In just seven days, the Victoria Shamrocks will head to Ontario to battle the Six Nations Chiefs for the coveted, 90-year-old Mann Cup – a trophy presented to the winner of the Canadian box lacrosse championships.
“This is the goal for every team,” said Mike Simpson, the Shamrocks’ head coach. “It’s a great opportunity for us and it’s exactly what we set out to do way back in April in training camp, so everybody’s real excited.”
The best-of-seven series will begin on Friday, Sept. 6.
This won't be the first time the teams have duelled for the Cup. The Chiefs beat the Shamrocks in the 1996, 2013 and 2014 championships.
“They are a powerhouse, there’s no question about it,” said Simpson, who added the Ontario team is composed entirely of Major League Lacrosse players. “This is a really steep mountain for us to climb.”
The games will be played at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Hagersville, the Chiefs’ home rink. That means the Shamrocks will have a slight disadvantage.
“When you play a home game, you’re going to work, you’re with your family, everything is normal. Now you’re in a hotel all day waiting to go,” said Simpson. “We understand the challenge before us.”
The Shamrocks will leave for Ontario on Wednesday, Sept. 4. In the meantime, the players are going to get some much-needed rest.
“We’re not going to practice a whole lot between now and then. Guys need to recover,” said Simpson, who will be closely examining videos of the Chiefs’ games.
“We want to look for their tendencies, and what type of offence they like to play, and if they have set patterns that they’re running or if they rely more on individual skill,” he said. “Every team has their own nuances, and we need to determine what theirs are.”
The Shamrocks have won the Cup eight times since the team was founded in 1950 – most recently in 2015. In contrast, the Chiefs have won seven times, but the team was founded in over 40 years after the Shamrocks in 1993.
Still, Simpson is confident the Shamrocks will be able to compete.
“We work really hard and we’re not going to back away from this challenge,” he said.
