New Westminster lacrosse fans that head to Rogers Arena for Vancouver Warrior games for the new season will see two familiar faces on the floor.
Kevin Crowley and Brett Mydske have been named to the team's opening night roster for the 2024-25 National Lacrosse League (NLL) campaign, which begins on the road against Colorado on Friday, Nov. 29.
Vancouver's first home match is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 13, against the Rochester Nighthawks.
Crowley, 36, is set to begin his 12th year in the professional ranks — his first-ever with his hometown Warriors.
Last year, the forward tallied 14 goals and 32 assists for a total of 46 points in 18 regular season games with the San Diego Seals. He added three goals and three assists in one playoff game.
Throughout his NLL career, Crowley has also played with Philadelphia, Toronto and New England.
Over 12 years, he's recorded 351 goals, 470 assists and 821 points in 183 games, scooping up 725 loose balls, amassing 81 penalty minutes and averaging almost 4.5 points per game.
Crowley, a graduate of New Westminster Secondary, was the first of only three players in lacrosse history, to date, to be drafted first overall in both the NLL and MLL/PLL drafts.
He was taken first overall in the 2012 NLL Draft by Philadelphia and in the 2011 MLL Draft by the former Hamilton Nationals.
In 2011, Crowley played for the New West Senior "A" Salmonbellies and led the WLA playoffs with 39 points.
Mydske, 36, will take the Rogers Arena floor for a third consecutive season in hopes of strengthening the Warriors' backend.
The 13-year defender, who serves as team captain, recorded 10 points in 18 games last season, including nine assists and nabbing 110 loose balls.
In 206 NLL games, Mydske has racked up 62 helpers and 99 points with three different teams — Edmonton, Saskatchewan and Vancouver.
Mydske resigned with Vancouver on Oct. 10, and said he believes in the direction of the franchise.
“I don’t envision myself putting on another jersey for the rest of my career,” Mydske said in a news release.
“Being back home in Vancouver and building from where we left off last year is the goal.
“You’ve kind of got to go through the trenches with one another to see what you’ve got, and we definitely started building in the second half of the season last year.”
Off the floor, Mydske is a firefighter in Burnaby.
The Vancouver Warriors finished 12th last year with a record of 8-10.
