The Presidents Cup is the National Senior B level box lacrosse championship for the Canadian Lacrosse Association with championship awards of Gold, Silver and Bronze to the respective winning teams.

The Pioneers first attempt at winning the championship was in 1990 when they finished fourth, dropping the game against the Owen Sound North Stars by a 11-5 margin with the series played in Fergus Ontario. 

Locally the Ladner Pioneers have been graced with winning five Presidents Cup Championships with the first dating back to 1998 when they defeated the Newton Golden Eagles when the series was played in Tuscarora, NY.

Their second championship was in 2004 with a 6-3 win that saw the event played in Langley when they went on to defeat the Kahnawake Mohawks (ILA) with the Langley Knights finishing third that saw Rob Cook named as the MVP.

In 2006 they finished third that saw the Wellington Aces (OLA) take top spot defeating the Sherwood Park Outlaws 9-5

The Pioneers managed a third place finish pulling out a 12-6 win over the Tri-City Bandits as the host team for the championship.

The championship was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID 19 Pandemic which put everything on hold for two full seasons for all sporting events in  Canada as well as other sports.

The 2022 season saw the Pioneers pull out an impressive 8-6 championship win when they defeated the Akwesasne Bucks (CAN-AM) finishing second with the championship played in Edmonton.

The 2022 season saw a “new look” Pioneers team hit the floor that saw them regain top seed winning the championship over Akwesasne Bucks (CAN-AM) while Six Nations finished third with the series played in Edmonton.

Striving for dominance as the “top dog” in Senior B Lacrosse in Canada saw them again build a championship team in 2023 that saw them defeat the Edmonton Miners (RMLL) while the Oakville Rock finished third with the series played in Oakville on their home floor.

Three-peats are hard to come by for any organization but the Pioneers bid to host the championship a success they worked long tireless hours to put on a successful championship with the Pioneers being the host team.

The series was played in Ladner, home for the Pioneers in a series that saw them fill the Leisure Centre for each game – day and night.

The final championship was played on a Saturday night in front of a packed building with the “fire marshal” probably looking the other way.

The week long championship event was organized by John Burr and with his group of volunteers the event ran like clock work going off without a hitch.

Their opponent was the Edmonton Miners who gave them a good run but in the end came up just short of taking the trophy back to Edmonton, to the delight of the home town fans.

The 2025 season saw a “re-build” that saw them finish with a record of 13 wins, 2 losses grabbing 146 goals while allowing 78  that saw them advance to the league final against the Shamrocks.

The best of three saw them sweep the visitors in a three game series advancing to the Presidents Cup Championship venturing back east in hopes of bringing the championship back to Ladner, which failed to happen.

The trip east saw them come up short playing five games that saw them win two, dropping three coming up short in the  goal department scoring 39 and giving up 44 with 66 PIM’s with a winning % of 0.400.

They continue to entertain the local fans on home floor but putting a championship team is something that not all teams can manage.

The three championship seasons (2022, 2023 and 2024)  saw Alex Buque (2022), Austin Shanks (2023) and Christian Del Biance (2024) named MVPs.

The Pioneers leading scorers for the Presidents Cup in the following years.

• Kyle Goundry 1997 (10 goals/9 assists)
• Jeff Pringle 2007 (12 goals/7 assists)
• Tyler Pace 2024 (10 goals/26 assists)   

The post Pioneers Come Up Short At Presidents Cup first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

While it’s a thankless task its not in the cards for everyone mainly due to the verbal abuse from PARENTS who know very little about the rules of the game and are only focused on winning at all cost.

Sad but true and over the past years I personally have seen several quality young officials quit all due to the abuse.

Parents seem to think its allowed to both shout and holler verbal abuse at young officials not thinking of how hurtful their words are.

Over the course of my officiating span doing various sports I have had the privilege to work with several great individuals who were in the game for the love of the sport.

Having said that, not all officials officiate for that reason and given today’s world there are many in the game ONLY for the money.

At times I get asked to assign officials to games and it sounds sad to say but quite often the first question I get asked is “how much do I get paid and why not more.”

Thankfully these individuals are a “dime a dozen” and are in the sport for the wrong reason which is sad as some have the talent to go far, but chose not to.

This is the same with all sports and if asked some assignors (but not all) will tell you they can name these individuals prior to the start of the season.

