Lakers fortunes are looking up

Lakers fortunes are looking up
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby Now assistant editor
Published May 28, 2003

For the first time in years, the Burnaby Lakers senior lacrosse club may find itself with an overabundance of riches in the Western Lacrosse Association.
The Lakers, who won a solid 11-8 victory over the Coquitlam Adanacs last Friday night, expect to see former star Jeff Ratcliff back in the lineup for the first time in two years, as the club prepares to battle the top two teams in the circuit this week.
When Ratcliff's scoring prowess is added to the steadily improving young lineup already on board for the Lakers this season, things are beginning to look up for the club that was once the perennial also-ran in the WLA.
"Our lineup is pretty strong right now," said third-year coach Russ Heard. "We've got the guns and a lot more depth than we had in previous years.
"But that also means we've got some tough decisions to make," Heard said. "Once we get all of our players back, there are still five cuts that have to be made. We've never had this kind of depth before."
The Lakers, who currently sport a solid 2-2 record and sit in third spot among the six-team circuit, believe Ratcliff just may add the spark to allow the club to challenge for one of the top spots in the league.
Ratcliff, who took last season off to pursue other interests, is scheduled to be back in town this week - not in time for tonight's game on the North Shore, but probably in time to travel to Victoria for a Friday night game against the defending WLA champion Shamrocks.
"In the past, we've had to cut people who were probably not good enough to play in this league," said Heard. "But this year, we're dealing with guys who can play.
"So it's tough from that point of view," he said. "I'm pretty confident all the guys on our roster can play, I just don't have room for all of them."