Currier rejoins Lakers fresh off NLL final
Local player wraps up first pro season with Rochester
The National Lacrosse League final was a coming out party at the pro level for Josh Currier, who hopes to carry that momentum into the Peterborough Century 21 Lakers’ season.
Currier, 25, tied for the most goals in the NLL playoffs at 10 with former Lakers teammate Curtis Dickson. Currier and his Rochester Knighthawks teammates Eric Shewell, Jake Withers and Matt Vinc are expected back in the Lakers’ lineup Thursday when they host the Brooklin Redman at 8 p.m. at the Memorial Centre.
Ian Llord (back) and Cory Vitarelli (groin) are nursing injuries, said Lakers GM Paul Day. Evan Kirk, who backstopped the Saskatchewan Rush past Rochester in three games, is expected to rejoin the Lakers next week.
Currier scored nine goals and added three assists in the final. He had four goals and two assists in Rochester’s Game 2 win and four more goals in the deciding game Saturday, a 15-10 loss in Saskatoon. It came on the heels of his sophomore NLL campaign where he recorded 17 goals and 31 points in 16 regular season games.
“I had the ball in my stick a little bit more than normal than earlier in the season,” Currier said. “It was nice to score a little bit but, obviously, the end-goal was to win. I’m pretty upset about the loss still.”
Rochester started the year 2-6 so it was a significant turnaround.
“Even at 2-6 we felt it was a pretty special group and we knew that we had something there. We weren’t getting blown out. We knew if we stuck with things good things would happen. It was a different feeling than a lot of teams when you’re that low and last in your division. We still knew we had a great team,” he said.
With Dickson gone from the Lakers’ right side, it might increase Currier’s role on offence.
“I know we have a really good offence and my job could be a little bit different on the Lakers. I’m looking to get in there and do my job and do whatever I can to help the team,” said Currier. “We have the same right side as last year minus Dickson so I guess that bumps me up one spot. Shawn Evans and Kyle Buchanan are really great players so I’m going out with the mindset that I’m going to learn from them and hopefully set them some picks.”
Currier could have taken a break after the NLL final but he’s eager to rejoin the Lakers.
“I’ve been fortunate to stay healthy this season so I’m ready to go and don’t feel I need a break,” he said. “It’s exciting to play for the Lakers and the hometown team and playing in front of that crowd at the Mem Centre. It’s a different feeling than playing in Rochester where they may know your name but they don’t know you on a personal level. When you go to a Lakers game you know a lot of the fans in the stands and you can actually connect with them after the games. It’s really neat playing there.”