All the rosters this weekend will be chock full of veteran experience.
The Western Canadian Masters Lacrosse Championships will be held Friday through Sunday (June 30-July 2) at the Nanaimo Ice Centre.
“It always is a fun weekend,” said Andy Reynolds, a Timbermen player.
Two local 45-plus teams are taking the floor, the Nanaimo Timbermen and the Nanaimo Native Sons.
“Stick skills-wise, it’s good ball. It’s just not as fast,” said Reynolds. “As you get into the semifinal and the final, it certainly gets more physical.”
He expects the two local entries to be competitive. The Native Sons will be backstopped by Rick Mang, who was recently announced as a 2017 Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee, and the Timbermen expect to have a strong squad with lots of depth because so many guys are keen to play in a home tournament.
Reynolds is hoping for good support for the local teams.
“It’s an opportunity for a lot of family to come and watch us play, because we don’t get a whole lot of games throughout the season,” he said.
The tourney starts with an opening ceremony Friday at 7 p.m. before the feature game between the Timbermen and Cowichan River Rats at 7:15 p.m. The Native Sons play their first game Saturday at 9:30 a.m. The A division semifinal is Sunday at 12:30 p.m., the B division final is at 2 p.m. and the A final is at 4 p.m.
Admission is free and there will be a beer garden.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com