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>>>SPORTS
Rockin’ the

fA Preview of the Western Lacrosse 2002 Season

Patrick Witwicki
Sports Editor

The sun is shining, the snowcaps are start-
ing to melt, the Canucks are once again golf-
ing, and spring is finally here. So, that means
it's time to get outside and start gardening,
right?

Nope, think again. It’s time to watch
Canada’s other indoor sport,
lacrosse. True, many of us
(including yours truly) only dis-
covered lacrosse for the first
time with the introduction of the
Vancouver Ravens, but in real-
ity, the National Lacrosse
League, in which the Ravens
participate, are stacked with
players from the Western
Lacrosse Association (WLA).
But this time around, during
the summer months, we get to
watch these players almost
every day. And for rabid
Salmonbellies and Adanacs
fans, it doesn’t get any better
than this.

Last year, the Coquitlam
Adanacs won the Mann Cup, and are the
favourites to repeat, but don’t expect Victoria,
who went undefeated last season before
falling in the playoffs, to let Coquitlam walk to
an easy title. And while the Salmonbellies
promise to be better this season, Maple
Ridge, a young up-and-coming team, could
surprise this year. So, without further delay,
here are my predictions for the season, bear-
ing in mind that the final rosters (at press
time) are still to be determined.

Coquitlam Adanacs

Predicted finish: First place, 15-5

Last year: Finished 12-8, 2nd place, won
Mann Cup

The Adanacs pulled off the biggest upset
last year, when they knocked off the unde-
feated Victoria Shamrocks in six games.
They rode that momentum into the Mann
Cup final, and succeeded in beating the
Ontario finalist, Brampton, in a tough 7-game
series. Coquitlam is determined this year to
prove that last year’s run wasn't a fluke.

Many of the players that led the Adanacs to
the Promised Land will be returning. Also,
proving that the theory “the rich get richer” is

probably true, Coquitlam has lured two stars
from the Ontario league. They hope these
acquisitions will compensate for the loss of
Colin Doyle, who has decided to remain in
Ontario, and Dan Stroup, who is considering
retirement. 2001 second team all-stars Pat
Coyle and Curt Malawsky are expected to
return. Coquitlam will be tough to beat, and
will once again probably find themselves

 

back in the WLA final, this time as the
favourites.

Victoria Shamrocks

Predicted finish: Second place, 14-6

Last year: Finished 19—0-1, first place, lost
in WLA final to Coquitlam

Fans in Victoria are probably still shaking
their heads. How could a team that didn’t
lose all year choke in the finals against an
upstart team from Coquitlam? Yet, that is
exactly what happened, and once again
proved the theory that a great regular season
doesn’t mean squat in the playoffs.

Victoria hopes to have the 2001 WLA lead-
ing scorer Ted Dowling back in the fold, who
also had an outstanding season with the NLL
Montreal Express. Other all-stars Kaleb Toth,
Matt Roik, and Chris Panos also expect to be
back. However, with Coquitlam’s additions, it
is expected that Victoria may take one step
back during the regular season, even though
they will probably battle the Adanacs all year
for first place overall. Personally, | think
Victoria is probably already looking beyond
the regular season, determined to avenge

last year’s upset.

New Westminster Salmonbellies
Predicted finish: Third place, 12-8.
Last year: Finished 10—9-1, third place,
lost in semi-final to Coquitlam

The Salmonbellies were a young, streaky
team last year. Fresh off the huge trade with
the Thunder last season, the
‘Bellies were able to restruc-
ture and build a team for the
future, while taking a stab at
the playoffs as well. This year,
they expect to be more experi-
enced, and hope it will lead to a
better regular season record, and
success in the playoffs.

Most of their 2001 squad will be
back, including all-star goalie
Matt Disher, forward Peter
Morgan (who also made the all-
rookie NLL team as a Vancouver
Raven), and Kevin Stewardson,
who missed most of last season
with a knee injury. New
Westminster has also acquired

Mat Giles and Shawn Parnell from
the Ontario league, who both played for the
Montreal Express during the past NLL sea-
son. If either the Adanacs or Shamrocks fal-
ter or suffer major injuries, the Salmonbellies
could finish as high as first. Then again, New
Westminster could just as easily falter and
miss the playoffs completely. However, it is
expected that New Westminster will once
again finish in third place, but this time will
make some noise come post-season.

Maple Ridge Burrards

Predicted finish: Fourth place, 9-11.

Last year: Finished 4-16, last place,
missed

playoffs.

Well, at least they’re doing something right.
After yet another disastrous season where
the Burrards missed the playoffs for the third
straight season, they decided to completely
rebuild. They secured two picks in the first
round of the WLA draft, and stocked up on
future all-stars Jordan West-Pratt and Brad
Rennie, both from the Port Coquitlam Saints. .
They have also hired Norm Baker as their
new head coach and are hoping his previous
WLA experience can finally help the team get