Without enough players committed to going to the provincial championships, if they were to make it that far, the junior B Cowichan Thunder opted out of the Pacific Northwest Junior Lacrosse League playoffs despite sitting second in the league standings.
“We have a team that could have won the Island, and if you do that, you can’t bow out of provincials, or there’s a huge fine,” head coach Lorne Winship said. “I’d much rather have it happen now than four days before provincials.”
The team then traded four players — Tyson Black, Taylor Martin, Mitch Page and Pollo Claxton — to the Westshore Bears for the remainder of the season. The Thunder’s next opponent, in their season finale at Kerry Park Arena on Tuesday, was the Westshore Bears, making for an interesting reunion.
“It was really surreal,” Winship said. “It was certainly our decision, and it wasn’t a surprise, and it was done for the right reasons, allowing our Cowichan players to get a chance to go to provincials, which is what everybody’s goal should be.”
The Thunder lost 9-5, but Winship wasn’t disappointed in the effort, all things considered.
“I was really proud of the guys,” he said. “Obviously, with the trade we made, it didn’t help us with our roster, but the guys played hard and took it seriously. I was proud of the effort.”
To fill out their lineup, the Thunder summoned runners Brady Williams, Brody Black, Nathan Clark, Kurtis Smith and goalie Colin Jeffrey from the midget A Thunder, and Clayton Vickers from the intermediate B Oceanside Sharks. Factoring in intermediate-age Cowichan junior regulars Jaeden Ashbee, Lucas Nagel, Kyle Page and Jacob Taylor, the Thunder actually had more underage players in the lineup on Tuesday than actual juniors.
At the other end of the spectrum, third-year juniors Graham Winship, Travis Lee and goalie Kevin Smith were playing their final games at the level. A fourth player, Kris Mousseau, was unavailable for Tuesday’s game. Winship made sure they got plenty of action.
“I told those guys, with less than half a period left, ‘Play as much as you want.’”
Graham Winship ended his junior career in style, scoring three goals and setting up another. Ashbee and Clinging had Cowichan’s other goals. Among the former Cowichan players, Tyson Black wasn’t hampered by the tight-fitting jersey the Bears stuck him with, and finished with two goals and three assists. Martin scored once before leaving the game in the second period with a shoulder injury.
Winship admitted he was disappointed not to be going to the playoffs.
“When you start out at the beginning of the year, your goal is always to make it to provincials,” he said. “That’s always my goal, anyway, but with injuries and work, you can’t force them.”
With nearly the entire roster eligible to return, the Thunder could contend again next year.
“We’re very young,” Winship said. “We’ve got a lot of first-year juniors and intermediates on the team. There’s a chance of having a pretty good team again.”
The Thunder sent six players to the junior B all-star game in Nanaimo on July 1, where the Island team took on the Mainland stars. Black, Martin, Page, Claxton, Steven Robertson and Liam Clinging represented Cowichan.
