The 2016 season of the Nova Scotia Senior Lacrosse League has come to a close with the Colby Pool Sharks having earned the league championship over the Twin City Arrows. The two teams now have two championships each since the revival of the Nova Scotia Senior Lacrosse League in 2011. The league officially named Twin City Arrows captain Jamie Dunbar the recipient of the Craig Fawson Memorial Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2016 NSSLL season and his younger brother and teammate Matt Dunbar was named the 2016 NSSLL Top Defender.
I have been involved with co-commissioning the NSSLL for 4 years and I believe our league has gotten better every season. The league is trending towards growth and expansion. Over the years, we have given concessions to teams that struggle in order to balance the teams in the league and to create parity. Over the past 6 seasons, all 4 teams have won the league championship at least once. This is a testament to the current level of parity and balance in the league. It shows that the general managers are willing to compromise for the longevity and quality of our league.
There are more and more players from the East Coast Junior Lacrosse League entering our league who will be the future stars in the league, either in their draft season or years later. We are seeing more “import” players entering the NSSLL from all over Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. An expansion model should be created, developed, and implemented if the league is to entertain the idea of expanding to more than 4 teams. The challenge is in adding 1-2 expansion teams while staying focused on maintaining a level of balance, structure, and integrity. With the proper system, I believe this can be achieved over the next 2 years or less with the right direction.
A player survey conducted this 2016 season revealed some useful information about the direction that the league has taken.
- Most players were satisfied with the commitment level across the league, the majority favouring the commitment level of their own team over the opposing teams, which was expected.
- Most players expressed dissatisfaction with the variety of venues, most of who were satisfied with the quality of said venues. Most players commented the Halifax Forum Complex as their venue of preference.
- A majority of players were satisfied with the NSSLL.ca website but a number of players recommended hiring a professional to improve the media coverage and reports in the league.
- The level of satisfaction for the quality of the league, the lacrosse played, and the level of competitiveness was high among the majority of players, and most felt that it was a better overall product than previous NSSLL seasons.
- The quality of the game officials was close to indifference, but most said that the overall quality improved in 2016 compared to previous seasons.
- The majority of players were satisfied with the league operations and the direction that the league was heading towards.
The league has been taken care of by the four general managers who also take care of their respective teams. This group of co-commissioners has expressed interest in finding a new commissioner with the experience, motivation, and direction to take the NSSLL to the next level. The product on the floor is fast, competitive, and exciting. As one of the only full-contact senior sports in the Maritimes, we are able to create an entertaining sports experience through playing lacrosse. We hope to find a person who can represent our league and help it grow.
Finally, and in no particular order, there are so many people who keep the NSSLL going that I wish to thank for their countless, selfless contributions to our league. I would like to thank Rod Humphries for his work as general manager with the Fighting Orangutangs as well as his work managing the Nova Scotia Privateers travel team which is composed of many NSSLL players. I would like to thank Ryan and Bill Morris for playing for and operating the Colby Pool Sharks to the 2016 NSSLL Championship, their second in league history. I would like to thank Nick Mulligan and Dan Axford for their work playing for and operating their Hali Hustle team, and to Dan for stepping into a treasurer role within the league. I would like to thank our referee-in-chief Terry Clarke for organizing our league officials and for his work officiating as well. I would like to thank our officials for their dedication and their hard work all season long. I would like to thank Lacrosse Nova Scotia President Donna Goguen for helping update the league website rosters, results, and statistics regularly. I would like to thank Luke Smeltzer for timekeeping the majority of the games, and to Jamie Brown and Connor Aquanno for timekeeping in his absence. I thank the Halifax Forum Complex staff, the Spryfield Lion’s Rink staff, and the Sackville Arena staff for allowing us to use their outstanding venues. To anyone who has played a part in the success of the league through watching games, reading reports, and any of our social media supporters I thank you on behalf of the NSSLL and all of its players.
Thank you
Jon Goguen
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