No Playoffs. Stickmen Play Out Season

Surrey BC, July 5, 2007 – The Stickmen played their final home game of the season Thursday night against Port Coquitlam Saints at North Surrey Rec Centre.  The result was predictable – early lead, second period collapse and coast to home.  The score ended up 16 to 5 for the Saints.

When it became evident that Stickmen would not make the playoffs for the second straight year, management started to plan for next season.  Veterans where traded for draft picks and prospects giving the younger Stickmen players valuable floor time and the chance to assume leadership roles going into next season.

Stickmen goals where scored by Richard Willmott, Dave Johnson, Brad Ross, Mike King and Travis Voisey.  Jordy Willing assisted on three of the goals.

Martin Cummings had a big night for the Saints scoring four goals.  Curtis Dickson scored three times with Trevor Moore and Jason Webster getting a pair each.  Single goals where scored by Aaron Pascas and Jordan Flaman.

The Stickmen goal tending duties where split between Brandon Smith and Graham Chandler.  Smith had a strong first period and was replaced in the second by Chandler who acquitted himself well under a barrage of Saint shots.  Scott Helton had a relatively easy night in the Saints net facing 31 shots.

The final game of the season for the Stickmen is Sunday night against Burnaby Lakers at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.  Game time is 7:00 PM.

Stickmen Eliminated From Playoffs

Surrey BC, June 28, 2007 - Surrey was mathematically eliminated from playoff contention today when the Delta Island defeated the Stickmen 15 - 6 in their final match up of the year.

The Islanders took an early 3 - 0 lead and never looked back as they stomped on the young Stickmen. At the end of the first it was 6 - 2 Delta folowed up by 12 - 4 lead at the end of the second before finishing off the game 15 - 6.

Schuss lead the Islanders with four goals and an assist on the night. Other Delta scorers were Jensen (3), Williamson (2) and Govorchin, Fill, Stevens , White, Safarick and Guichon each with singles

For Surrey it was young rookie Mitch Dibblee with one goal and four assists leading the team. Other Stickmen scorers were Ballantine, Weidenhammer, Willmott, Bell and Martin.

In goal Brandon Smith made 37 stops on the night for the Stickmen while Mike Lowe stuffed Surrey 27 times. Both goalies played the entire game.

For Surrey Jonathon Rakec was brought up from the Intermediate team to fill some holes in the roster. With injuries and recent trades the Stickmen Juniors were short a few players.

The next and final home game is Thursday night where the Stickmen host the Poco Saints in their final match up of the year.

STICKMEN PROSPECTS SHINE IN LOSS TO SALMONBELLIES

SURREY BC, JUNE 14, 2007 - With the recent losses to playoff rivals Delta Islanders and Nanaimo Timbermen and nine regulars out of action including Dane Eitel and Kyle Starchuk, the Stickmen inserted prospects into the lineup in their BC Junior A Lacrosse game against the New Westminster Salmonbellies. The score of the game was not as important as the ability for management to evaluate prospects under game conditions.

The three call-ups played well in the 13 to 5 loss to the Salmonbellies giving Stickmen management and fans promise for the future. Stickmen second round draft pick and Intermediate call-up Jackson Decker, scored his first Junior A goal and Surrey Midget prospect, Andrew Bromley score his second goal in as many nights.

Intermediate defender James Clift certainly did not look out of place on defense playing against a team that is bound for the Minto Cup. Another highlight of the game was veteran defender, James Cruickshank, in his third year, scored his first goal as a Junior A player. Other Stickmen goal scorers were Graham Weidenhammer and Mitch Dibblee, scoring one each. Richard Willmott had two assists.

The Salmonbellies took full advantage of a tired and depleted Stickmen team, who were playing their fifth game in eight nights. They directed 67 shots on netminder Codey Lewis. Lewis, who has struggled of late, played one of his best games of the season.

Alex Turner scored five goals for the Salmonbellies. Kyle Belton had seven points on three goals and four assists. Other Salmonbellie scorers were Jordan McBride with two, and James Poelzer, Max Gallant and Curtis Manning scoring one goal each. Poelzer also had two assists to count three points on the night. Craig Robertson was steady in the Salmonbellie goal making 26 saves.

If points were awarded for low penalty minutes, the Stickmen would be leading the league. They were assessed 17 minutes contrasting the Salmonbellies who spent 64 minutes in the penalty box. The Stickmen scored both a power-play and short-handed goal.

The Stickmen now have a two week layoff with their next game at home June 28th against rival Delta Islanders.

