The host Nanaimo Timbermen were beaten 17-11 by the Delta Islanders in a B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League contest at the Island Savings Centre on Sunday afternoon, but the game still gave several local players a chance to return to the floor they grew up on.
Runners Mat Jung, Adam Golia, Tyson Black, James Taylor and Steven Robertson and goalie Kain Stewart all came through the Cowichan Valley Lacrosse Association system on their way to the junior A ranks, and all played significant roles for the Timbermen against Delta on Sunday.
“They all add depth for us overall,” Nanaimo head coach Dave Bremner said. “They’re coming to the park every night and playing hard for us.”
The Timbermen went 0-21 last season, and were hoping to make strides this year. They have improved — the team is 2-7-1 after Sunday’s game — but not to the degree they anticipated.
“The players have had ups and downs,” Bremner said. “Like most of the team, everybody strugges with consistency.”
Bremner is happy with the calibre of lacrosse being played in the Cowichan Valley and the way the players are contributing to his team.
“We are extremely pleased to have the ability to draft out of the Cowichan Valley organization,” Bremner said. “There are great kids coming out of there. A tip of the hat to people down there who are contributing their time and doing great things for lacrosse. They’re producing not only good lacrosse players but good people, too.”
Jung scored twice last Sunday, and Golia and Black each had a goal and an assist. Primarily relied on in defensive roles, Taylor and Robertson were kept off the scoresheet, but both played gritty games for the T-Men.
Stewart replaced starting goalie Darian Claxton late in the second period, but couldn’t stem the tide.
The Timbermen opened the scoring just 29 seconds into Sunday’s game, but the Islanders replied with the next two goals, and kept the lead until the final buzzer.
The loss dropped the sixth-place Timbermen’s record to 2-7-1 on the season, while the eighth-place Islanders improved their record to 2-7-0. Nanaimo still has 11 games left this season.
“There’s still time to salvage the season,” Bremner acknowledged. “The schedule gets tougher, so we will have our work cut out for us playing some of the tough teams a lot. But hope is not lost.”
Jung will miss a week of action later this month when he heads to South Korea to play with Team China at the Asian Pacific Lacrosse Championships with China. A defender in field lacrosse, Jung made his debut for China at the World U19 championships last year, and this coming tournament could be an audition to play at the World Championships in 2018.
For the 2016-17 college field lacrosse season that wrapped up last month, Jung was a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference all-conference honourable mention as a freshman for Maryville University in St. Louis, finishing with 38 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers, a goal and an assist in 14 games.
Also honoured for his play in college was Golia, a junior who was named to the all-South Atlantic Conference second team for Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters in South Carolina, finishing second in the league with 39 goals and fourth with 51 points in 15 games.