Shamrocks look to keep good luck rolling
Dilks, Bold look to dunk Lakers, double up on coveted crowns
VICTORIA — Ryan Dilks and Aaron Bold have an opportunity to complete a task few lacrosse players have pulled off — win a National Lacrosse League title and a Mann Cup crown in the same year.
The members of the Victoria Shamrocks have already stashed away 2015 NLL Champions Cup victories with the Edmonton (now Saskatoon) Rush and look for that elusive, historic Canadian men’s crown beginning Friday night at Q Centre Arena in Colwood against the visiting Peterborough Lakers.
“It almost feels like I’ve got something going on here. It was a great experience with the NLL and once you get that feeling of winning a championship, you want it again,” said Dilks, who has been a standout on the Shamrocks’ defence for a second consecutive year. “We’re that close — we just need four more wins.”
You could go one step further with both Dilks and Bold, who will also represent Canada at the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, Sept. 18 to 27 at the Onondaga Nation and Syracuse, N.Y., along with Shamrocks teammates Dan Dawson and Steve Priolo.
“That, and also the possible worlds — the trifecta is what I’m going for. I’m not going to stop short of that,” said Bold, a Victoria native and the Shamrocks’ most valuable player in the Western Lacrosse Association playoffs. “I’m not going to worry too much about the worlds right now — it’s all about the Mann Cup and the senior Shamrocks right now.
“I’m willing to go to war with these guys and willing to give up a lot and sacrifice to get that Mann Cup.”
Neither of the Shamrocks has managed to tuck away a Mann Cup title yet over their careers. Nor has their team of late — the Shamrocks’ last Mann Cup title came in 2005, after which they lost cup finals in 2006, 2013 and 2014.
Dilks, a 24-year-old from Hamilton, is coming into his own as one of the top defencemen in the game, an elite defender who was surprisingly overlooked in the WLA awards and all-star nods.
“With Dilksy, you don’t notice him or you notice him for intercepting passes and shutting guys down,” Shamrocks’ head coach Bob Heyes said. “He’s one of the best in the world and if he’s playing hockey, he’s a Norris Trophy winner without a doubt. He’s an outstanding defender.”
Those are huge props for a guy who remains quiet and sticks to his job.
“If I wanted to win individual awards, I would have played tennis or golf or something,” Dilks said. “I’m just looking for the main championship in the end and that would make me happy.
“It’s not a lot of glory,” he said of playing defence. “It’s a lot of pride back in the defensive end. If we can get the odd loose ball here and there, or get a strip here or there, we’re happy and it fires up the boys.”
Not to mention his goaltender, Bold.
“I think Ryan Dilks is probably one of the most underrated defencemen in the game today, period,” Bold said. “He’s progressed over the years. Being with him in Edmonton, I’ve seen a dramatic change and that may come from playing within that system …
“He’s an up-and-coming defender, who will be around a long time and will be recognized as one of the best defenders in the league.”