With an eye on pumping up the offence, the Burnaby Lakers used a new rule to add some temporary help for the 2019 Western Lacrosse Association playoff drive.
By acquiring lefties Dean Fairsall and Vinny Ricci from the Coquitlam Adanacs on the June 30 trade deadline, the club bolstered an area of need.
As Kevin Hill noted, the cost for the two-month rental wasn’t a hit to the team’s talent base today or it’s future.
“We feel they help us out a bit on the leftside as both are proven goalscorers at this level,” said Hill. “Both are quality guys who are good additions to our dressing room, so it’s addition without subtraction really.”
The cost was the playing rights of Tyson Kirkness, a second-round pick from last February’s junior draft who is in the process of going through firefighter training. Hill said it was unclear if Kirkness would play lacrosse in the coming seasons.
Both Fairsall and Ricci’s stay in Burnaby will expire at the end of the season, with their rights reverting back to Coquitlam. They were two of a number of players who saw their rights dealt for the 2019 season only, thanks to a WLA rule adopted at the governors meeting last winter, which allowed for rental transfers within the league.
Coupled with the expected return from the injured list of sniper Eli McLaughlin, who Hill said should return within the week, and the Lakers attack just gained a lot of firepower.
“These players definitely can step in and contribute to our club,” he said of Fairsall and Ricci. “They’ve got a great work ethic, and now that we have (McLaughlin) coming back and (Digby) in more regularly, things are looking more complete.”
Fairsall was one of Coquitlam's leading scorers, with seven goals and 21 assists over nine games, while Ricci contributed 10 goals and eight assists in seven games. They're expected to debut with their new club on Thursday in New Westminster.
Hill noted the reinforcements are coming at the right time, as some players are nursing injuries that could use some time off. However, he added that the season remains a major focus and their hold on first place isn’t secure.
“Just because we’re in first place right now doesn’t mean the playoffs are a lock,” he added. “We’ve got a lot of work to do before we can look forward to the playoffs.”
Burnaby also did a swap of draft picks with Nanaimo, with an eye on using the 2020 first rounder from the Island team as part of payment in a deal Hill had worked on with another club. However, that trade fell through.
The cost to the Lakers was a pair of 2021 first round picks – Burnaby’s and New West’s, the latter acquired in the Justin Salt swap in January – with Nanaimo’s third round pick in 2020 coming back. On the surface, that deal looks like a steal for the T-men, but Hill said the projected drafts for each year are decidedly different, with the 2021 class expected to have a lot of Islanders among the top 10 picks.
“We were pursuing something else and needed (the 2020 first round pick), but in the end we agreed to the trade (with Nanaimo despite the failed other deal),” he said.
On the floor, the Lakers maintained their hold on first place, thanks to a thrilling 14-13 overtime win last Friday over the New West Salmonbellies.
Zach Gould’s goal at 3:12 of the five-minute sudden-death frame earned Burnaby the win, in a game where they traded tallies with the ’Bellies over much of the night.
Leading by two after two periods, the Lakers twice saw New West rally, forcing overtime with a pair of goals midway through the third.
Robert Church led the way with three goals and three assists, while Tyler Digby counted two goals and three assists. Also scoring twice were Scott Jones and Gould.
Two days later in Nanaimo, the upstart Timbermen handed Burnaby just its third loss, an 8-5 setback.
The Lakers took a 2-0 lead on early strikes by Peter McFeteridge and Ryland Rees, before Nanaimo counted the next five goals. A late surge, with markers by Jared Pozzobon and Gould, got Burnaby back within two, but the T-men stood their ground, bolstered by a 40-save effort from netminder Charles Claxton.
“Nanaimo’s a tough team, they’re very fast and we just ran up against a wall,” said Hill.
Burnaby’s next game is Thursday when they visit
New West (7:30 p.m.), followed by Friday’s match against Victoria, 7 p.m. at the Copeland Arena.
The Lakers will also host the T-men in a rematch on July 9 (7 p.m. faceoff).
WHEELING AND DEALING
The board of governors’ vote last winter to allow rentals proved popular on Sunday, as four deals involving rentals went down on the weekend, joining the others made in previous weeks.
Here’s a rundown of the other swaps:
Maple Ridge (3rd place at 6-5) acquired the 2019 rights to NLL standout Dane Dobbie and Reese Callies from Langley for the playing rights of Matthew Dinsdale and a 2020 second round draft pick.
Victoria (4th at 6-4) received the 2019 rights to Connor Robinson and Tyler Pace, plus the playing rights to Matthew Dinsdale, from Langley for Victoria’s 2020 first and second round picks, the playing rights of Keegan Bell and the 2019 playing rights of Daniel Smith.
Nanaimo traded for the 2019 playing rights of James Rahe, sending to Langley a 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2021.
