A scheduling anomaly afforded friends and family of four Tri-City National Lacrosse League players the rare opportunity to watch them play in a championship match at the Langley Events Centre last Saturday night.
Coquitlam natives Tyler Garrison, Matt Beers and Justin Salt, along with Port Moody's Anthan Iannucci, play for the NLL's Washington Stealth. With the team's home venue in Everett already occupied, their league championship game against the Rochester Knighthawks was moved north of the border to Langley.
"It was nice to have a 15-minute commute for everyone," Garrison, a defenseman, told The Tri-City News.
On Saturday, the Stealth made their second title game appearance in four years. Recapping the first half of the game, which was controlled by Rochester, Garrison said there was too much individual focus on the part of the Stealth players.
"Not from a selfish standpoint," Garrison clarified. "Just everyone wanting to do the best for each other. Everyone was fired up about that game."
The Stealth's defense kicked in by the third frame, with the team only allowing one goal in 30 minutes. Meanwhile, a spate of Stealth goals, including Garrison's second of the night, put the game within one point.
"We had 10 minutes to get that one goal," recounted Garrison. "There were some bad bounces. We just couldn't find it."
In the 11-10 loss, Iannucci racked up a goal and two assists, while Richards made 38 saves in net.
Speaking from his home in Coquitlam on Monday, Garrison reflected on his rookie season with the Stealth.
"There is some pretty elite company that I jumped into this year," he said. "The guys on the team have been so good to me."
The biggest piece of advice Garrison has received is to learn how to develop a strong mental focus. It appears to have paid off, as Garrison averaged a point a game this year.
While the Stealth's loss has left a bad taste in his mouth, Garrison is pressing on, returning to fulfill his captain duties with the Jr. Coquitlam Adanacs lacrosse team. He will be in action with the team tonight (May 15) when they take on Delta at home, and has a positive outlook for the season, despite the Jr. Adanacs losing a lot of players at end of last year.
"We have a lot of guys coming up," said Garrison. "We should do alright this year."
Garrison has a long history with lacrosse in Coquitlam, picking up the sport when he was three years old.
"From then on, it's just been lacrosse, lacrosse, lacrosse," he said.
There was also hockey that Garrison dabbled in, but it was more of a hobby for him until lacrosse season started again.
"It's kind of the way it is in Coquitlam," he figures.
Garrison has competed for Team BC as a PeeWee, Bantam and Midget player. Last year, at 20 years old, he declared early for the NLL draft and was chosen 11th overall.
Now Garrison's eyes are set on another lacrosse prize: the 2013 Minto Cup, which will be played in New Westminster this year in August.
"We've been in [the Minto Cup] the last four years," said Garrison. "Hopefully we can make it a fifth."