DEPLEATED STICKMEN LINEUP NO MATCH

COQUITLAM BC, JUNE 13, 2007 - The Surrey Stickmen, playing their fourth game in six nights, had eight regulars out of the lineup. They where overwhelmed 21 to 5 in BC Junior A Lacrosse action at the Coquitlam Rec Centre by the Coquitlam Junior Adanacs whose high powered offense leads the league in average goals scored per game.

The Adanacs Michael Brascia had six points scoring five goals and assisting on another. Ryan Kwasnica counted seven points on two goals and five assists. Other Adanac goal scorers where Calvin Craig with three goals; Jarret Davis, Matt Wilson and Joel Burges with two goals apiece; and John Lintz, Jesse Adamson, Sean Robinson, Travis Cornwall and Nolan Julseth-White scoring one goal each.

The Stickmen scored four out of their five goals on the power play which is tied for second in the league for goals scored. Dane Eitel scored twice on the power play with Mitch Dibblee and Ryan Harwood also scoring on the man advantage. The lone even strength goal was scored by Midget sensation, Andrew Bromley, playing his debut Junior game.

As was reflected in the score, the Adanacs out shot the Stickmen 68 to 33. Both Stickmen goaltenders, Codey Lewis and Brandon Smith saw action with Lewis making 14 saves allowing eight goals and Smith stopping 33, allowing 13 goals. Scott Lowe made 19 saves in the Adanac net while allowing 5 goals and Intermediate call up, Dan Lewis, stopped all nine shots he faced.

Again, the Stickmen, one of the least penalized teams in the league, had a decisive advantage in penalty minutes serving 22 minutes compared to the 48 minutes served by the Adanacs.

Timbermen Storm Back To Win In Overtime

Surrey, BC, June 10, 2007 - Despite having a 6-1 lead at one point of the game the Stickmen allowed Nanaimo to not only come back in the third period to tie the game but gave them the win in overtime.

It what was a must win for the Stickmen and they came out on fire with special teams running on all cylinders. Two short handed goals in the first and another goal by Graham Weidenhammer gave the Stickmen a 3-0 lead.

Later in the second Matt Hannah added his third on the night and the Stickmen jumped out to a 5-1 lead at the end of the second.

Surrey was a no-show in the third period allowing the Nanaimo Timbermen to erase a 5 to 1 deficit thanks to four consecutive man advantage goals with tender Tom Wray going to the bench at every opportunity. With Surrey taking a penalty with four seconds left it was Nanaimo's ball at center. Four seconds was just enough for Nanaimo to send the ball down to Ryan Clark on the crease where he tucked it by Brandon Smith for the tie.

In overtime both teams played short handed starting with the Stickmen. Despite lots of scoring opportunities Surrey couldn't put the ball in the net. With under three minutes left in the game Nanaimo's Kyle Bazansky managed to put one by Brandon Smith and they held off the Stickmen for the remainder of the game to win the game and prevent a Stickmen sweep.

There were some bright spots on the night with Matt Hannah scoring a personal high of three goals. Special teams performed very well with three short handed goals and two power play goals and Brandon Smith played arguably his best game ever in net. However a win was needed for the Stickmen to have a reasonable shot at post season ball and now the Surrey boys are on the outside looking in as they no longer control their destiny.

Next game is Wednesday in Coquitlam where the Stickmen hope to pull a win out of the hat against the Adanacs.

Islanders Come Back To Defeat Stickmen

Surrey, BC, June 7, 2007 – The Delta Islanders showed a lot of determination to overcome a 5 to 2 deficit to defeat the Surrey Stickmen 10 to 8 in BC Junior A Lacrosse action at North Surrey Rec Centre Thursday night.

The Stickmen built up a 5 to 2 lead by the 6 minute mark of the second period. The Islanders then stormed back scoring six unanswered goals taking the lead 8 to 5 by the ten minute mark of the third period. The Stickmen rallied back scoring a goal at the 10:49 mark of the third period and another at 14:53 to bring the score to 8 to 7. The Islanders then solidified their victory with a goal at 15:31 and at 17:55. The Stickmen scored their final goal with 12 seconds left on the clock.

The Stickmen’s Dane Eitel had four points on two goals and two assists. Ryan Harwood scored two goals with one assist for three points. Other goal scorers included Jordan Innes, Graham Weidenhammer, Kyle Starchuk, and Matt Hannah. Leading the way for the Islanders was Brandon MacNeil who had five points on three goals and two assists. Taylor Hetherington scored two goals and counted two assists and Hiroshi Jensen had three points on two goals and one assist. Kevin Guichon scored two goals and Cory Williamson had one goal and two assists to round out the scoring for the Islanders.

The Islanders’ Mike Lowe made 36 saves and was particularly strong in the third period when the Stickmen outshot the Islanders 21 to 16. Codey Lewis stopped 31 shots in the Stickmen net and allowed 8 goals. He was replaced at the ten minute mark of the third period with Brandon Smith who made five saves on seven shots.

