last year the hard times ended when they surprised everyone with their playoff run.
"It has been a struggle but we have been clawing back and last year we went to the finals," said Brizan. "We're looking really good this year. [Schwab and Padalec] give us more depth. We have a full squad, lots of players."
The Devils have added Spencer Ovenden, who has junior B experience with the Surrey Rebels, and also picked up Cameron Braun, one of the top scorers last year for the Quesnel Crossfire.
A year ago the Devils squeaked into the playoffs, finishing fourth with a 4-8 record, but got hot at the right time and swept the first-place BX Pub Bandits in three straight games in the opening round. They went on to lose 3-1 in a best-of-five final series to the Assault, winning one game in double overtime.
Here's how the other teams in the league are shaping up:
Northland Nissan Assault
Four PGSLA titles in a row? Don't put it past the Assault.
While the Devils are much-improved, the Assault is still a dangerous team, especially when it has Davey Jenkins and Craig Dunfield spicing the offence. As playoff MVP in 2013, Dunfield was virtually unstoppable with Jenkins and regular-season MVP John Makowsky feeding him the ball. Jenkins expects to be around for half the games this season.
"The Devils have a lot of good guys there and I think it will be the two of us in the finals, but I think it's a coin toss which team is going to win," said Assault defenceman Kevin Cunin.
"Davey is really smart and I love playing with him, he can just see the floor really well. He's definitely our quarterback, but we have other guys who can bury it in the net. For years, we haven't been a one-hit wonder. Everyone knows their roles and has fun and it's led us to the championship the last three years."
Russill Mills is the consensus pick as the best goalie in the PGSLA and he'll have to carry most of the load now that Brian Stanley has retired after 23 years in the league. The Assault picked midget grad Keith Bizicky in the draft to fill in for Mills if needed. Joining Cunin on defence are all-stars Dustin Walsh and Josh Kelly as well as Brady Davis, a physical force who missed all last season after breaking his leg in the 2012 playoffs.
The Assault opens its season Saturday at 8 p.m. against the Devils, preceded by the Stylers-BX Pub Bandits game at 6 p.m.
BX Pub Bandits
Memories of their playoff sweep still fresh in their minds, the Bandits are anxious to return to the winning ways that carried them to the 2010 championship. Having a healthy Damon Calfa is a good start. He's made a full recovery after breaking his leg in the first playoff game last year, after he'd finished the season tied with Bandits captain Drew Doig atop the league scoring race.
Doig and Calfa, both lefties, form a lethal attack with right-handed shooters Tyler Halliday and Mac Allen, and when Cole Paciejewski and Ryan Waddington return the Bandits should have no problems scoring this season. Paciejewski is still playing field lacrosse in North Carolina for Pfeiffer University while Waddington has been working out with a Ladner team preparing for a tournament in the Czech Republic.
James Teer and midget graduate Liam Miller will get the call in goal. The Bandits like to play a physical game and will miss the leadership of Brett Doig, who has retired, and will look to Waddington and Grant Stubley to play the roles as the back-end punishers.
Cowboy Ranch/Regional Security Stylers
Bodies have been in short supply for the Stylers and the trade with the Devils will help. Cody Rochon joins his brother Matt, one of the team's top scorers, and the four Sidhus bring a strong sense of family to one of the youngest teams in the league.
"We know we're in for a tough year, we just helped stack up the Devils for some pretty big things in the playoffs this year," said Stylers defenceman/manager Steve Grabowski. "We loved having [Schwab and Padalec] on our team but we're real happy with the players we picked up. We know we'll be battling with Quesnel for the last playoff spot."
Scott Bryan, a former Stylers captain, is back in the game and will help share the leadership role with current captain Mike Bailey. Ray Masson is now in his 60s but is still fit for duty in goal, and he'll team up with 20-year-old Kyle Wilson. They've also got Dakota Murphy, the PGSLA's top rookie in 2013. The Stylers picked Brandin Daychief first overall in the midget draft and he's got the size and skill to make an impact as a first-year senior.
Quesnel Crossfire
This is Year 3 in the league for the Crossfire and the senior team continues to encourage intermediate- and midget-aged players to stick with the game in Quesnel. A lot of the players from the senior C provincial champions will draw double-duty in the senior league.
Hugh Whalen takes over as coach of the Crossfire, moving up from the midget/intermediate ranks, and his sons Devin and Jarret have moved up as well. Cameron Wiebe and second-team all-star goalie Bob Mills anchor the defence. Mills is among several intermediate-aged Crossfire players from Williams Lake. The Crossfire will miss Braun's finishing touches around the net now that he's moved to Prince George and won't have shutdown defenceman Chase Jaeger, who now lives in Vancouver.
