It came as little surprise when the Cowichan Valley Thunder outscored the Juan de Fuca Whalers 43-8 in the Island intermediate B lacrosse finals. The true test is yet to come as the Thunder head to the provincials in Langley this weekend.
The Thunder came home from last year’s provincial tournament with the silver medal, but head coach Lorne Winship believes this edition is better than that, with most players in their second year of intermediate lacrosse, and a bunch of players who have played at the A level, and even more who could play at the A level.
Although he hasn’t seen the other teams in the tournament Winship expects big things from his squad.
“I know the competition will be better [than on the Island], but I think our team is stronger than it was last year,” he said. “We have a chance to do well over there.”
Winship’s teams have always have excellent powerplay units, but even he is impressed with the guys he can put on the floor with the extra man.
“Our powerplay unit is as strong as I’ve ever had in all my years coaching,” he said. “They could all be playing at the inter A level.”
In fact, Winship has been told by folks in the know that his team could run with the bottom third of the inter A league.
The Thunder should be missing only one regular player this weekend as Corwin Trent is unavailable, but Winship has a deep roster to draw from.
“We’ve certainly got enough guys to fill the gaps,” he said.
As a bonus, the team will get Brandon (Skippy) Corby back from his summer job in Alberta, a big boost to the lineup who brings scoring and intangibles.
“He gets loose balls better than anybody,” Winship said.
The only way to really know how the team really stacks up is to take the next step and face the other top teams in the province.
“I’m excited to go to Langley to see where we’re at,” Winship said.