The Islanders had a decisive advantage in penalty minutes serving 28 minutes to the Stickmen’s 14. The Stickmen power play scored twice but had a couple of two man advantages on which they failed to capitalize.

The Stickmen’s next game is in Victoria on Saturday June 9th. The game time is 5:00 PM at Juan De Fuca Arena.

Codey Lewis Backstops Stickmen to Win over Islanders

Delta, BC, June 2, 2007 – Surrey Stickmen netminder Codey Lewis made 61 saves, backstopping the team’s 10 to 8 victory over the Delta Islanders in BC Junior A Lacrosse action Saturday night at Delta’s Sungod Arena.  This is the first game, this season, that the Stickmen managed to reach double digits in scoring with Dane Eitel scoring once and setting up five others.

The Stickmen have been notorious for their slow starts and on Saturday night they appeared not to disappoint when the Islanders scored at the 23 second mark of the first period on a goal by John Canil, assisted by Rob Campbell and Carleton Schuss.  The Stickmen seem to rise to the wake up call with a goal at 1:12 by Dylan Hernandez assisted by Dane Eitel and Ryan Harwood.  Eitel put the Stickmen in the lead with a goal at 7:42, assisted by Harwood and Mike King.  At 13:55 the Islanders tied the game on a goal by Campbell assisted by Justin Lalli.  The first period ended with the score tied at 2.

Schuss scored to put the Islanders in the lead at the 2:36 mark of the second period.  His goal was assisted by Cory Williamson and Campbell.  At 4:24 Matt Hannah scored his first of three goals, assisted by Mitch Dibblee and King to tie the game for Stickmen.  At 6:09 the Stickmen regained the lead, which they would not relinquish, on a goal scored by Graham Weidenhammer, assisted by King and Hernandez.  At 10:38 Dibblee scored, assisted by Eitel and Hannah, to give the Stickmen a two goal lead. 

The Islanders replaced netminder Mike Lowe with former Stickmen, Jared Beaulieu.  The Islanders pulled within one at 16:47 on Campbell’s second goal, assisted Schuss and Lalli.  With 43 seconds left in the second period, Dibblee scored his second goal, assisted by Hernandez and Ross Halliday.  The second period ended with the Stickmen leading 6 to 4.

At 1:47 of the third period the Islanders again drew within one on a goal scored by Tayler Hetherington, assisted by Tanner Lemire and Kevin Guichon.  The Stickmen countered at 3:29 on a beautiful breakaway goal from Shawn Rowan, unassisted.  The Stickmen extended their lead by three at 6:12 with Hannah’s second goal, assisted by Eitel.  Nine seconds later Lalli replied for the Islanders at 6:21, assisted by Guichon and Scott Campbell. 

The Islanders pulled within one at 13:10 with a goal scored by Midget call-up Logan Schuss’ first of two goal assisted by Intermediate call up Ryan Keith and Canil.  At 14:35 the Stickmen rebounded with a power play goal, Hannah’s third of the night, assisted by Eitel and Halliday. 

Three minutes later, the Stickmen got their second power play goal at 17:29 scored by Hernandez, his second, assisted by Eitel.  The Islanders scored with 10 seconds left on the clock at 19:50 to keep the score respectable on Logan Schuss’ second goal of the game, unassisted.

The shots on goals definitely favoured the Islanders, out shooting the Stickmen 71 to 47, although scoring chances were fairly even.  The Stickmen spent 19 minutes in the penalty box with the Islanders being assessed 15 minutes.

The next game for the Stickmen is the second game of the home and home series against the Islanders on Thursday, June 7 at North Surrey Rec Centre.

Stickmen Lose To New West Despite Effort

Surrey, BC, May 31, 2007 - The Surrey Stickmen could not score goals when needed despite out-shooting the Salmonbellies 19 to 9 in the third period, losing 7 to 3. This was the second game of the home and home series this week in BC Junior A Lacrosse action at North Surrey Rec Centre. Ray Hodgkinson played his best game of the season in the Salmonbellie goal stopping 40 of the 43 shots he faced. Stickmen netminder Codey Lewis had his best game as a Stickmen making 44 saves on the 51 shots he faced.

Salmonbellie Kyle Belton had a three goal night with single goals coming from Trevor Gains, Mike Paul, Brett Mydske, and Ken Crowley. Jordan McBride had three assists and Kevin Crowley counted two assists to go along with the goal he scored.

The Stickmen were held scoreless in the first period. They came to life during the latter half of the second period and first half of the third. In addition to his outstanding play in goal, Codey Lewis recorded two points on two assists. Mitch Dibblee scored at the 17:26 mark of the second period. New comer, Jordan Innes scored his first goal as a Stickmen at 2:04 of the third period. This was followed up by a goal by Dane Eitel at 7:44.

