02/17/04
St. Albert has a Jr. B Lacrosse Team!
IT'S OFFICIAL! St. Albert has a Jr. B lacrosse team. The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) recently made the decision to expand their Jr. B league by three teams. The St. Albert Jr. Rams is one of those teams. That means that St. Albert will expand to 2 junior lacrosse teams this year, one in the RMLL Tier II league and one Jr. B team playing a level higher than they did last year. The Jr. B team will compete in a seven team Jr. B league including Edmonton Warriors, Sherwood Park Titans, Calgary Jr. Mountaineers, Calgary Shamrocks, Calgary Chill and the Prince George Posse.

It has been a long time coming. Members of the St. Albert Major Rams Executive have worked for 3 years to move a team up to Jr. B. What does a Jr. B team mean to St. Albert? It means that St. Albert can compete for the Founder's Cup, which symbolizes the Canadian Jr. B championship. It means that St. Albert won't have to watch their best players leave to play for an Edmonton team. It means that the number playing at the junior level in St. Albert will double to 50 this year. It also means that St. Albert is only one step away from having a Major Jr. "A" lacrosse team.

Rams President Mike Koch was very happy with the announcement. "A lot of people before me worked hard to get a Jr. B team and I am happy to see their efforts have been rewarded." One of those people was Dennis Malayko, last year's major club president, who lobbied tirelessly. Elly Jagusch has also contributed countless hours as the Secretary of the Major Rams since the executive was formed in 2002. Koch added "This has been a dream of mine since I started playing lacrosse. I had to go to BC to play junior lacrosse." Now the younger players have something to aspire to and they won't have to leave St. Albert like I did."

Koch was one of the original players when lacrosse began here in 1985, completing his years in minor lacrosse in St. Albert, before playing Jr. "A" lacrosse in BC. He moved back to St. Albert to form the Sr. B Rams last year.

St. Albert Jr. B coach Terry Dokken was elated with the news that he will be coaching a Jr. B team this year. "I am so happy for St. Albert lacrosse. We have wanted this for a couple of years and this time everything has fallen into place. We are making the step up to Jr. B." When Coach Dokken was asked what this means for lacrosse in St. Albert he replied, "This is huge. St. Albert Minor Lacrosse is the most successful minor lacrosse association in Alberta and this adds to that success. It means 50 junior lacrosse players can play in St. Albert not just 25. It puts St. Albert lacrosse on the National map and that in itself is fantastic!"

The Jr. Rams have played in the Tier II division for the past four years. Under Coach Dokken the past two years have been very successful with a record of 38 wins, 10 losses and 2 ties. The Jr. Rams were runners-up to the Provincial champs, in 2002 and lost in the semifinals in 2003. They were Silver Medalists at the Western Canadian Championships in 2002, losing to the Winnipeg Falcons Jr. B team 9-8. The Falcons went on to compete for the Founder's Cup that year. In 2003, nine players from St. Albert left to play for the Edmonton Jr. B Warriors. The Warriors were Provincial Jr. B Champions and went on to place 5th at the Founder's Cup. Coach Dokken was very pleased to hear that St. Albert players who played for the Warriors last year can return to St. Albert this year. "I can't wait to get a few of those guys back. Their experience will be invaluable. They know what it takes to be Provincial Champions and compete at the Founder's and that experience will help the rest of the team."

Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in Alberta, possibly even in Canada. St. Albert lacrosse is alive and well at both the minor and major levels. If you have never seen a lacrosse game,you are missing a fast-paced, action-packed sport full of offence that rivals hockey. If you like hockey you will love lacrosse. Watch for the Junior B games beginning in May and see what you have been missing! Support St. Albert's newest junior franchise, the St. Albert Jr. B Rams. You won't be disappointed.