There was action from the front office to the field and the box in July as the Vancouver Warriors had re-signings and a lot of performances to celebrate.
The WLA season came to a close with playoffs officially underway, Senior B Lacrosse Finals are coming up, and the PLL is still in the midst of the regular season.
WLA Awards:
Marcus Klarich won the WLA Most Valuable Player award for the second year in a row and was also a First Team All-Star. Klarich showed his offensive versatility, putting up 85 points (39G, 46A) through 16 games. The 23-year-old led the WLA in assists and was second in points and goals.
Marshal King earned a First Team All-Star nod and the 3-STAR Award as he racked up six first stars, two second stars, and two third stars throughout the season. King had 76 points (36G, 40A) through 14 games.
Christian Del Bianco’s play between the pipes earned him a Second Team All-Star as he led the Adanacs with a 9-5-0-1 record and a .845 save percentage.
If you’ve been to a Warriors home game, you know the exciting environment that is synonymous with the team. This past month, the Warriors in-game entertainment team received international recognition, earning a Golden Matrix Award for Best Overall Alternative Production, celebrating innovation and creativity in live entertainment.
The Warriors continued growing lacrosse in B.C. and were coaching up the next generation of lacrosse players at their Learn to Play, Skill Builder, and Goalie camps at the end of July.
Kids learned from two-time NLL Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Dilks at the Girls Skill Builder, Jeff Cornwall at the Skill Builder, and 2022-23 NLL MVP Christian Del Bianco at the Goalie Camp.
The Warriors had a lot of success on the floor in July, and the team made re-signings in preparation for the 2026-27 campaign. They re-signed faceoff specialist Alec Stathakis, goaltender Connor O’Toole, defender Remo Schenato, and forward Ryan Martel for next season.
Warriors defenceman Chris Willman announced his retirement from the NLL in July. Willman played four NLL seasons: two with the Rochester Knighthawks, one with the Calgary Roughnecks, and one with the Vancouver Warriors.
As the WLA playoffs approached, the Warriors delivered strong performances down the stretch of the regular season.
Christian Del Bianco (Coquitlam Adanacs) had a big month, and his highlights included a first-star performance making 45 saves in a 10-6 win over the New Westminster Salmonbellies. Del Bianco also earned a third star, turning aside 23 saves in Coquitlam’s 13-4 win over the Burnaby Lakers. Delbs posted an incredible 6.66 goals-against average for the regular season.
Remo Schenato (Coquitlam Adanacs) was a third star with 3 points (2G, 1A) in the 10-6 win over New West, finishing the month with two goals and four assists.
Ethan Ticehurst (Coquitlam Adanacs) tallied two goals and one assist through July, and in each game, he saw the scoresheet, Coquitlam pulled out the win.
Marshal King (Victoria Shamrocks) impacted every game through the season and recorded 19 points (6G, 13A) in July, helping the Shamrocks to a first overall regular-season finish. King had a first star game with four points (3G, 1A) in an 8-3 win over Nanaimo.
Marcus Klarich (Maple Ridge Burrards) rang up five first star games in July and collected 29 points (13G, 16A). His biggest goal-scoring spree was a four-goal contest which helped the Burrards to a 9-5 win over the Salmonbellies.
Nathan Miller (Maple Ridge Burrards) scored one goal in a 12-8 win against the Salmonbellies and chipped in an assist in a 9-5 win over New West.
Payton Cormier (Maple Ridge Burrards) put up 10 points (7G, 3A), including a second-star game in which he scored a hat trick in Maple Ridge’s matchup against the Adanacs.
Jackson Suboch (Maple Ridge Burrards) chipped in one assist in addition to stifling defence and strong leadership.
Ryan Sheridan (Nanaimo Timbermen) played two games through July but made them count. Sheridan was the first star with five points (4G, 1A) in Nanaimo’s 18-9 win over New West, and a second star with five points (3G, 2A) in a 9-8 loss to the cross-town rival Shamrocks.
Playoffs commenced in Senior B Lacrosse, with the North Shore Indians knocking out the Coquitlam Bandits and the Ladner Pioneers topping the Nanaimo Timbermen in the semifinals.
Adam Charalambides (North Shore Indians) helped the North Shore sweep the best-of-five series against the Bandits. Bides scored four goals in the game to sweep the series, including the game-winning goal in overtime.
Charalambides put up a whopping 44 points (23G, 21A) in seven games with the Indians. His 23 goals were good for fourth in the league, which included four power play goals, three shorthanded goals, and one game-winning goal.
The Indians take on the Ladner Pioneers in the WCSLA championship starting Friday, August 7th at 8:00 p.m. at Harry Jerome Community Recreation Centre.
With lacrosse officially returning to the summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles, Reid Bowering and Owen Grant were listed on Team Canada men’s sixes evaluation camp roster. They participated in a scrimmage against Team USA as they continue their journey towards LA28.
It’s still the regular season in the PLL, and the Warriors are represented on three of the eight teams.
Alec Stathakis (Philadelphia Waterdogs) was back on the field and went 18-for-31 off the draw and picked up seven ground balls in the Waterdogs 15-13 win over the California Redwoods. He also had a 16-of-23 showing and picked up four ground balls against the New York Atlas, helping the Waterdogs to a 11-10 victory. Stath also went 13-for-25 and picked up six ground balls in Philly’s 18-8 win over the Denver Outlaws.
Owen Grant (Boston Cannons) helped the Cannons to three wins and scored a goal and picked up four ground balls in Boston’s 15-13 win over New York. He also posted two caused turnovers and collected three ground balls in the Cannons’ 11-7 win over the Utah Archers.
Reid Bowering (New York Atlas) picked up a pair of goals against Grant and the Cannons and added two goals and two ground balls in New York’s 11-10 loss to Stathakis and the Waterdogs.
Junior Warriors Elite Academy is back, giving kids the chance to train with the pros from September to April.
Tryouts are open to co-ed players ages U11 and U13 at Langley Events Centre Fieldhouse. Register now to secure your tryout spot, and for more information, visit here.
Tryout dates are as follows:
Co-Ed U11 September 1 & 8 from 5-9 p.m.
Co-Ed U13 September 2 & 9 from 5-9 p.m.