Severity of Billy Dee Smith’s knee injury still unknown, surgery expected next month, Shawn Williams broken arm vs. Chiefs

Buffalo Bandits, Road to the Mann Cup, Rochester Knighthawks

Severity of Billy Dee Smith’s knee injury still unknown, surgery expected next month, Shawn Williams broken arm vs. Chiefs

August 16th, 2010 by Paul Tutka

The severity of Billy Dee Smith's knee injury is still unknown, surgery expected. (Larry Palumbo)

Late last month Insider reported that former National Lacrosse League Defender of the Year Billy Dee Smith would be undergoing an MRI after sustaining an apparent knee injury during this year’s World Lacrosse Championships in Manchester, England, Smith going down with what Team Canada was initially reporting as an ACL injury during the team’s gold medal game against the Americans.

Insider confirmed today with Buffalo Bandits Director of Lacrosse Operations Scott Loffler that the team has yet been able to determine the specifics or severity of Smith’s injury, the Bandits anticipating their star defender to go under the knife sometime next month, Loffler saying only then will doctors be able to determine exactly what’s wrong with Smith and how long he’ll potentially be sidelined for.

Smith had been suiting up for the MSL’s Six Nations Chiefs prior to playing for Canada in England, obviously on the shelf since returning, the Chiefs currently locked in a heated series with the two-time defending MSL and Mann Cup champion Brampton Excelsiors, who’ve run into some unexpected high profile injury issues themselves.

As first reported in Jeff Dowling’s Major Power Rankings earlier today, the Excels will be without Shawn Williams, last year’ Mann Cup MVP, after Williams sustained a broken arm during Brampton’s series with Six Nations.

The Rochester Knighthawks long standing leader was whacked in the arm by Chiefs defender Murray Porter’s wooden stick during the first period of Friday’s Game 4 between the two sides, Williams playing through the pain for the majority of the game, out of the Excel’s lineup during last night’s 11-8 win.

It’s fully expected that Williams will be lost for the remainder of the playoffs, some sources confirming he’ll likely be sidelined for upwards of six weeks.

Brampton currently leads the series 3-2, Game 6 Tuesday night (8PM) at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena.

Should the Senior game continue to allow players to play with wooden sticks?