The Stickmen managed to stay out of the penalty box being assessed only eight minutes in penalties to the Salmonbellies 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the Stickmen power play, which has been productive of late, was hampered due to the fact the set up man, Richard Willmott had to leave the game due to illness.

Head Coach, Curtis Gulliford stated, "This was the best effort the team has produced all season. It is unfortunate the Salmonbellie goal tender played a strong game preventing us from getting the goals we needed to win. I was impressed by the way our team got stronger as the game wore on. It speaks well for the desire and intensity our team is starting to show."

The game for the Stickmen is on the road Saturday, June 2 when they take on the Delta Islanders at Sungod Arena. This is a must win game if the Stickmen hope to reach their objective of making the playoffs in the 2007 season.

Better Effort By Stickmen In Loss To Bellies

New Westminster, BC, May 29, 2007 - Although not reflected on the score sheet, the Stickmen put in a spirited effort in their 13 to 5 loss to the New Westminster Salmonbellies at Queen's Park Arena in BC Junior A action Tuesday night.

Both the Stickmen defense and offense were plagued through out the evening with breakdowns and miscues leading to too many offensive turnovers and wide open Salmonbellies shooters in the defensive zone. The consequence, again, was the Stickmen opposition having a huge advantage over shots on goal.

Stickmen Head Coach Curtis Gulliford said "The score sheet tonight did not reflect the fact that we played a competitive game. With a few timely saves and better execution on defense and offense, this game could have turned out much different. This team lacks experienced players but not athletism. The boys, I think, are starting to realize that to be successful, teamwork involves each player being able to fulfill a role within a system. That understanding comes from experience. The good news is that we have a young team who can grow together."

The Salmonbellies goal scoring was distributed among nine players. Jordan McBride, Eric Ross, Alex Turner and Kevin Crowley each scored twice. Single goals came from James Poelzer, Mike Paul, Eric Lewthwaite, Kyle Belton and Matt MacGrotty. Belton had a seven point night with six assists.

Richard Willmott played a strong game for the Stickmen and was rewarded with one goal and two assists. The Stickmen's Dylan Hernandez scored a hard fought short-handed goal in the third period while fighting off two defenders who were trying to strip the ball. Mitch Dibblee and Dane Eitel each got a score and an assist and Jordy Willing got the other Stickmen goal.

From the Stickmen standpoint, there were a number of good things that happened in the game. Recent acquisition, Jordan Innes played a solid game on defense. Lucas Munn was outstanding in the face off circle, winning 17 of 20 draws. Brandon Smith gave up a few goals he would rather have back, but generally was solid in the Stickmen net facing 56 shots. Penalty minutes were almost equal with the Stickmen sitting out 16 minutes to the Salmonbellies 15.

Lakers Make Stickmen Pay For Lackluster Performance

Surrey, BC, May 24, 2007 - The Burnaby Lakers scored four power play goals and one short-handed goal on their way to a 16 to 3 drubbing of the Surrey Stickmen in BC Junior A Lacrosse action at the North Surrey Rec Centre. The Stickmen seemed to be resigned to the fact that they were playing a superior team and, although the defense showed good effort at times, the offense simply mailed it in counting only 24 shots in the entire game.

The Lakers Stephan Leblanc and Jamie Lincoln had seven and six point nights respectively both scoring four goals apiece. Other Laker scorers included Brock Armour, Shaun Dhaliwal, Alex Gajic, Bill Laidler, Chris Macey, Peter McFetridge, Joe Vetere and Chris Ptolemy, all counting one goal each.

The Stickmen goal scorers were Dylan Hernandez, Matt Hannah and Ryan Harwood, each scoring one goal. Dane Eitel assisted on all three goals. The Lakers lead throughout the game, leading 4 to 0 after the first period, 9 to 1 after the second, rounding out their scoring in the third period with seven goals.

The only department where the Stickmen lead was in penalties, amassing 29 minutes to the Lakers 11 minutes. The Stickmen net minder, Codey Lewis was very busy making 51 saves. His counterpart, Adam Meakes was not really tested but did make timely saves when he had to.

Stickmen Head Coach, Curtis Gulliford summed up the game this way, "We have a young team and I felt they did not believe they had a chance to beat Burnaby, as such, did not play with the intensity I think we require to be successful. We have a good bunch of athletes and it is a challenge to get them to believe that they are better than what they are showing on the floor."

The Stickmen's next game is Friday night, May 25 when they take on the Port Coquitlam Saints in Port Coquitlam.

