Thursday, September 5, 2019 ~ LANGFORD
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
Two competing teams were joined by the mayors of Langford and Colwood today September 5 for a brief media conference to celebrate the upcoming launch of the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) Mann Cup 2019 tournament.
The Victoria Shamrocks and the Peterborough Lakers will play a best-of-seven series September 6 to 14 at The Q Centre in Colwood and be broadcast live on WLA TV. Each game starts at 7 pm, with a beer garden at 5 pm ahead of that each evening.
Today’s event included the coaches and team support administration.
Langford Mayor Stew Young welcomed the Peterborough Lakers to town and wished both teams success with their tournament. With a bit of historical perspective, Young said that Shamrocks lacrosse was a key part of getting The Q Centre built years ago.
Colwood Mayor Rob Martin is pleased to see the event being held in Colwood. The Q Centre is owned by Westshore Parks and Recreation which is owned by five west shore municipalities (Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Highlands and Metchosin).
The Victoria Shamrocks started in 1949 (celebrating their 70th anniversary this year), and have been owned by west shore developer Jim Hartshorne since 2008.
The teams — and all lacrosse players — were commended for keeping the sport active and vibrant, played year-round.
Moderated by broadcaster Cliff LeQuesne, today’s lunch event was held at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Langford. He introduced the event as a ‘rematch of 2015’ and said this WLA Final will be “a thrilling ride” and that the fans are fired up in Victoria for this event.
If the Lakers win, it will be a third straight Mann Cup national championship for them. But it could be a repeat of 2015 when the Victoria Shamrocks hosted and won at The Q Centre.
The game schedule is: Friday September 6, Saturday September 7, Monday September 9, Tuesday September 10, Wednesday September 11 (if necessary), Friday September 13 (if necessary), and Saturday September 14 (if necessary).
Fan support, management support, and team support were given as reasons for Victoria Shamrocks success over the years.
Tickets for the Mann Cup games are available online and at The Q Centre box office during the first period.