Talk about having the rug pulled out from under you.
A week before leaving for the BC Junior B Tier 1 Lacrosse Provincials in Kamloops, which begin on Saturday, the Prince George Posse have been barred from competing after being told previously they were eligible.
This means they have no chance at representing the province during the Founders Cup national championship in Saint, John New Brunswick set for August 16-23.
The last-minute decision went against a July 7th ruling by the governing body’s Appeal Panel which indicated the Posse would indeed be eligible to challenge for the B1 provincial title.
Head coach Jeff Moleski believes the program is paying a stiff price for their home base.
“It is a provincially-funded organization and we are (Prince George) is part of the province and it feels like we are being geographically punished because of it.”
“I feel like they just want us to go away but frankly, we are not going away because we have been told and promised we were in and we feel we have been lied to. We have such a good group of committed kids, parents and the community of Prince George always steps up for its teams and athletes.”
“It’s tough being in the north and every step of the way, we have to battle.” added Moleski.
The BC Lacrosse Association provided a statement to MyPGNow.com where it mentioned the only path to provincials was to play in a recognized league.
The governing body says the Posse unsuccessfully applied to join the Thompson-Okanagan Junior Lacrosse League this season.
In January, the upstart Posse were invited to a meeting where the club unveiled its budget, player list, community support and floor time availability in the northern capital.
The TOJLL cited concerns about additional travel costs and a final decision was made to allow the Posse to visit for exhibition games. The club was directed to re-apply for full membership for 2027.
In addition, BCLA President Gerry Van Beek stated to Moleski a recent case in which a team from the West Kootenays that did not play in a league was allowed to challenge for a provincial championship.
PG’s matter was discussed at length by the senior directorate in February, after which the team received a phone call to indicate they would be eligible for provincials.
“A lot of these kids gave up summer jobs after being told they were promised a pathway to provincials and we gave our spiel and pitch back in February and were granted that. It’s been nothing but a struggle since May, we went through an appeal process, won that appeal and all of a sudden a week before we get a call and an email that we were not eligible due to a policy that was incorrect.” added Moleski.
“It’s heartbreaking for these kids who have endured so much and that is what its about. It’s the kids and their ability to compete at a provincial level and represent the north.”
The results of their six-game exhibition series would determine if they ended up in the in Tier 1 or Tier 2 provincial championship.
The Posse fell in its opening two-game set against the Port Coquitlam Saints. PG rebounded by defeating Ridge Meadows and Delta soon after. In its first sojourn through the Thompson-Okanagan, PG upended Kamloops and North Okanagan going 4-2 in the process.
“There is a plan to re-apply and play in the league next year if they will have. We are going to make sure there is a place for these kids play next year and grow the game in the north.”
Poco takes on Kamloops at provincials, which is being held at the Kamloops Memorial Arena.
You can read the full statement from BCLA President Gerry Van Beek by clicking below:
BCLA Statement PG Posse-1,BCLA Statement PG Posse-2
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