The Point Edward Pacers get the 2017 season underway Friday night with a road game against the London Blue Devils.
The Pacers finished last season with an 8-12 record, two points back of the final playoff spot.
Now that the team is one year older, General Manager Steve Baker expects to be much better this season.
"There's a few guys who will be playing their first season in the league, but overall we are older than last year," says Baker. "We're still young, mostly made up of 18 and 19-year-olds, but they've been in the league a couple years so they have plenty of experience."
Baker says and handful of the players spent the winter playing junior hockey, which helps them adjust to the physicality of Junior 'B' lacrosse.
Pt Edward Pacers in action against the London Blue Devils (Photo by Deb Lawrence)
"It's very similar, there are quite a few junior hockey players who play junior lacrosse as well in other areas," he says. "They battle in the rink all winter and not trade in their hockey stick for lacrosse."
Cameron Rannie, Ethan Dupont and Josh Barraclough all played with the Sarnia Legionnaires in the winter, and are listed on the Pacers roster this season. Barraclough also got to make his OHL debut with the Peterborough Petes at the end of the regular season.
The Pacers host Elora in their home opener Saturday night at Point Edward Arena, that gets underway at 7pm.
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