LANGLEY, B.C. – Spot the Lakers in the above photo! Five members of the Mann Cup Champion Century 21 Lakers are currently back in British Columbia as members of the Canadi¬an senior men’s box team that is competing at the 2019 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships in Langley. Team Canada is 2-0 after big wins over Joe Resetarits and Team USA (16-6) and Team England (18-5).
Forward Mark Matthews, goaltender Mike Poulin and defensemen Robert Hope, Zach Currier and Jake Withers all got the call earlier this summer to join the national team to help defend Can¬ada’s title. Lakers’ head coach Mike Hasen is an assistant coach for the team. Former Laker Curtis Dickson is also on the team.
“It’s an honour to have been named to Team Canada,” Hope said. “There are so many great players on the roster and to have been selected as one of them is a dream come true. I am looking forward to my first opportunity to represent Canada on the international stage.”
Matthews led Canada in their first game with three goals and four assists, though he ended up as a healthy scratch in game two. Dickson has six goals and five assists.
Zach Currier has three fast-break goals and two assists while also joining Withers and Hope in the hunt for faceoff wins. Loose balls and faceoff stats aren’t being kept, but from watching the first two games it seems as if our boys picked up right where they left off a week and a half ago.
Fresh of his Mann Cup MVP win, Poulin backed up game one and then made 16 saves on 21 shots against England.
Canada next plays at 7:30 p.m. ET against Israel tonight, and ends pool play Monday at 10:30 against Thomas Hoggarth and Team Iroquois.
Resetarits and Hoggarth faced off on Saturday night, with the Iroquois prevailing 11-10. Resetarits led the U.S. with nine points including three goals and six assists. In three games he’s collected seven goals and 13 assists. Hoggarth has two goals and five assists in two games.
Team Iroquois plays England tonight at 10:30, while the U.S. is off until Monday when they play England at 7:30.
Lakers’ offensive coach Tracey Kelusky is Team Finland’s head coach. Finland qualified for the medal round with a 3-0 record in pool play. Their last game of pool play is tonight at 7:30.
All WILC games can be watched live (or later on demand) and FREE at www.laxsportsnetwork.com. Peterborough native and Lakers’ online play-by-play man Stephen Stamp has the call on some games.