Regardless of the sport it happens and not just in BC but across the country and around the world.

He retired, putting his whistle away to manage the Burnaby Junior Lakers Club from 1995-1999 and became the team manager and equipment manager as his career was winding down as an on-floor official. 

Ron began as an Intermediate and Jr. lacrosse referee in 1976. Over the next 30+ years, Crosato officiated 11 Mann Cups, 8 Minto Cups, the 1978 Commonwealth Games and the final game at the Nations ’80 World Box Lacrosse championships. 

This 5 time Jimmy Gunn Award winner as top Sr. lacrosse referee, also served as Referee in Chief, Referee Allocator, Clinician and Senior Referee Evaluator. 

No other WLA referee has handled as many games – 408 league, 146 playoff and 26 Mann Cup contests for an incredible 580 games at the Senior ‘A’ level. 

Near the end of his career he was hired by the professional National Lacrosse League (2001-10) as an on-floor official. 

Ron is the five-time Jimmy Gunn award winner and senior official who has served as referee allocator, RIC and senior referee elevator who has officiated 408 league games, 126 playoffs, 26 Mann Cup and 580 games at the Senior A level.

He was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2013 as well as being inducted into the Burnaby Hall of Fame as well as the St.  Thomas Moore Collegiate Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. 

While Ron is no longer officiating as an active “on-floor” official, young officials would learn a lot if they could sit and have a chat with Ron.

The post Officiating A High Level Of The Game first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Despite a resilient four-goal third quarter that lifted them to an 8-6 lead, the Warriors couldn’t hold off the two-time defending champions.

Buffalo surged back with five of the game’s final six goals to sweep the best-of-three series and secure its place in the NLL Finals.

The loss, however, doesn’t overshadow the Warriors’ historic campaign. Vancouver reached the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and advanced to the semifinals, marking a significant step forward for the team and its fan base.

Adam Charalambides powered the Warriors’ offence with a seven-point performance (three goals, four assists), while Keegan Bal and Marcus Klarich each chipped in two goals and three assists. Kevin Crowley and Riley Loewen each added a goal to round out the scoring.

Buffalo opened the night with a quick 2-0 lead, but Vancouver answered back, tying the game 2-2 just before the first-quarter buzzer. 

The Bandits carried a narrow 5-4 advantage into halftime, but Vancouver roared out of the break, netting four goals in the third quarter to flip the script and take control.

It was short-lived. From the fourth quarter onward, Buffalo showcased its championship pedigree, storming back to silence the Rogers Arena crowd and book its trip to another title series.

Both teams entered Sunday’s matchup on short rest after Game 1 in Buffalo, which saw the Bandits win at home. 

The series then shifted across the continent, with both clubs travelling 2,600 miles (4,184 kilometres) west to Vancouver.

For Warriors captain Brett Mydske, the defeat stung — but the pride in the team’s growth was undeniable. Mydske said the group left everything on the floor and truly believed it could make a deep run.

In a post game scrum he continued  “It’s hard to feel happy right now because there’s so much belief in this room and this team wasn’t just happy to make the playoffs — we believed we had a team that could go all the way. Credit to Buffalo; they’re two-time defending champions for a reason. But when you look at that game, every single guy gave it their all. A couple of days from now, we’ll be able to look back and feel proud of the performance.”

Mydske reflected on the team’s journey over the past two years and believes Vancouver is poised to remain a contender.

“You’ve got to learn how to lose before you can win,” he said. “We’ve made great progress. Last year we were playing playoff games, and this year we were 5-7 at one point and then rattled off seven straight wins. It’s been great to play in those high-pressure games. And trust me — we’ll be back in this situation. We’re going to contend for a cup.”

Head coach Curt Malawsky also praised the team’s resilience, noting the character of the players was what impressed him most.

“Resiliency — this is a really resilient group,” Malawsky said. “We were 5-7 at one point, but we just kept battling. Last year, we also went on a run near the end. What stands out to me is that we’ve got quality individuals in that dressing room. They truly care about the logo on the front of the jersey and about each other.”

Malawsky will stay involved with lacrosse this summer as an assistant coach with the Langley Thunder Jr. A program alongside head coach Matt Beers. 

Beers, who recently completed his 13th NLL season as an assistant captain with the Warriors, will team up with Malawsky to help develop the next generation of players.

Malawsky credited local programs for fostering talent in all areas of British Columbia.

