He isn’t the first Dickson in the household to earn a Mann Cup ring.
But Curtis Dickson’s achievement on Friday, where he played a pivotal role in the Peterborough Lakers’ 14-10 victory over the New Westminster Salmonbellies, involved the longer route.
The Port Coquitlam native did what his father Derek did 36 years earlier, capturing a Mann Cup title with Queen’s Park Arena as the backdrop; seven years before Curtis was born, the father did the exact same thing, only winning it as a member of New West.
Although the father’s playing career ended three years before Curtis was born – and included two other unsuccessful battles for a Mann Cup, including a loss to Peterborough in 1982 in six games – there was no doubt their shared bond with the sport was a factor.
“It’s extra special. My dad’s in the crowd and he won a Mann Cup back in ’81. He was texting me this morning and I think he may have been more nervous than I was,” said Dickson.
For the six-foot-two righthander, beating the Western Lacrosse Association champion ‘Bellies in six games was about perseverance and endurance, especially after the host team won the first two games.
“(New West) came ready to go right off the hop, obviously (they) got a 2-0 lead but we knew we had to weather the storm,” said Dickson. “They’re not WLA champs for nothing. They’re a great team and every game pretty much went down to the wire. We learned how we had to play after the first two games and we were able to squeak four games in a row.”
The margin for Peterborough in their four consecutive wins seemed to grow as the squad gained accustom to New West’s game plan and adjusted to their surroundings – including the iconic wooden floor. Turning their situation around wasn’t easy, but followed a similar path which netted the club the Major Series Lacrosse playoff crown a few weeks earlier.
“It was just getting into a flow, right, get in a rhythm and keep the momentum. We had lots of momentum after a couple of wins, getting the series even. We were able to roll off four straight and it feels pretty sweet,” he said.
The Lakers held on in Game 3 for a 13-12 victory, with Dickson scoring four times, including the game winner with 1:07 left in regulation. A day later, he netted his second game-winner, this time shucking defender Reid Mydske midway through the third on a drive to the crease in a 9-7 win.
Another day, another winner from Dickson, as his tally five minutes into the third of Game 5 proved to be the difference in an 11-10 win, which gave Peterborough the hammer heading into Friday’s Game 6.
All told, the product of PoCo minor lacrosse scored 14 times, tying New West’s Kevin Crowley for the most goals in the six-game series, and set up 13 others.
“It means the world to me. It’s unbelievable,” he said. “Especially what happened two years in Victoria. Going down 2-0 there was no doubt in our mind. We just plugged away and this is probably the greatest moment in my lacrosse career.”