Shamrocks Better Stickmen In A Hard Fought Match

White RocK, BC, May 20, 2007:  Victoria Shamrocks defeated the Surrey Stickmen 9 to 6 in a special BC Junior A Lacrosse League matinee game at White Rock’s Centennial Arena. The Stickmen kept the game close but the Shamrock’s were able to get timely goals to stave off a third period rally by the Stickmen.

The Stickmen took an early 1 – 0 lead on an unassisted goal by Ryan Harwood at the 3:20 mark of the first period. The Shamrocks countered two minutes later at 5:17 on a goal by Michael Pires, assisted by Rory Theriault. The Shamrocks took the lead at 15:19 on a goal by Kyle Morwick, assisted by James Cadwallader. The Shamrocks pushed their lead to two goals at 16:03 with a goal scored by Scott Davidson, assisted by Matt Yager. The Stickmen cut the lead to one, less than two minutes later, on a goal scored by Shawn Rowan, assisted by netminder, Codey Lewis. That’s how the period ended with the Shamrocks leading 3 – 2.

At the 7:04 mark in the second period, the Shamrocks restored their two goal lead on a goal by Intermediate call-up, Ben Stebbings, assisted by Kyle Morwick. Again the lead was cut to one, by the Stickmen, just over a minute later on a goal Scored by Graham Weidenhammer, unassisted at 8:20. The Shamrocks rounded out the scoring in the second period with a powerplay goal at 14:04, scored by Rhys Duch, assisted by Kyle Morwick. At the end of the second period the score was 5 – 3 for the Shamrocks.

Before the third period was two minutes old, the Shamrocks established a three goal lead at 1:47 on a goal by Eric Gummer, assisted by Michael Pires and Kyle Morwick. Matt Hannah got the Stickmen back in the game 45 seconds later with a goal at 2:32, assisted by Dane Eitel and Dylan Hernandez. Just over a minute later, the Shamrocks re-established their three goal lead at 3:46 on Michael Pires second goal, assisted by Joel Henry.

The Shamrocks started to pull away from the Stickmen on Kyle Morwick’s second goal of the game at 8:42, assisted by Rhys Duch and Joel Henry. The Stickmen countered at 10:02 on Ryan Harwood’s second goal of the game, assisted by Mitch Dibblee and Sean Messenger. The Shamrocks padded their lead at 12:46 on an unassisted goal by Keegan Young. Mike King scored his first goal as a Junior at 13:55 to again pull the Stickmen within 3 goals of the Shamrocks. Despite consistent pressure exerted by the Stickmen in the last six minutes of the period, they were not able to beat Shamrock netminder, Alex Peaty to tie the game.

The game was well-played with each team counting only 10 minutes in penalties. Both goaltenders played solid games with the Stickmen’s Codey Lewis making 48 stops on 57 shots and the Shamrock’s Alex Peaty stopping 37 of 43 shots.

Stickmen Head Coach, Curtis Gulliford summed up the game saying, “Our boys worked hard but mental errors, turnovers and missed passes cost us the game”.

The Stickmen’s next game is at home, Thursday, May 24th at North Surrey Rec Centre, against the Burnaby Lakers. Game time is 8 P.M.

Adanacs Stun Stickmen With Speed And Agility

Surrey, BC, May 17, 2007: The Coquitlam Adanacs speed simply mesmerized the Surrey Stickmen defense with their speed and skill as they pounded the home team 24 - 4 in BCJALL action on Thursday night. After the New Westminster Salmonbellies handed the Adanacs their first loss of the season the night before, Coquitlam regrouped and came out strong running circles around Surrey all night long. The Stickmen struck first with a goal by Mitch Dibblee, BCJALL's player of the week, with Dane Eitel and Ross Halliday assisting on the play. The Adanacs retaliated with Jarret Davis scoring seconds later before Coquitlam added another six goals to round out the first period with a 7 - 1 lead.

In the second period the Adanacs continued where they left off scoring another six goals before Ross Halliday put one in the net for Surrey on a quick break from Brandon Smith and John Ballantine. Coquitlam finished off the period stretching their lead to 15 - 2. The third period the fans watched Coquitlam light up the board like a Christmas tree scoring another nine goals while the Stickmen managed to find the back of the net only twice. Ryan Harwood scored unassisted on a short handed goal early in the third while the other Surrey goal was scored by Richard Willmott off a pass from Dane Eitel.

Leading the Coquitlam Adanacs on the night was Joel Burges with a hat trick and seven assists. Other big contributors were Jarret Davis with one goal and seven assists and Calvin Craig with six goals and one assist. Also scoring for the Adanacs were Kelly Kilpatrick with four, Michael Brascia and Jordan Weir each with three and singles by Matt Beers, Jim Clifford, Ryan Kwasnica and Chase Dunlop. Stickmen defender James Cruickshank was one of the few bright spots on the night by successfully holding Coquitlam's leading scorer Sean Robinson to only a single assist.