“The British Columbia Lacrosse Association does a great job developing elite athletes and lacrosse players,” he said. “It’s special to watch these guys come up through grassroots minor lacrosse, work their way up, and then get the chance to play at the highest level in front of their family and friends in their hometown. That’s pretty cool to see.”

As the Warriors enter the offseason, they do so with momentum and optimism. With a foundation of talent, a proven ability to battle through adversity, and the experience of competing on the NLL’s biggest stage, 

Vancouver looks poised to reach even greater heights in the 2025-26 season.

The post Warriors Eye Bigger Breakthrough Next Season first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Given their play of date since acquiring Del Bianco March 10th and currently riding a five game winning streak thanks to wins over Buffalo, Toronto plus having a home floor win over the Georgia Swarm, Toronto and the Albany Firesolves.

Burnaby firefighter Keegam Bal has has managed to notch 17 goals and 28 assists for 45 points in his last five games while Christian Del Bianco has five wins since being acquired in the trade.

Entering the afternoon’s game has the the Wings are in need of a win to lock up a playoff run and hoping that they can get pas Vegas, manage a win over Vancouver while getting wins from Buffalo and San Diego .

The Wings wrap-up their regular season against Vancouver ia 5-10 . n what is only their second visit to Vancouver in six years and notably the last one dates back to April , 2019.

The Wings managed to pull off a 14-13 win over Vancouver in Philly that to their dismay turned the win into a eight game losing streak going from a 5-2 record.

The afternoon’s contest saw the Warriors attract more fans than in the past given not just the success they are having but also the popularity of the game in the lower mainland.

If you ask the kids they’ll tell you it’s fun but if you ask the parents they’ll say first it’s a healthy sport for the kids and secondly it’s affordable for the families.

While this game never went the way the Wings were wanting it’s interesting to note that they have scored 15 or more goals in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history over the first three games this season.

Not only did the Warriors win it was a win for all the volunteers who worked with the Ladner Pioneers who won last year’s Presidents Cup played at the Ladner Leisure Centre.

In addition it was nice to see Delta Minor Lacrosse hit the floor for a half-time scrimmage that promotes not only Delta Minor Lacrosse but also Minor Lacrosse in the area.

The Warriors managed to lock-up a six-game win streak with an impressive league-leading 7-2 home record, as they secured their first-ever postseason appearance and home playoff game. 

They also announced the winners of the top five Team Awards and the 2024.25 season from the addition of star goaltender Christian Del Bianco, who remains undefeated  with a 6-0 record as well as Keegan Bal setting the franchise’s all-time scoring list.

Thanks to the Vancouver Warriors 2024.25 Team Awards:

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Keegan Bal

For the third consecutive season, Keegan Bal has been voted the winner of the Warriors’ MVP Award.

The Coquitlam, BC native has put together another outstanding campaign, setting new career-highs in assists (68) and points (111). 

His 111 points also tie the franchise record for most points in a single season, previously achieved by three different players, most recently by Corey Small in 2017.

Bal also reached several career milestones, crossing the 100 games played threshold, and recording his 200th career goal, 300th career assist, and 500th career point this season.

His play and leadership on and off the floor have been critical to helping the Warriors clinch their first playoff appearance in team history.

Defenceman of the Year: Ryan Dilks

Ryan Dilks was voted the team’s D-man of the Year for the second time in as many years noting that last season when he was the NLL’s Defensive Player of the Year. 

He has helped with five assists this season and is tied for third in the NLL with 31 turnovers also securing 104 loose ball recoveries, and 12 blocked shots. 

Rookie of the Year: Alec Stathakis

Making his NLL debut this year after concluding his collegiate career at the University of Denver, Alec Stathakis has been voted as the team’s Rookie of the Year. 

He calls  Northville, MI, home in the off-season and was drafted 40th overall by the Warriors in the 2023 NLL Entry Draft and contributed five points (1-4-5) in his debut season, along with 137 loose ball recoveries, three caused turnovers, two blocked shots, and 261 faceoff wins. 

The 261 faceoff wins rank fifth in the NLL along with a 59.3% faceoff win percentage is also fifth in the league amongst those who have taken at least 300 draws this season.

Unsung Hero: Jackson Suboch

He calls Toronto home and was named the Unsung Hero Award this season in his second season who has three career-highs in assists plus nine blocked shots along with 41 loose ball recoveries and four caused turnovers. 

