Take one of the best teams in the Western Lacrosse Association last season, and reinforce their roster with one of the best players in the world, and it is easy to see why the Maple Ridge Burrards can’t wait for the season to get going.
The WLA begins for them on Wednesday, May 24, with a rematch against the same New Westminster Salmonbellies who knocked them out of the playoffs last season. The series went to seven games, and the final went to double overtime before the ‘Bellies took it 9-8. New West then went on to the Mann Cup national championship.
The home opener for the Burrards will be Sunday, May 27, when they host the Nanaimo Timbermen. That game goes at 6:45 p.m. at Planet Ice, and will be preceded by a barbecue with the kids from Ridge Meadows Minor Lacrosse.
Lance Andre, the Burrards president, governor and acting general manager, said this year’s team is better than the one that went to the Mann Cup two seasons ago.
“We’re building a team not to just go to the Mann Cup, but to win the Mann Cup,” said Andre. “We’ll be at the top of the league.”
Andre steps into the GM’s chair after Rey Comeault stepped down just weeks before the start of the season, after having assembled this year’s team. Comeault said he left the organization over differences with the team’s executives, but added he still considers the people involved his friends.
“Obviously, I still care about the team.”
More fans will be talking about the additions to the lineup, and a familiar face will be Curtis “Superman” Dickson. The Calgary Roughnecks star ranks as one of the top players in the world, said Andre.
Superman scores goals with style, sometimes parallel to the ground as he soars across the net and shoots to the far corner.
He left the Burrards to play with the Peterborough Lakers for three seasons, and scored 14 goals and 27 points as the Lakers beat the New Westminister Salmonbellies in the Mann Cup last year.
In the 2013 campaign with the Burrards, he led WLA with 58 goals and 103 points in 17 games, and was the league MVP.
This season with the Calgary Roughnecks of the NLL, he had 47 goals and 92 points in 18 games to lead his team in scoring. That ranked him tied for second in the league in goals, and seventh in scoring.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Curtis re-join the Burrards already potent offense,” said Comeault.
His new Burrards teammate Ben McIntosh was just one goal behind him with 46 and 80 points for the Saskatchewan Rush, giving the Maple Ridge team what has to be the best one-two punch in the league, said Andre.
The Dickson homecoming isn’t the only big add for the Burrards.
A big free agent signing is Kyle Marr who has starred in field lacrosse for Johns Hopkins University in the NCAA. Comeault said the vision Marr shows will translate well to the indoor game.
He also brought in a goalie that he feels could be a game changer in Brandon Humphey, a goaltender from Calgary who will be able to spell starter Frankie Scigliano. He was a player of the game in the Minto Cup for the Calgary Mountaineers in 2016.
Comeault added some size in 230-pound defender Michael Tebbutt and Chase McIntyre. Tebbutt, of Abbotsford, played nine WLA games with the Burnaby Lakers last year, but was released. Comeault likes his work ethic. McIntyre is a Vancouverite who played junior in Coquitlam, and then went on to Jacksonville University in Florida. He projects as a offensive transition player.
He said having key offensive players like Mike Mallory, Riley Loewen and Dan Taylor still with the team means these additions just give the coaching staff more weapons.
“I haven’t left them in the lurch,” said Comeault.
The coaching staff will also see the return of head coach Rob Williams, and Chris Gill who was a head coach of the Burrards three seasons ago. Both men have won coach of the year honours in the WLA. Rob Dalzell is also an assistant coach.
“We’ve got great coaching, great goaltending, probably the top defence, and I would say when we’re healthy we have a top NLL offence,” said Andre.
He gave credit to Comeault and former GM Daren Fridge for assembling the talent.
“The team looks great.
“Challenging for the Mann Cup is not a pipe dream. It can be a reality.”