The Warriors had a jam-packed schedule through June, continuing their community visits while also honing their skills in various summer leagues.
They celebrated Indigenous Month and Pride Month and made other special appearances around the Lower Mainland.
Summer ball is well underway with the PLL kicking off and the WLA and Junior A action in full swing, and there’s plenty of Warriors highlights to share.
Let’s get right to it.
In the Community
The Vancouver Warriors and Timbr attended various minor lacrosse tournaments and events throughout the month of June, meeting many minor lacrosse players and fans in the community.
We captured some moments of the Warriors’ stars and Timbr at the Trevor Wingrove Memorial Tournament, RBC Race for Kids and Kids Upfront Event that provides experiences to children and youth in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley region.
The Warriors are hosting summer camps at the Langley Events Centre in July. These youth camps provide the opportunity for kids to learn skills from the pros like Warriors’ captain Brett Mydske, Ryan Dilks, Matt Beers, Reid Bowering and Owen Grant.
There are different camps for various ages and skill levels, and they take place over two weeks from July 8-11 and 15-18. For more information or to secure your spot, visit our website: https://vancouverwarriors.com/community/summer-camp/
Celebrating Indigenous History Month and Pride Month
Reid Bowering and Owen Grant lead the Warriors’ Stick to School visits and visited 80 schools across the Lower Mainland this past year introducing thousands of students to lacrosse and teaching them about the Indigenous origins of the game.
Indigenous History Month is significant to the Warriors and Bowering shared how learning the history of the sport has given him a greater appreciation for it. You can check out that article here.
Students at Central Elementary School in Coquitlam sported lacrosse sticks donated by the Warriors and B.C. Lacrosse on their Indigenous Sports Day.
Owen Grant and Timbr joined Delta Lacrosse youth players for Indigenous Peoples Day festivities in Tsawwassen.
June is also Pride Month and one Warriors fan and lacrosse player, Finch Philbrook, shared their experiences in lacrosse while Head of Sports Partnerships at You Can Play, Heidi Johnston, talked about the Warriors creating an inclusive space for fans. To read more about how the Warriors are making a positive impact in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, you can find the article here.
In the Box
Curt Malawsky is on the bench as an Assistant Coach for Team Canada Men’s Box Lacrosse that will be competing in the 2024 Men’s Box Lacrosse Championship in Utica, NY in September.
Reid Bowering is trying out for Team Canada at St. Catharines in Ontario alongside other big NLL names like Ottawa Black Bears forward Jeff Teat, Philadelphia Wings’ forward Mitch Jones, San Diego Seal’s forward Wesley Berg.
The month of June saw weeks two through six of the WLA season and Warriors’ forward Dylan Mcintosh has been having himself a season with the Maple Ridge Burrards.
The Burrards are a Warrior-laden team with head coach Rob Williams, captain Anthony Kalinich, Jackson Suboch and Marcus Klarich on the roster. They are in a three-way tie for third in the WLA with a 4-6 record heading into week seven.
Mcintosh is third in the WLA in points with 41 (22-19-41) which surpasses his highest previous point total in the WLA (36) and there’s still plenty of season left. The 25-year-old is tied for second in goals and has earned four stars of the game this month: one first star, one second star and two third-star performances.
Klarich is second in the league in assists (27) and fifth in the league for points with 39 (12-27-39). He earned the third star of the game in week five when he scored three goals against the league-leading Victoria Shamrocks. Although the Shamrocks won the game 10-6, Mcintosh scored two goals and had an assist and Suboch chipped in two helpers.
Aden Walsh is backstopping the Langley Thunder and in week five made 43 saves on 48 shots on net and helping Langley to an 8-5 win over the New Westminster Salmonbellies. Walsh’s 43-save performance earned him second star of the game against his Vancouver teammate Ryan Martel.
Martel has been playing well for the Salmonbellies, keeping pace with his 73-point season with the Warriors. Martel was the first star in week three of WLA action, notching six points (3G, 3A) in a 13-12 win over the Coquitlam Adanacs. Kevin Crowley also had a goal and an assist for New West in the win.
Air Marty was the third star of the game, his Salmonbellies beating the Burnaby Lakers 15-5 and he had another six-point performance, this time with four goals and two assists. In week five in a 13-9 win over the Nanaimo Timbermen, Marty had one goal and an assist and Tyson Kirkness scored the first goal to get New West on the board.
In the BCJALL, Port Coquitlam Jr. A Saints captain Brayden Laity has led the Saints to second place in the BCJALL standings, posting a 10-4-1 record. Laity chipped in nine points in June (1G, 8A) and has 12 points this season, with three goals in May.
With just a couple of weeks left in the BCJALL season, the Minto Cup is from August 17-24 and will be hosted by cross-town rivals, the Coquitlam Adanacs.
Across the country, in the OJLL, Connor O’Toole’s was traded from the Brampton Excelsiors to the Orangeville Northmen and got the win in his first game with the Northmen, stopping 41 of 47 shots. The Northmen won every game at the end of June since trading for O’Toole who was in net for all three games and got the win in two.
He was Player of the Game on June 27 against the Mimico Mountaineers, stopping 35 of 41 shots, leading the Northmen to an 8-6 win.
On the Field
Opening weekend in the PLL brought together a few familiar faces to Vancouver Warriors fans. Warriors’ fourth overall pick in the 2023 NLL Draft, Payton Cormier, Adam Charalambides, Reid Bowering linked up during a game between the Boston Cannons (Charalambides) and New York Atlas (Bowering and Cormier).
Bowering made an immediate impact for the New York Atlas, scoring his first PLL goal of the season on opening day against the Boston Cannons. Bowering scored two goals, helping the Atlas to a 19-12 win and notched a 13-9 win over the Maryland Whipsnakes to wrap up their homecoming weekend.
New York currently leads the Eastern Conference with a 4-1 record through June and sits on top of the Eastern Conference.
The Philadelphia Waterdogs signed faceoff specialist (and Warriors’ 2023 third-round pick) Alex Stathakis to a one-year agreement in free agency.
In his first game with the Waterdogs, Stathakis went 8-for-18 from the faceoff circle and picked up three ground balls.
