November 28, 2024 – National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Warriors press release

The Vancouver Warriors are excited to get the season underway with their first game in the Mile High City against the Colorado Mammoth.

The Warriors finished the friendly 1-0-1, beat the Mammoth 16-9 and narrowly lost in a shootout 14-13 to the Calgary Roughnecks.

In the forward group, rookies Payton Cormier and Johnathan Peshko begin their first season with the Warriors. Cormier and Peshko add even more power to an already strong offense, as each of them scored in both preseason games.

Vancouver returns its top three scorers from last season – Keegan Bal, Adam Charlambides and Ryan Martel. Last season, in two meetings against the Mammoth, Bal scored 12 points (4G, 8A), Charalambides had a dozen of his own (4G, 8A) and Martel had five points (1G, 4A).

The Warriors had an even score in both preseason games, and nearly every forward scored against the Roughnecks.

The Warriors’ defensive core is back, led by veteran – and captain – Brett Mydske. NLL Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Dilks is part of the returning veteran core ready to give Mammoth a hard time on Friday. Free agent signing Jeff Cornwall will appear in his first NLL game for Vancouver, while Remo Schenato and Alec Stathakis have proven to be strong additions to the franchise in both preseason games.

Goalkeepers Aden Walsh and Connor O’Toole are between the goals for Vancouver, with both goalkeepers seeing action in pre-season. Last year, Walsh took over the starting job midway through the season and helped the Warriors to a 6-2 record in their final eight games.

The Warriors look to turn things around on Friday at Ball Arena. Since 2019, the Mammoth have a 9-3 record over the Warriors and Colorado has a perfect 6-0 record at home.

After missing last season with a lower-body injury, Mammoth forward Ryan Lee returns to action this year.

There’s plenty of BC talent on Colorado’s roster to keep an eye out for. Defenseman Connor Robinson and forward Will Malcom represent New Westminster. Malcom is a newcomer to Mammoth and was selected first overall in the Dispersal Draft.

Local talent in the forward group also includes Burnaby’s Thomas Vela, Delta’s Ben McDonald and Surrey’s Eli McLaughlin. The back end consists of Richmond’s Jordan Gilles and Coquitlam’s Jalen Chaster.

The Warriors matchup against Mammoth in Colorado at Ball Arena on Friday, November 29th at 6:30 pm PT. You can watch the action on TSN or stream it on TSN+. Registering for TSN+ is free and can be done here.

The Warriors open their home game on Friday, December 13th at Rogers Arena against the Rochester Knighthawks. Season tickets, group tickets, premium options and all ticket options can be found at vancouverwarriors.com.

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