“I know I’m excited and the team is excited for this season. We’re trying to go back to that championship.”
So says Chris Davis, manager of the Red Deer Senior C Silverbacks.
The Silverbacks are looking to repeat as Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League Champions.
“Our ultimate goal is to not only win Alberta, but we want to go back to the National Championship and win it there.”
Lofty goals for a team that will be missing a few players from their championship season last year. However, Davis is confident that his team has the right formula. “Most of our core is coming back. We have some good juniors that have graduated. We’re hoping that they come out this year. We had them last year for a tournament up in B.C. and they really meshed together really well with our guys.”
Davis has done some scouting and he likes what he sees. “Some of the other teams look like they’ve rebuilt from last year, but I think our chances are really strong of repeating.”
So after winning the league championship last year, will that translate into more fans?
“I think we will get the fans. We are the only senior based lacrosse club.”
And with players who have tried out for the Calgary Rednecks and Edmonton Rush, the caliber of players on the Silverbacks is nothing to sneeze at. “We play just as good lacrosse that you’d see in Edmonton and Calgary with the professionals.”
And being good isn’t enough. The Silverbacks are like that old saying, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
They play in Blackfalds and that actually makes a difference. “It’s really good to show our game and you get a kid that’s just starting out and he watches our games. It may be he watches a particular player and he says “I want to be like that guy.” So he watches and comes out to the game and sees how he plays.”
The message is clear for the Silverbacks — just win baby. They want to win not only their league but also the hearts of fans. Something that they should have more of after a very successful 2011 campaign.
If you want to watch Silverbacks action, the season kicks off May 4th and their first home game is May 26th. For more information visit www.rockymountainlax.com.
sports@reddeerexpress.com
