The game plan, right from the start of training camp, was to run.
New West senior Salmonbellies head coach Steve Goodwin repeatedly said fitness would be at the heart of their strategy when it came to outlasting the competition this season.
After beating Victoria 13-11 on Sunday to clinch the club’s first Western Lacrosse Association title since 2010, it’s hard to argue with that mantra.
Veterans and newcomers alike matched the ’Rocks stride for stride, then found a little something extra to surpass them. It worked in Game 4’s 9-8 OT win in Victoria, and was front-and-centre Sunday, too.
By bolstering the playoff lineup with junior New West standouts Drew Belgrave, Connor Robinson, Carter Dickson and Preston Lupul, the team not only added an element of energy and skill, but also depth that kept them in games.
“Coming in we knew we had to play fast and play smart and if we get the win we win the series,” said Robinson, who earned his stripes as the B.C. junior league’s two-time MVP. “Going down 7-3 in the second (period on Sunday), it’s hard to come back especially against a team like Victoria, but we’re confident in ourselves and what we can do.”
Robinson’s contributions in the series added up to five goals and seven assists in four games, and 11 goals in nine playoff games.
Burnaby’s Belgrave, who like Robinson is a St. Thomas More Collegiate grad, has established himself as a formidable defensive force, and collected a big goal on Sunday.
The former Knights football star has ingratiated himself with his teammates and coaches and played every game of the final. He was rewarded Sunday with the club’s Player of the Game prize belt.
Dickson and Lupul, meanwhile, each stepped in when called upon and chipped in offensively.
Robinson, who sits tied for fourth in team scoring, has applied for a temporary late return to his NCAA school, High Point University in North Carolina.
Entering his senior year, Robinson is hoping he will be granted leave to extend this playoff run, as well as his wearing the hometown colours.
“(The ’Bellies) have really welcomed me to the team with open arms, as well as my junior teammates (Belgrave, Lupul, Dickson). ... I’m really hoping I can stay a few more weeks.”
General manager and team president Dan Richardson is also crossing his finger that the junior A scoring star will be available in the coming weeks. He said the juniors have given the club an injection of youthful exuberance to go with the solid veteran presence that is the core of the senior Salmonbellies.
“We’re very hopeful that (Robinson) can stay (to play),” said Richardson. “And Belgrave has been amazing; he’s been a real presence for us. Both Lupul and Dickson, when we put them in the lineup, have looked real good.”
For Robinson, who made his senior A debut for New West in the 2015 playoffs as a junior callup, playing for his hometown team has been everything he could imagine. The top graduating junior heading into the 2018 WLA draft, there is little chance New West will be able to acquire the first overall pick. Right now, however, the focus is just on the next game.
The six-foot-tall lefthander says the biggest adjustment is the intensity.
“It’s a way higher pace than junior A. ... The team has been great in welcoming us. It was really easy, as most of the guys have grown up in New West,” said Robinson. “My older brother (Kyle) was playing with a lot of them, so I got to hang around the team a lot. As a third-year (junior) I was called up a lot with them. Ian Hawksbee has been my coach for a couple of years.”
That familiarity and family feel has bonded the team together during a run that saw them surge from third place in the regular season to first overall after the WLA playoffs. With the junior-aged players meshing well and contributing, it’s just another example of where New West has excelled this year.
“To win it truly takes a team,” ’Bellies captain Curtis Hodgson said. “You have to have everybody going together, working together. If one guy isn’t going to score another guy is stepping up, and I think the depth on our team has been critical to our success.”
And the squad will continue working towards that final goal – bringing the solid-gold Mann Cup home.
The Mann Cup series, against either Peterborough or Six Nations, begins Sept. 8 at Queen’s Park (7:30 p.m.). Other games are on Sept. 9, 11, 12, and if necessary, 13, 15 and 16.
