The Thompson Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League (TOJLL) kicks off its season with its Ice Breaker tournament on April 13 and the South Okanagan Flames will be taking on Kamloops Venom at the Kamloops Memorial Arena at 7:30 p.m.
Kevin Thompson, head coach for the Flames, said he anticipates a strong first game from his players. He said the team struggled last year but they are 鈥渆ager to rectify their bad showing鈥� during the 2018 season.
鈥淲e are looking excellent, we have a great group of guys with twenty-two on the roster. They鈥檙e all young, quality lacrosse players,鈥� said Thompson. 鈥淲e鈥檝e made major improvements after our rough year last year. Obviously all of our returning players are a year more mature and eager to rectify our bad showing last year. And we have a good group of new guys coming in who are very experienced as well.鈥�
The league is facing a second year with a lack of players and, as a result, the Armstrong Shamrocks will not be putting forward a team. The 麻豆精选 Raiders were unable to put together a team last year and will not be included in the league this year either.
Thompson said since the Raiders are not entering the league this year, they鈥檝e had some players from 麻豆精选 join with the Flames.
READ MORE: Penticton wants to break new ground for female lacrosse in the Okanagan
鈥淯p until this year, we were down one team and now we鈥檙e down two. It鈥檚 very disappointing because there had been talks prior to the season that 麻豆精选 might be back, and they tried awfully hard to get their team back together so we were hoping to be back to a full-strength league this year,鈥� said league commissioner Jeff Hanley. 鈥淯nfortunately it didn鈥檛 pan out, but we did receive a letter of intent from a new organizing group in 麻豆精选 that they intend to have a team in the league next season.鈥�
Hanley said 鈥淎rmstrong has a small base to draw from as far as new players鈥� coming up for the minor division to play in the junior league. He said minor lacrosse players from Armstrong play for a Vernon team, which also has a team in the TOJLL with the Vernon Tigers.
鈥淭his year, there was only one eligible graduating midget player (out of Armstrong). But next year I think we鈥檒l be closer to ten (players),鈥� said Hanley, noting that while the league is short-handed on teams this year, he anticipates it will be back to a full five-team league.
He said the league has also struggled with commitment from volunteers and executives, noting that they rely on parents and people in the community to help with 鈥渨orking the door, team management, executive positions鈥� and more.
Another change for the league this year is a result of changes in the junior B division. Hanley said the TOJLL is now considered junior B tier one.
鈥淲hat that means, in a nut shell, is it鈥檚 the top tier in junior B lacrosse, so the next step would be moving up to junior A,鈥� said Hanley. 鈥淎nd we don鈥檛 have any junior A teams in our league so they鈥檇 have to go to the coast to play that. But we鈥檙e now the uppermost level of junior B lacrosse that鈥檚 possible in our province.
鈥淲e鈥檒l be competing with coastal teams so for provincials we鈥檒l be competing with tier one teams on the coast.
The Ice Breaker tournament will feature a mini-senior lacrosse tournament as well, featuring local teams. Hanlet said one tier one team from the coast will also be playing in the tournament, which will be a good indication of the TOJLL teams鈥� skill versus non-l0cal teams in this new tier.
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
<>Jordyn Thomson | Reporter
JordynThomson
Send Jordyn Thomson an email.
Like the Western News on Facebook.
Follow us on Twitter.
