If the National Lacrosse League allows players from its champion team to bring the NLL Cup home, the newly minted trophy appears destined for an extended stay in the Tri-Cities.
Several players who grew up in the Tri-Cities or played their formative years in the Coquitlam Adanacs’ minor and junior lacrosse programs helped the Saskatchewan Rush win its third league championship in four years in Saskatoon last Saturday. The Rush defeated the Rochester Nighthawks 15-10 in the decisive third game of their best-of-three finale.
Coquitlam’s Ben McIntosh, who played junior lacrosse for the Adanacs, was the second-leading playoff scorer for the Rush, with eight goals and 10 assists in four games. Matthew Dinsdale, another Coquitlam product, had 11 points.
Other local players on the Rush roster to play at least once during the the team’s playoff run included Coquitlam’s Mike Messenger, and Robert Church, and Port Coquitlam’s Jeff Cornwall as well as Jr. Adanacs’ alumnus Nik Bilic.
Saskatchewan finished atop the NLL’s regular season standings with 14 wins and only four losses.
