Although the Victoria Shamrocks were defeated by the New Westminster Salmonbellies in the 2017 Western Lacrosse Association final, there were many bright spots from the campaign that were celebrated on Sept. 1.
Corey Small took home many recognitions including the George Blackstock Memorial Award for the most valuable player, the Mason Sheldrick Leadership Award, and the John Crowther Memorial Award for the highest scorer. Small was also named a first team all-star and received the Denny Huddleston Memorial Award for the WLA regular season scoring champion. The Ontario native recorded 38 goals and 50 assists in 18 games for the ‘Rocks in 2017.
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General manager Chris Welsh said Small exemplifies many admirable traits.
“Corey has played for us for seven years and in those seven years, he’s won 20 team awards including the MVP four times,” Welch said. “I think the accolades and the accomplishments are frankly staggering. He’s a generational player who has conducted himself with class and a high level of talent and integrity, both on and off the floor.”
Steve Priolo was named a second team all-star and was also awarded the Ken Alexander Memorial Award for the best defensive player.
He also received the Chris Hall Memorial Award for the player with the most competitive spirit, which was voted on by his teammates.
Jake Archdekin was awarded the Jim “Pee Wee” Bradshaw Award for the rookie of the year, while Cody Hagedorn took home the Fred Wooster Memorial Award for being the team’s unsung hero.
Ben McCullough was the most popular player as voted by fans. Delbert Whynot received the Leon Hall Memorial Award for outstanding service and dedication to the game of lacrosse.
Murray and Ev Rhode were recognized with the Lawrie Smith Memorial Award for volunteer of the year.