Scott Lowe played in net for the Adanacs the entire game stopping a mere 16 shots while the Stickmen rotated back and forth with Brandon Smith getting most of the floor time stopping 51 of the 71 shots. Graham Chandler was pulled up from the Intermediate team to support Brandon on the night and stopped two of the six shots in his limited action.

The Stickmen host the Victoria Shamrocks in a special home game this Sunday, May 20th where the action will take place at Centennial Arena in White Rock with a game time of 1:30pm.

Stickmen Down Timbermen for Island split

May 12, 2007 Nanaimo, BC

The Surrey Stickmen defeated the Nanaimo Timbermen 8 to 2 to gain a split on their Island road trip.  This was the Stickmen’s second win, equaling last years total and moved the Stickmen into fourth place in the British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League.

Despite playing a late game the night before in Victoria, the Stickmen got off to a quick start and lead 3 to 0 before the game was 6 minutes old.  Sean Messenger scored his first goal as a Junior at the 1:39 mark, assisted by Dylan Hernandez.  Kyle Starchuk scored his first of two at 3:23 assisted by Dane Eitel and Mitch Dibblee.  Starchuk scored again 2 minutes later on a power play at 5:33 assisted by Dibblee and Eitel.  The period ended with the Stickmen leading 3 to 0.

Again the Stickmen jumped all over the Timbermen in the first three and half minutes of the second period scoring three goals.  Dane Eitel scored at 1:46 assisted by Dylan Hernandez and Sean Messenger.  Ryan Harwood scored at 2:46, assisted by Mitch Dibblee and Hernandez.  Dibblee scored his first of two, 48 seconds later unassisted.  The Timbermen finally got on the score board at 15:54 on a goal by Nick Agius, assisted by the goal tender, Drew Dickie.  At 16:51 Dibblee scored his second goal, assisted by Eitel and Brad Ross.  The Stickmen ended the second period leading 7 to 1.

Both teams traded goals in the third period with the Timbermen’s Kyle Bazansky scoring at 14:15 assisted by Dean Stewart and Ryan Dietterle.  Ryan Harwood scored the Stickmen’s eighth goal, and his second, late in the period at 18:40 assisted by Mitch Dibblee.

Stickmen goal tender, Brandon Smith played a strong game making 35 saves.  Rookie, Mitch Dibblee had an unbelievable weekend, scoring his first four goals as a Junior and assisting on six other goals in the two road games.

Shamrocks Double Up on Stickmen

May 11, 2007 Victoria, BC – The Victoria Shamrocks out scored the Surrey Stickmen five to one in the second period on their way to a 10 to 5 victory in BC Junior A Lacrosse action Friday night at Juan de Fuca Arena. Ryan Harwood gave the Stickmen an early lead with a goal at the 5:39 mark of the first period. The goal was assisted by Kyle Starchuk and Mitch Dibblee. 

The Shamrock countered late in the period with a goal from Joel Loucks, assisted by goaltender Matt Flindell at15:34 and a goal from Cory Conway, assisted by Kyle Morwick and Joel Henry at 18.20. The period ended with the Shamrocks leading 2 to 1.

In the second period the Shamrocks got off to a quick with a goal at 1:56 scored by Scott Davidson, assisted by Mathew Yager and Greg Tyshynski. The Shamrocks scored again 17 seconds later with a goal by Adam Wasnik, assisted by Cory Conway and Michael Pires. The Stickmen brought the score within two on a goal by Kyle Starchuk, assisted by Dane Eitel and Mitch Dibblee. 

The Shamrocks restored a three goal lead at 18:17 on a goal by Joel Henry, assisted by Michael Pires. The Shamrocks took a 6 – 2 lead at the end of the period on a goal at 19:30 scored by Cory Conway, his second of the game, assisted by Grey Tyshynski and Quinton Sam.

The Stickmen opened the scoring in the third period with a goal at 2:49 on Kyle Starchuk’s second goal, assisted by Jordy Willing and Dylan Hernandez. The Shamrocks scored their seventh goal at 4:06, scored by Kyle Morwick, assisted by Cory Conway. The Shamrocks pulled ahead 8 – 3 at 5:12 with a goal by Mathew Yager, assisted by James Cadwallerader. 

At 9:42 the Shamrocks added their ninth with Cory Conway’s third goal, assisted by Michael Pires and Kyle Morwick. The Stickmen countered with two goals by Mitch Dibblee at 13:54 and 17:27, his first and second of the season. The first assisted by Kyle Starchuk and the second assisted by Matt Hannah and Dane Eitel. The Shamrocks capped off a well played game with a goal at 19:25 by Cory Conway’s fourth goal, assisted by Quinton Sam and Scott Stone.

