The Thunder thwarted the Salmonbellies in last year's playoffs. (Province files.)
The Langley Thunder are at it again, coming out of nowhere to steal the show.
The Thunder, who won the Western Lacrosse Association banner last summer after getting swept out of the playoffs in their lone appearance in the previous seven seasons, turned heads once more Monday at the annual junior draft, taking Ontario hotshot Mark Matthews with the fifth overall choice.
Western teams normally select B.C.-bred players, eastern clubs usually pick Ontario talent.
The Coquitlam Adanacs kept with that thinking with the first pick, taking Travis Cornwall from the Jr. Adanacs.
Matthews did play two summers ago with the Jr. Adanacs, is currently enrolled at the University of Denver and is slated to play this coming pro field season with the Denver Outlaws after going fourth overall in the Major Lacrosse League draft.
The Brooklin Redmen have his Senior A rights in Ontario.
The 22-year-old Oshawa native could be one of the game’s next stars. He had 81 points, including 37 goals, in 21 playoff games last summer with the Whitby Warriors en route to helping them win the Minto Cup Junior A national championship. The 6-foot-4, 215 pounder was part of Coquitlam’s Minto win the summer before.
“We’re not 100 per cent he is coming but we’re confident,” said Langley governor Rob Buchan, whose team will need to get his release from Brooklin for that to happen.
“He will be playing MLL In Denver. It makes sense to play on the West Coast for box, because then you can play in both leagues.”
He does have ties to Langley, since their head coach, Rod Jensen, was an assistant with his Adanac team.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Cornwall, 22, had 42 goals and 106 points in 20 regular season games with the Jr. Adanacs last year and 13 goals and 48 points in 14 postseason games.
