Billings will miss game in hometown
Langley native with the visiting Toronto Rock not ready to return to action after knee surgery
The National Lacrosse League schedule maker could have been kinder to Garrett Billings.
The Toronto Rock’s lone trip to the Langley Events Centre to face the Vancouver Stealth this NLL season comes Saturday, and Toronto sniper Billings, a Langley native, isn’t quite ready to return from the knee surgery that cut his 2014 campaign short.
He thinks he’ll probably be good to go for the Rock’s visit to the Minnesota Swarm on Feb. 13.
It’s too bad. Billings playing at the LEC is a natural. He has suited up for much of his senior club lacrosse there, with the Western Lacrosse Association’s Langley Thunder, and he even worked for the building’s owners for a summer, selling sponsorships.
And did we mention that he suffered the injury there last season? Billings, 28, tore his anterior cruciate ligament on an innocent-looking play, catching his foot in the turf in what ended up being a 17-9 Rock rout over the Stealth on April 5.
“It’s been weird for me,” said Billings, admitting he’s getting antsy for action.
“I wouldn’t say that it was easy last year, but I knew I couldn’t play. This year, I’m getting closer and closer every week.”
Billings had 101 points, including 32 goals, in 15 regular season games last season.
Colin Doyle, who had 72 points, including 31 goals, in 18 regular season games in 2014, is expected to miss the entire campaign with a shoulder issue.
With righty Billings and lefty Doyle out, much of the offence now is running through diminutive lefty Josh Sanderson. In 17 regular season games last season, he had 70 points, including 22 goals.
“Garrett got hurt last year, so we’ve played without him a little bit already,” said the 5-foot-7, 160-pound Sanderson, 37. “I’m on the same side as Colin and I know it’s a huge presence we’re missing. He’s just so smart.
“It’s a bit of a different role than last year. I was a little bit more off-ball, a little bit more setting picks. Now, they’re depending on me to handle the ball more. They’re depending on me to get my teammates involved.”
The 37-year-old Sanderson has had success in that quarterback role before. He dished out 70 assists on his way to 104 points with the Calgary Roughnecks in 2010.
The Rock did upgrade their defence and transition game over the off-season, adding Brodie Merrill, 33, and Brock Sorensen, 25, in separate trades.
Sorensen is the younger brother of veteran Stealth defender Kyle Sorensen, 28, who is sitting out this season due to knee surgery.