Teammate of the Year: Brett Mydske

Warriors captain Brett Mydske has been voted by his teammates as the Warriors Teammate of the Year for the 2024.25 season. 

His leadership both on and off the floor has led the Warriors to have their best regular season in team history, and his help mentoring the team’s younger players has helped them grow over the course of the season.

The post Warriors Secure First Postseason Appearance first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Likewise the Vancouver Warriors not only play entertaining lacrosse they are looking to have home floor advantage for the upcoming playoffs.

While they are playing entertaining lacrosse they seem to be somewhat rejuvenated after they acquired the top “tender’ in the NLL, namely Christian Del Bianco who plays like a stone wall.

They took their game plan to Toronto and shocked the Toronto Rock pulling off an impressive 12-10 win in a contest that saw them control the lead from the opening face-off to the finish whistle.  

In a surprise move to many they managed for the first time in Warriors franchise history managing to punch their ticket to the postseason. 

The 12-10 win was led by Adam Charalambides paced the Warriors playing in front of family and friends managing to score a team-high 4-goals which included his 100th NLL career goal while adding four assists finishing the night with 8 points. 

To no surprise Keegan Bal added a pair plus five assists finishing the night with seven points for a career-high 107 points this season.  

Marcus Klarich had a pair while Kevin Crowley, Riley Loewen, Owen Grant and Ryan Martel finished out the scoring as the team headed west preparing for next week’s game. 

The win has the Warriors qualify for postseason play for the first time since moving to Rogers Arena in 2018 also noting that this is the first playoff game by a Vancouver franchise dating back to 2017.

The Warriors will return home and finish their regular season squaring off against the Philadelphia Wings on Fan Appreciation Night, Saturday April 19th that has a 5:00 pm start time.

Pending on the Warriors pulling off a win it will lock-up a home playoff date in the first round of the NLL playoffs.

The post Warriors Shock Toronto Rock first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Regardless of the team you know that each has a bench boss who is more than qualified to call the shots with Glenn Clark behind the bench for the Firewolves who has over two decades to his resume.

Warriors bench boss Curt Malawaky is synonymous with all levels of lacrosse in the lower mainland bringing a winning tradition to the Warriors organization.

There is no question that the Warriors are playing exceptional lacrosse as they are looking to venture into the postseason in a short 11 seasons after becoming the Warriors from the rebrand from the Stealth.

Vancouver enters the game with a record of 8 wins, 7 losses, 163 goals for and 153 against while the Firewolves have a record of 6 wins, 9 losses, 166 goals for and 178 against.

Say what you will about lacrosse in the lower mainland each summer is a follow through from hockey and fills the void which is by far more reasonable for the cost.

Delta for example all thanks to the City has an outdoor lacrosse box which was recently covered allowing lacrosse to be played and practiced all year thus allowing the game to grow.

Besides minor for both male and female youth lacrosse this allows them to advance to play Junior B1, B2 and Junior A for the Islanders.

It’s not just lacrosse in Delta that is growing bur across the province which was one of the reasons that the Ladner Pioneers hosted and won the Presidents Cup last fall packing the Ladner Leisure Centre for the week.

The move from Langley Events Centre to Rogers Arena was a move that some were skeptical about for various reasons namely traffic, travel time, parking as well as other expenses all of which hit the working family.

Regardless it’s paying dividends for not only the Warriors but also the lacrosse community in BC continuing to put up a good run in the growth for affordable sports to play but overtaking hockey is an uphill battle.

With the  Warriors playing exceptional lacrosse one has to ask if they are setting their sights on playoffs but the simple answer is no as they have their sights set on one game at a time.

When asked he mentioned “We’ve got a veteran back end and a veteran goalie. We’ve got a good coaching staff that understands what it takes to be successful and the value of trying to get too ahead of yourself, and there’s none to it,” he said. “There’s no value in adding pressures from different situations. There’s nothing you’re going to gain from it.” 

He continued “We’re a grounded group of guys, a humble group. We’re not going to get full of ourselves. We’re a lunch bucket group of guys that plays that meat-and-potatoes style of lacrosse and that’s how we’re going to do it. We’re not going to change that based on the situation or standings or records.”

They are getting set to host Fan Appreciation Night during their final regular season home game so mark the date on your calendar and don’t miss out on exciting Warriors Lacrosse!!!!

