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6 in 6: Moncton Mavericks
2015-05-04
After folding the entire 2014, the Moncton Mavericks are back and looking to build off a 2013 Garnet Knight Finals cup run to solidify themselves once again as a force in the East Coast Junior Lacrosse League. Click READ MORE for a team preview.
6 Teams in 6 Weeks ECJLL Preview
Finally – Moncton Mavericks
May 4, 2015
Colin Beiswanger
A year after making the Garnet Knight Cup finals and losing to champion Halifax Southwest Hurricanes, the Moncton Mavericks folded for the entire 2014 season with two weeks before the first ball dropped.
This year, backed by New Brunswick lacrosse mainstay Gary Wallace, the team is looking for a fresh start in a league seeing lots of changes heading into 2015.
The team will include many fresh faces, and the Mavericks are the only true unknown heading into 2015. With a provincial border separating the Mavericks and the rest of the East Coast Junior Lacrosse League teams, will this team thrive and return to the determined and gritty lacrosse they are known for, or will the layoff leave them picking up the pieces?
Offseason
At the start of the 2014 season the Mavericks figured they’d be putting out a pretty thin team with only 10 Junior players with 4 Midget call-ups to round out the 2014 roster. Despite trying to push through a down year the team decided to fold and look forward to a 2015 revitalization.
Given the Mavericks pull from a much broader area in New Brunswick, and the distance from the rest of the league, the team is does not participate in the ECJLL Entry Draft.
Rookie and Young Impact Players
Team manager Randy Canning is adamant new goaltender Keeghan Delaney will make an immediate impact for the team in 2015. The team will benefit from the return of both Jesse Magarvey and Mackenzie McCoy. Canning said the team was happy they decided to come out again despite the setbacks of 2014 and pointed to Jack Boyle as well to lead the team this year. Losing 50-goal scorer Ricky Canning and All-ECJLL player Rob Diamond from the 2013 squad leaves a lot of scoring to be replaced on this year’s team.
Jesse Magarvey leads the group having 28 (8 goals, 20 assists), with Jack Boyle (10 goals, 15 assists) and Mackenzie McCoy (7 goals, 12 assists) expected to take significant leaps points-wise from 2013.
Coaching Staff
Gary Wallace is back with the team as Head Coach for 2015, and Randy Canning mentioned that up until I spoke with him last week the team was still looking to round out it’s coaching staff. Wallace was able to take a Mount A team that had never won a game to earning respect within the MUFLL for their approach to the fundamentals of the game, and making solid gains against power house teams Dalhousie, StFX, and St. Mary’s.
Gary is also familiar to Halifax Northwest Marley Lions coaches Tyler James and Ali Rehman, coaching both as members of those Mount Allison teams.
Season Outlook
The Moncton Mavericks are the only true wild card team entering the 2015 ECJLL season. While events like the Scouting Combine, ECJLL Midget Entry Draft, and Metro High School tournament bring much of the East Coast lacrosse community together, the Moncton Mavericks do not have representatives participating in any of these events. This can either work as an advantage for the club or leave them unaware of their opponents’ capabilities heading in this season. A 2013 finals run has to give the team confidence they can compete at the Junior level, but losing their top scorers from that squad leaves some wondering where the scoring is going to come from.
Look for the Mavericks to battle for the fourth and final playoff spot, or maybe compete with the Dartmouth Bandits and Halifax Southwest Hurricanes for that third spot in the ECJLL standings. Both teams have significant losses from last year and they could see their production drop off significantly from their strong 2014 showings.
Previous 6 Teams 6 Weeks Previews:
Week 1: Halifax Southwest Hurricanes
Week 2: Dartmouth Bandits
Week 3: Mi'kmaq Warriors
Week 4: Sackville Wolves
Week 5: Halifax Northwest Marley Lions
Finally – Moncton Mavericks
May 4, 2015
Colin Beiswanger
A year after making the Garnet Knight Cup finals and losing to champion Halifax Southwest Hurricanes, the Moncton Mavericks folded for the entire 2014 season with two weeks before the first ball dropped.
This year, backed by New Brunswick lacrosse mainstay Gary Wallace, the team is looking for a fresh start in a league seeing lots of changes heading into 2015.
The team will include many fresh faces, and the Mavericks are the only true unknown heading into 2015. With a provincial border separating the Mavericks and the rest of the East Coast Junior Lacrosse League teams, will this team thrive and return to the determined and gritty lacrosse they are known for, or will the layoff leave them picking up the pieces?
Offseason
At the start of the 2014 season the Mavericks figured they’d be putting out a pretty thin team with only 10 Junior players with 4 Midget call-ups to round out the 2014 roster. Despite trying to push through a down year the team decided to fold and look forward to a 2015 revitalization.
Given the Mavericks pull from a much broader area in New Brunswick, and the distance from the rest of the league, the team is does not participate in the ECJLL Entry Draft.
Rookie and Young Impact Players
Team manager Randy Canning is adamant new goaltender Keeghan Delaney will make an immediate impact for the team in 2015. The team will benefit from the return of both Jesse Magarvey and Mackenzie McCoy. Canning said the team was happy they decided to come out again despite the setbacks of 2014 and pointed to Jack Boyle as well to lead the team this year. Losing 50-goal scorer Ricky Canning and All-ECJLL player Rob Diamond from the 2013 squad leaves a lot of scoring to be replaced on this year’s team.
Jesse Magarvey leads the group having 28 (8 goals, 20 assists), with Jack Boyle (10 goals, 15 assists) and Mackenzie McCoy (7 goals, 12 assists) expected to take significant leaps points-wise from 2013.
Coaching Staff
Gary Wallace is back with the team as Head Coach for 2015, and Randy Canning mentioned that up until I spoke with him last week the team was still looking to round out it’s coaching staff. Wallace was able to take a Mount A team that had never won a game to earning respect within the MUFLL for their approach to the fundamentals of the game, and making solid gains against power house teams Dalhousie, StFX, and St. Mary’s.
Gary is also familiar to Halifax Northwest Marley Lions coaches Tyler James and Ali Rehman, coaching both as members of those Mount Allison teams.
Season Outlook
The Moncton Mavericks are the only true wild card team entering the 2015 ECJLL season. While events like the Scouting Combine, ECJLL Midget Entry Draft, and Metro High School tournament bring much of the East Coast lacrosse community together, the Moncton Mavericks do not have representatives participating in any of these events. This can either work as an advantage for the club or leave them unaware of their opponents’ capabilities heading in this season. A 2013 finals run has to give the team confidence they can compete at the Junior level, but losing their top scorers from that squad leaves some wondering where the scoring is going to come from.
Look for the Mavericks to battle for the fourth and final playoff spot, or maybe compete with the Dartmouth Bandits and Halifax Southwest Hurricanes for that third spot in the ECJLL standings. Both teams have significant losses from last year and they could see their production drop off significantly from their strong 2014 showings.
Previous 6 Teams 6 Weeks Previews:
Week 1: Halifax Southwest Hurricanes
Week 2: Dartmouth Bandits
Week 3: Mi'kmaq Warriors
Week 4: Sackville Wolves
Week 5: Halifax Northwest Marley Lions