Another year, another trophy for Langley Thunder’s Brett Mydske.
Mydske was named the Western Lacrosse Association’s defender of the year, the second straight season he has picked up the Gord Nicholson Trophy.
The 25-year-old from New Westminster was announced as the winner on Monday afternoon.
In 2011, he was the WLA’s unsung hero award winner.
“It is a nice compliment to get after a season,” he said.
As he was after winning the award in 2012, Mydske was very humble, saying that the award was a product of the Thunder’s team defence and he was just one part of it.
He was also surprised to win the award, given the fact that towards the end of the regular season, Mydske was playing more on the offensive end of the floor for the Thunder. That trend has continued into the playoffs.
The Thunder trail their best-of-seven WLA championship series against the Victoria Shamrocks, 3-2, with Langley needing a win in Victoria on Aug. 29 to force a seventh and deciding game.
Mydske scored once in the team’s 11-8 loss on Aug. 25 at the Langley Events Centre.
It was his seventh goal in nine playoff goals. Even more remarkable is that he has scored his goals on just a dozen shots, a shooting percentage of .583.
By comparison, Mydske has nine career WLA goals in 66 regular season games on 43 shots, a .209 shooting percentage.
“I don’t mind playing offence, but I feel more comfortable on defence,” Mydske said.
And that change in position just shows the character of Mydske.
“He is a great player who will do anything for the team to win,” said Langley coach Rod Jensen.
“He has such good reach and he is strong and can really shut down the better offensive players in the world.”
Jensen said that the six-foot-four, 205-pound Mydske is a strong defender who takes good advantage of his size and strength.
He is also a leader who practices what he preaches through his “good work habits.”
This is Mydske’s fourth year in the WLA. He also plays professionally in the winters with the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League. He also represented Canada in 2011 at the indoor world championships.
