Pioneers Success – Part 2

Pioneers Success Continues – 

No different than other sporting teams and clubs the Pioneers were also affected by COVID-19 with the 2020 and 2021 Presidents Cup cancelled because of the pandemic.

The 2022 season saw another provincial win advancing to the Presidents Cup defeating the Akwesasne Bucks 8–6 regaining the 2022 Presidents Cup Championship being the club’s third National championship played in Edmonton.

In 2023 they won the BC championship heading east to Oakville, Ontario, for the Presidents Cup where they defeated the Edmonton Miners 12–8 winning another championship being back-to-back Presidents Cup champions.

Ladner went on to win the 2024 Presidents Cup pulling off a 9-2 victory over the Edmonton Miners 9–2 which saw them pull off a three-year success becoming the 2022 Presidents Cup Champions, 2023 Presidents Cup Champions and the 2024 Presidents Cup Champions.

The official WCSLA record lists 1998, 2004, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as Ladner’s Presidents Cup championships.

The Pioneers continued their success into 2025.

The WCSLA lists Ladner as the 2025 league champion, adding another championship to a remarkable run.

So the Pioneers’ three-year national championship run ended after 2024 but the Pioneers’ success isn’t limited to Senior B box lacrosse but rather April 2026 saw the Pioneers win the 2026 Men’s Field Lacrosse Provincial Championship, defeating the Hunters 9–6 in the Gold-medal game.

It’s interesting to note that the WCSLA’s current official Ladner page shows the Pioneers winning the championship 12 times:

And the Pioneers have won five Presidents Cups:

1998 — National Champion
2004 — National Champion
2022 — National Champion
2023 — National Champion
2024 — National Champion

What makes the Ladner Pioneers story particularly interesting isn’t simply the number of trophies but rather the longevity considering that they have existed in the WCSLA since 1981.

Over more than four decades, different generations of players, coaches, trainers, managers, governors and volunteers have kept the organization alive.

There are really four major eras in the Pioneers story:

1. 1981–1989

Building the foundation

Ladner establishes itself as a competitive Senior B organization.

2. 1990–1998

The first golden era

Provincial championships lead to the club’s first Presidents Cup in 1998.

3. 2004–2007

National power

Another Presidents Cup in 2004, followed by another WCSLA championship in 2007.

4. 2017–present

The modern resurgence

Provincial championships in 2017 and 2019 lead into the extraordinary national championship run of 2022, 2023 and 2024.

One important point for a complete history

The official WCSLA records give us an excellent championship and league timeline, but they don’t tell the full human story of the Pioneers.

For a truly definitive “History of the Ladner Pioneers”—especially something suitable for Sportswave—I would take this much further and build it around:

• the people who founded the team
• the original 1981 roster
• the first coaches and managers
• the 1980s teams
• the 1990 and 1991 championship teams
• the 1998 Presidents Cup team
• the 2004 championship team
• the 2007 championship
• the 2017 and 2019 revival
• the 2022–24 three-peat
• the 2025 season
• the 2026 team
• the Ladner Leisure Centre
• important players and coaches
• team executives and volunteers
• individual awards
• photographs and team rosters
• stories from former players
• the connection between Ladner lacrosse and the broader Delta lacrosse community.

The current WCSLA page identifies John Burr as president/governor, Bruce Davidson as general manager, and Ross Frehlick as alternate governor, with Ross Frehlick, Derek Merrell and Ryan Keith listed among the coaching staff.