Gettin’ started out West

May 9th, 2008 by Bob Chavez

There’s a bunch of questions that won’t be answered for a while yet, but that won’t keep the Western Lacrosse Association from kicking off its 2008 season this weekend.

And even before the Nanaimo Timbermen open on the road against the Maple Ridge Burrards in the season’s first tilt on Sunday evening, there’s all kinds of talk that the Langley Thunder could be the surprise of the season with some of the drafting they’ve done, along with an early candidate for top rookie in Garrett Billings, who’s one of the leading scorers trying to lead the University of Virginia to an NCAA title this spring (photo courtesy of University of Virginia). Still, ya can’t write of the defending champion Adanacs from Coquitlam, or the Salmonbellies of New Westminster. The Burnaby Lakers are in a lot of conversations too, and the Victoria Shamrox will be looking for ways to win without Dan Dawson, who is back in Ontario to run with Brampton.

No one’s counting eggs before they hatch just yet, especially Andy Ogilvie, the new coach in Coquitlam. “The ducks aren’t in place for us yet,” Ogilvie tells the Vancouver Sun. “It will be a little bit before our full roster is set. We have to find out who is coming back and who we’ll be keeping. It might take until June.”

Timbermen waiting on Toth, Ranger and Couling: Nanaimo Daily News
Shamrocks sport a new look: Times Colonist

Chavez is an avid lacrosse player in Rochester and a journalist for the Democrat and Chronicle as well as a longtime Inside Lacrosse contributor. Email him at bob.chavez@nllinsider.com or go to RochesterSports.com.

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