Each team had six minutes in penalties and the Stickmen scored on all three power play opportunities. Codey Lewis had an outstanding game in goal for the Stickmen making 59 saves. His counterpart, Matt Flindell made 25 saves. Although, the Stickmen appeared to be able to compete with the Shamrocks, they were plagued with defensive breakdowns and an anemic offense.

Stickmen Out Matched by Lakers

May 6, 2007 Surrey, BC

The Burnaby Lakers poured in seven goals in the first half of the second period on their way to a 15 to 1 pasting of the Surrey Stickmen in BCJALL action Sunday night at the Bill Copeland Arena in Burnaby.

The Stickmen can take some solace in the fact that the Lakers are one of the elite teams in the nation. In their first three games the Lakers have outscored opponents 49 to 8. The Stickmen by contrast are in a second year of a rebuilding program after losing 16 starters off their 2005 league championship team.

General Manager, Paul Sparrow said that, “Championship teams are not built overnight. The Stickmen have begun to rebuild from the grass roots by first working closely with the local minor lacrosse association and second, redeveloping our Intermediate A program. This year we see a lot of talent in our 17 and 18 year old Intermediate squad who will play Junior A in the next couple of years.”

Head Coach Curtis Gulliford said, “I am not disappointed in our team’s effort. Our boys were sort of mesmerized by the speed and play making ability of Burnaby in through the first half of the game. In the second half they scored only three times and we got a number of quality chances to score. Our guys finally realized that they can play with these boys. We’ll chalk this game up to a valuable learning experience.”

The lone Stickmen goal was scored by Matt Hannah. Burnaby’s Jamie Lincoln scored five goals and recorded one assist. Joe Vetere was the game’s playmaker with eight assists.

The Stickmen next see action this weekend with a road trip to the Island where they will play the Victoria Shamrocks on Friday night and the Nanaimo Timbermen on Saturday night.

Poco Saints Prevail in Shootout over Stickmen

May 3, 2007 Surrey, BC: The Port Coquitlam Saints outscored the Surrey Stickmen 17 to 10 on Thursday night at North Surrey Rec Centre in BCJALL action. The Stickmen found themselves down four to one after the first five minutes and spent most of the game in the penalty box. The Saints’ special teams had a good night with their power play scoring eight times and the penalty killing team scoring two more short-handed goals.

Despite spending 62 minutes in the penalty box the Stickmen showed some scoring capabilities. Three Stickmen had five point nights. Ryan Harwood put five goals past the Saint’s goaltender Jeff Lissmore, Dylan Hernandez scored once with four assists and Dane Eitel demonstrated that he can be a play maker as well as a scorer, was awarded five assists. Devon Murphy scored on a penalty shot, Matt Hannah earned two points on a goal and an assist, Richard Willmott scored his first BCJALL goal and Jordy Willing scored once.

On the other bench, POCO players had a great “stats” night with five players getting four points or better. Tyler Codron had eight points on two goals and six assists, Trevor Evans scored four times with two assists, Josh Wear was credited with two goals and four assists, Martin Cummings scored twice with two assists and Dayne Michaud got one goal and assisted four times.

Stickmen netminder, Codey Lewis made 43 saves coming off the bench in relief during the first period. Jeff Lissmore stopped 37 shots for the Saints.

May 2 , 2007 -Adanacs Hand Stickmen First Loss

The Coquitlam Adanacs use speed a finesse to beat the Surrey Stickmen 12 to 4 in BCJALL action Wednesday night in Coquitlam.  This was the second win for the Adanacs in as many nights defeating the New Westminster Salmonbellies 10 to 6.  The Stickmen seem to have trouble with team speed of the Adanacs and found themselves behind 6 to 1 after the end of the first period.  Coquitlam’s penalty killing was outstanding limiting the Stickmen to one power play goal on 11 opportunities

Jordan Weir and Sean Robinson both had six point nights with Weir scoring five times and Robinson assisting on five goals.  Other goals scorers for the Adanacs were Chase Dunlop with three and Kelly Kilpatrick, Ryan Kwasnicka and Justin Thomas with one goal each.  Coquitlam scored three power play goals and one short-handed goal.
Dane Eitel contributed most to the scoring for the stickmen with two goals and tow assists.  Graham Weidenhammer scored his first Junior A goal and Ryan Harwood got the other goal.  Matt Hannah assisted on two goals and Kyle Starchuk also received an assist.

Codey Lewis and Brandon Smith both played well for the Stickmen facing 49 shots.  Tyler Richards played most of the game for the Adanacs and Scott Lowe played the last half of the third period.  The Stickmen were able to get 36 shots on the Coquitlam tandem.

