Warriors begin inaugural junior ‘B’ season this weekend
NORTH SYDNEY — When Dylan Campbell learned the East Coast Junior Lacrosse League would have a junior ‘B’ league and a team in Cape Breton, he couldn’t have been happier.
The Bras d’or product has been playing in the junior ‘A’ league and was forced to travel four hours to Truro and Halifax to play games last season.
“It’s really exciting to be able to play here at home,” said Campbell, who was drafted 13th overall by the Halifax Hurricanes in the junior ‘A’ draft in 2022.¤
This weekend, Campbell and the Cape Breton Warriors will make lacrosse history when the club participates in its firstever junior ‘B’ game against the Pictou County Generals in Thorburn on Sunday.
“I’d say we’re probably more offensive strong right now,” said Campbell of the team. “We’re really hoping that we can work hard and possibly come home with a championship at the end of the season.”
Campbell isn’t the only player to be drafted in the junior ‘A’ league on the War
riors roster this season.¤
Hayden Thompson was the first local player chosen at the 2024 draft earlier this year while Lucas Wilcox was a thirdround pick, both players going to the Trurobased Mi’kmaw Warriors.¤
Meanwhile, Dominic Mcleod, Mitchell GywnnMaclean and Jeremy Morneau were also selected in the 2024 draft. Rowen Ferguson was selected by the Sackville Wolves in 2023.¤
Campbell hopes his experience at the junior ‘A’ level will be beneficial to the Warriors lineup.
“It was a really good experience for me and it was really good for my development,” said Campbell.¤
“I wasn’t able to make it up there this year for work reasons, so it’s good to be playing here, but that experience definitely helped make me a smarter player.”¤
NEW JUNIOR ‘B’ LEAGUE
Earlier this year, the East
Coast Junior Lacrosse League launched a provincial junior ‘B’ league with four teams for its inaugural season.
Along with the Warriors and Generals, the league will also feature the Metro Gryphons. The Valley Thunder were originally scheduled to play in the league but are not
included on the schedule at this time.
The new Warriors team will be under the umbrella of the Cape Breton Lacrosse Association, which has five teams competing in the provincial Scotia Minor Lacrosse League this year.
Cape Breton will play two of its three home games at Emera Centre Northside in North Sydney on May 25 and June 16. The club’s June 1 game will be played at the Dan K. Stevens Memorial Arena in Eskasoni.
The league will feature players ages 17-20 with two
overage players per team. The players will also have the opportunity to be called up to their affiliated junior ‘A’ team throughout the season.
The junior ‘B’ season will run to June 23, concluding with the first league tournament hosted in East Hants. The dates for the tournament were not made available at publication time.
Brandy Lagacé, president of the association, believes the new junior ‘B’ league will attract more players to the game, especially in Cape Breton.
“In any sport, young players look up to senior players and aspire to get where they are,” said Lagacé, noting the association’s registration numbers
for 2024 have increased by 40 per cent.
“Having a junior ‘B’ team will be a great way to show players that they can play lacrosse long term, not just when they are in minor. Before this season, the closest team for anyone over 17 years old to potentially play for was in Truro.”
The first-ever game in the junior ‘B’ league was played on Friday night with Metro and Pictou County meeting in East Hants. The score result was not available at publication time.
THE REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Cape Breton and Pictou
County will play on Sunday at 4 p.m. at Ivor Macdonald Memorial Arena in Thorburn.
The Warriors will return home for games on May 25 at 3 p.m. against Metro at Emera Centre Northside, followed by a meeting with Pictou County on June 1 at 5 p.m. in Eskasoni.
The club will also play on June 8 at 2 p.m. against Metro at the East Hants Sportsplex before facing Pictou County on June 9 at 5 p.m. in Thorburn.
The final game of the sixcontest regular season will be played on June 16 at 3 p.m. with the Warriors hosting Metro in North Sydney.