WWW.TRICITYNEWS.COM
TC SPORTS
WLA DRAFT
Rogers gets chance with the big club Jr. Adanac will stay in Coquitlam GARY MCKENNA Tri-CiTy News
Challen Rogers will not have to travel far when he suits up for upcoming Western Lacrosse Association season. The former Coquitlam Jr. Adanac was selected by the Sr. A’s in the first round Wednesday night in the 2016 entry draft, the third overall selection. “Couldn’t be more excited to join the @WLAAdanacs and to stay in the purple and yellow,” he tweeted shortly after the pick was made. With Rogers, coach Peter Tellis said the team will get a strong two-way player with playoff pedigree who has a long history in Coqutilam. “Not too many players like Challen Rogers come along very often,” he told The Tri-City News. “He is a very special talent and we are very happy to move up and get the guy we wanted.” The 6’4”, 215 lb. forward has been a standout player during his junior career. Last season, he racked up 13 goals and 16 assists in 14 games and was a prominent factor in the Jr. Adanacs’ Minto Cup runs in 2014 and 2015. Most importantly, according to Tellis, he has strong links to the community. “What he brings will go beyond lacrosse,” he said.
Rogers was chosen third overall, after New Westminster Jr. Salmonbellies standout Josh Byrne was picked up by Burnaby with their first overall pick and Jr. Adanacs forward Michael Messenger was taken by New West with the second overall pick. The Adanacs did not have a second-round pick, but chose Alex Bohl from the New Westminster Jr. Salmonbellies with their third-rounder, a 15th overall selection. Tellis said he was surprised the defenceman was still available that late in the draft, noting that at 6’4” and 215 lbs., he will add some much needed size to the A’s back end. In the fourth, the club picked up Patrick Thornhill, who had a brief stint with the Port Coquitlam Jr. Saints but has played for the Delta Islanders for the last two years. He too will add size to the lineup, Tellis said, and was in the team’s sights going into the draft. New Westminster Jr. Salmonbellies Owen Barker and Luke Morris were chosen with the fourth and fifth round picks respectively, while Jake Carey was chosen in the sixth round from the Delta Islanders. The A’s also picked up the rights to Ryan Ishikawa, Cody Gilliam, Jake Moran, Alex Rainey, Cody Garrison, Daniel Delmonico, Serafino Gentile, Jon Bailey and Alex Mason. sports@tricitynews.com @gmckennaTC
TRI-CITY NEWS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2016, A47
CONTACT
email: sports@tricitynews.com phone: 604-472-3035 www.tricitynews.com/sports
ON THE PITCH
MeDAls oN The FielD
ELAINE FLEURY PHOTO
The Port Moody Gunners took down another opponent in under-21 Fraser Valley Soccer League action last weekend. The squad defeated the Pacific United FC Selects 4-0, racking up their 15th win of the season on home turf. Port Moody has amassed an impressive goal differential so far this season, outscoring all opponents by 47 goals, the highest in the league. The team currently sits atop the division, with a 15-2-0 record, ahead of Cloverdale FC with an 8-3-6 record.
The Coquitlam Adanacs field lacrosse U18 Tier 1 division player Gordy Bowden was named MVP at the Field Lacrosse Provincial Championships in Langley last weekend. He was joined by fellow Adanacs Luca Antongiovanni, who took home the honour in U13 Tier 1, while U18s Robert Hofseth, Matthew Small and Thomas Semple all received Warrior Fair Play Awards. Gabe Procyk, Justin Tambour and Evan Morrison won the Warrior Fair Play Awards in the U15 division, while Mateo Alfonso and Massimo Borghesi were named in the U13 category. Meanwhile, several female players in the Adanacs organization were also recognized with U12 Erin Pomeroy and Nicole Jang named Warrior Fair Play Award recipients. Several teams took home some medals during the tournament. In U18 Tier 1 division, the team won a silver, while the organization fielded two clubs in Tier 2, which won gold and bronze. In U15, the Tier 1 squad took home bronze, while the Tier 2 Adanacs # brought home silver. The U13 Tier 1 squad won gold in its division. This weekend, the U11 Provincial Championships will get underway at Town Centre Park and the U15 Women’s Provincials are expected to take place later this month.
SFU SOCCER
Tri-City trio will join sFU’s soccer Clan next year Bain, Morden and Mcilveen headed to the NCAA Div. ii
Three Tri-City soccer players will be moving up to the NCAA next year after signing letters of intent with the Simon Fraser University Clan, the school announced on Wednesday. Port Coquitlam keeper Aidan Bain is one of the signees, a Terry Fox secondary student who currently plays wi the Surrey FC program. The 6’2”, 175-lbs. goalie was captain of the Surrey United under-17 squad and the winner of the
EA Sports B.C. Premier League Cup in 2014. He was named Surrey United 2015 goalkeeper of the year and had a trial with Aston Villa FC in 2014. Erik Morden and Lucas McIlveen are both Coquitlam Metro Ford FC players and Dr. Charles Best secondary students who helped the team win the 2015 B.C. AAA Provincial Soccer Championships last fall. McIlveen is a member of the Vancouver Whitecaps youth prospects and won a gold medal with Coquitlam in the under-16 Canadian National Championships. Meanwhile, Morden
has also participated with the Vancouver Whitecaps residency program, winning the United States Soccer Development Academy Northwest Division cahmpionship in 2014. “We made it a priority early in the recruiting process to target the best Lower Mainland kids who are the right fit for SFU and I think we have achieved that,” said Clan head coach Clint Schneider. “This group of players fills our needs on our soccer team and they have all demonstrated academic excellence in the classroom.”
sports@tricitynews.com
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Left to right: Terry Fox secondary student Aidan Bain of Port Coquitlam and Dr. Charles Best secondary students Lucas McIlveen and Erik Morden are part of Simon Fraser University’s 2016 recruiting class.