April 28, 2007 - Eitel and Starchuk Each Score 3 in Stickmen Romp Over Timbermen

Dane Eitel and Kyle Starchuk each scored three goals, helping the Surrey Stickmen defeat the Nanaimo Timbermen 11 to 5 in front of an enthusiastic crowd during the Stickmen home opener Saturday night at North Surrey Rec Centre.

Also scoring for the Stickmen were number 4, Ryan Harwood and number 18, Ross Halliday who scored two goals apiece.  Goaltender Codey Lewis had an outstanding game both stopping the ball and on the score sheet.  Lewis was credited with a goal and an assist while stopping 30 of the 35 shots he faced.

Scoring for the Timbermen was number 7, Ryan Clark who scored two goals.  Other Timbermen scorers were number 8, Ryan Dietterle and number 17, Kyle Bazansky who each scored a goal and had two assists.  Number 6 Kevin Lohr scored once.  Number 9, Dean Stewart assisted on three goals and Number 12, Nick Agius and number 14, Brandon Huth had one assist each.

Assisting on the Stickmen goals were number 3, Dylan Hernandez with three, number 22, Richard Willmott with two, number 13, Chris Martin, number 19, Graham Weidenhammer, number 5 Mitch Dibblee, number 15, James Cruickshank, number 2, Devon Murphy, number 9, Matt Hannah,  and number 29, John Ballantine, all with one each.

The Stickmen were 2 for 12 on the power play and the Timbermen scored 3 times on 9 opportunities.  The Stickmen outshot the Timbermen 44 to 35.

April 24, 2007 - Stickmen's Youth Defeat Rebel's Treachery

The Stickmen Junior 'A's showcased their team in their final exhibition game of the year against the visiting Valley Rebels Sr 'B' squad.

In a match up of "Youth and Enthusiasm" vs "Old Age and Treachery" the Stickmen managed to take and early lead and hang on for most of the game. Dane Eitel got the ball rolling with an early goal to give Surrey the lead, one that they would not loose for the remainder of the game. The Rebels fought back hard managing to keep pace with the Stickmen leading to a 3-3 tie at the end of the first.

The second period saw the Stickmen take advantage of Rebel penalties with Dylan Hernandez and Ryan Harwood notching two goals each to give Surrey the 7-5 lead.

The action heated up in the third with the Rebels mounting a come back charge led by Kris Ouellette who scored four goals on the night. With minutes left in the game the Rebels tied it up before going short handed in the last 1:30 of the game. Dane Eitel put his third goal of the night in off the power play with just over a minute left to give the Stickmen their first exhibition win of the season.

Key performances on the night were Dane Eitel (3 goals, 2 assists), Dylan Hernandez (2 goals, 2 assists) and Ryan Harwood (3 goals, 1 assist). Matt Hannah and Dave Johnson were the other Stickmen scorers on the night. Graham Weidenhammer had a strong game helping out with 2 assists on the night and Codey Lewis was solid in net stopping 46 shots on the night.

April 14, 2007 - Annual Junior 'A' Ball Breaker Tournament

April 9, 2007 - Fast Start For Stickmen In Opening Exhibition Game Against Victoria

The Surrey Stickmen Junior A Lacrosse Club coaching staff had their first look at the 2007 hopefuls in real game action April 9th against the Victoria Shamrocks at Juan de Fuca Arena, Victoria. The Stickmen got off to a three to one lead in the first period and lead three to two after the first frame. The Shamrocks scored five unanswered goals in the second period and both teams exchanged one goal each in the third period for an eight to four Shamrock win.

The Stickmen did not have five of their regulars in the line up and the big name, off season acquisition, Kyle Starchuk only played the first period. Head Coach Curtis Gulliford said "I am happy with the intensity and work ethic of our club. Obviously we have some things to work on. I was impressed with the play of some of our rookies. The Shamrocks will have a good team this year." The Shamrocks are expected to be a contender for a Minto Cup berth, the National Championship, to be held in New Westminster in August.

Veteran, John Ballantine, had an outstanding game scoring one goal and assisting on two others. Other Stickmen goal scorers were Devon Murphy, Matt Hannah, and Graham Weidenhammer. Scott Bobrownik and Dave Johnson each had an assist. Both veteran goaltenders Cody Lewis and Brandon Smith play a period each and were outstanding. Rookie goaltender Jared Beaulieu struggled early in the second period, but found his game and made several big saves.

The Stickmen have three more exhibition games before their home opener on April 28th at North Surrey Rec Centre.

Also Read The Surrey Leader article: 'Stickmen Expect To Be A Surprise'