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The post Warriors Pull Out Impressive Win first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Friday was just another normal day for traffic given that the Vancouver Whitecaps were playing Chicago at BC Place and across the street the Warriors were playing the Georgia Swarm.

Strange as it sounds both had good crowds but to the dismay of Whitecap supporters they dropped the game while the Warriors managed to pull out a 15-13 win in a gutsy performance.

The Warriors were hosting College Night in a contest that saw them manage the first goal an early 25 seconds in with Burnaby’s Marcus Klarich bringing the crowd to their feet only to be followed by the Swarm pulling even at 1:06.

The game saw Vancouver jump out to a 4-3 lead after one quarter outshooting the Swarm 13-11 in a game that entertained the impressive size crowd.

The second quarter saw the Warriors ignite their offense that continued the run for Keegan bAl who had a 12 point night which worked out to a hat-trick and nine assists through four quarters.

Warriors Ryan Martel led the scoring for the Warriors notching four goals along with one assist for a five point night while Marcus Klarich finished with three goals and two assists, 

Sticking in the scoring department it was Warriors Kevin Crowley who managed a pair of goals along with four assists, 

Warriors Riley Loewen managed one on the night while Owen Grant had a pair in a contest that saw Del Bianco turn aside 43 of the 56 shots he faced through sixty minutes while Alec Stathakis managed to grab 23 of 32 and  17 loose balls.

The Warriors improved to 7-7 on the season and currently sit in a position they have been focused on which is advancing to the playoffs.

The Warriors head East to Buffalo for a match-up with the two-time defending NLL Cup champion Bandits March 29th with the contest played at the Keybank Center with the face-ofs set for 4:30 pm west coast time.

On a side-note while we all know that everyone is quick to criticize we should congratulate NLL Official Mark Gardonio becomes only the second NLL Official in League history to officiate 400 games.

Congrat’s!!

The post Warriors Impressive 15-13 Win Over Swarm first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.

Rumor was that he wanted  to suit up and play for his home town club but it wasn’t that easy given that his rights were held by Calgary.

The long wait was over and for Del Bianco (27) it must have been a dream come true who was eager to suit up for the Warriors that saw him finish with an impressive 49 save display for everyone expecting performance – which is what they got.

His first game as a Warrior saw the organization pull out all stops giving the opening pre-game ceremony that saw them face-off against the Toronto Rock.

Not only did Del Bianco put on a show, the Warriors saw an exceptional performance from the entire line-up at both ends of the floor.

The half-way point in the game saw the Warriors with 8-2 finishing with an impressive 13-8 win as they look to move into a playoff position in the last stretch of the season. 

After the game Del Bianco told the media “It was easy to communicate with the Warriors’ defensive group as it felt good to get into NLL game action” noting that he’s excited and looking forward to the rest of the season. 

He continued “It’s a pretty special thing and seeing the stands pretty filled up is obviously an awesome thing in your home city. Coming to Warriors games this year and getting to play in one finally, it feels pretty good.”

“It’s hard not to say that there was some pressure there. I was joking around with my fiancée and a couple of people close to me and they said ‘It’s ok if you don’t have your best night’ but you obviously want to deliver. A lot of people took a risk to get me here and I understand that the organization had to give up a great person in Brayden Laity to get me here so I owe it to everyone to go out there and do everything I can to perform.” 

The team built on the momentum from their game in San Diego, starting the game on time with a solid first quarter and then outscoring the Rock 5-2 in the third. 

Scoring in the third quarters to date have been their lowest-scoring quarters this season as they came into the game against the Rock with only 21 goals in the third over 12 games.  

Following the game Malawsky told the media “When the game was still tight and was on the line, I thought we got the middle of the floor. I thought Keegan Bal was outstanding, [he] shot the ball really well. I thought a big turning point in the game was when they were pushing and Bides [Adam Charalambides] got that shorthanded goal. The individual effort around the net and he came in and scored that – that just shows a lot of leadership and passion.”

Keegan Bal had a game-high nine points (4G, 5A), finding the back of the night four times on 11 shot attempts. 

Ball mentioned “As an offence, we were moving the ball really well, changing planes from high to low and low to high and everyone was contributing, and that’s what you want.”

The post Del Bianco’s Return – Warriors Dominate TO first appeared on SportsWave Broadcasting.