With an eye on protecting its’ Mann Cup options, the Western Lacrosse Association announced Tuesday that it has officially delayed the start of the 2020 indoor lacrosse season.
Scheduled to begin May 21, with New Westminster hosting Maple Ridge, while Coquitlam was set to host Victoria on May 23, the start date is now in limbo due to the COVID-19 health epidemic.
League governors met on the weekend and decided to postpone the start, and officials with both the WLA and Major Series Lacrosse of Ontario are working together with an aim of having a Mann Cup championship series between the two leagues in September, hosted by Ontario.
“Our intention is to play a full season but we have alternately drafted a few proposals that give us options should the situation not permit (a regular length schedule),” WLA commissioner Paul Dal Monte said in an interview on Tuesday. “We have drafted two alternative schedules, with playoff options, and aligned in lock-step with the MSL.”
When they receive the all-clear from health officials to open shuttered community facilities and permit public gatherings, municipal schedulers will be inundated with requests for floor time from the minor sports and recreational sports user groups, as well. That would also require some coordinating on a local standpoint, Dal Monte said.
The WLA governors are slated to meet again on April 11 to review their options. Dal Monte said the focus is on preparing for a quick start-up that could facilitate a condensed schedule and playoffs and a September Mann Cup championship.
Burnaby Lakers general manager Kevin Hill said as much as everyone is itching to get going, public safety trumps all.
“It’s a tough decision, but as much as everyone wants to get a season going, there are far more important things than lacrosse at stake,” said Hill. “We have to think about our players, our fans, and our support staff.”
The WLA regular season usually has each team play every rival three times in an 18-game schedule, adding up to 63 games. One possible scenario would see the schedule shrunk by reducing head-to-head play to two games each for 12 games per team, for 42 league games.
“The end goal is to have a Mann Cup, and what form the season and playoffs take is part of the contingency plan,” added Hill.
With Ontario slated to host the Mann Cup championship and a number of their competitive teams sharing an arena with an Ontario Hockey League club, postponing the national championship would be a challenge.
“In arenas where a number of Ontario (MSL) teams play junior hockey takes precedent, like in Peterborough,” noted Dal Monte. “But the Mann Cup is the Mann Cup, so we’ll have to see.”
The Ontario league has not announced any change in its start date as of Tuesday, but released a statement that extends the ban on all in-person lacrosse activities to at least May 15, pending further provincial directives. The MSL was slated to launch May 31 and run until July 30, with the league playoffs running through August.
