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Bruce Codd hopes to give new pickup Carson Michaud a start in net soon.

They seemingly do everything together in lacrosse now, and that means going on the injured list at the same time. Luckily for the Calgary Mountaineers, both Andrew Smistad and Tyler Melnyk got healthy at the same time, too.

Smistad and Melnyk are teammates with the Mounties and were on the same NCAA squad this season with Presbyterian College, where Melnyk’s older brother Matt is also on the roster.

When Presbyterian announced its lacrosse program would be shut down effective at the end of the season, Smistad and the Melnyks were left hanging until they were all picked up by Marquette. That team won’t get fully underway until the 2013 season, but the trio will be on the ground floor.

“We just signed a lease and I’m going to be living with those two down in Milwaukee,” Smistad said. “Growing up, they were from the south and I’m from the north. We played against each other in minor lacrosse. They used to light me up when I was younger. Their teams would beat ours. It’s better to be with them than against them.”

Smistad had a rough NCAA season. He shattered his wrist in practice before the first regular-season game and missed the entire campaign. When he returned to the Mounties, he played in two games but it was weak.

A hamstring injury put him on the shelf for a few weeks, then the Mounties lost Tyler Melnyk to the same hamstring problem. The team suffered through a seven-game losing streak with their leaders out of the lineup.

“We had a bit of a slide,” said defender Smistad, the team’s captain. “We feel like we’re back on track. The last few weeks have been intense. I’m feeling good going into the playoffs. I’m excited to get this first round to see what type of damage we can do.”

Presbyterian shutting down its program was a shock to the players. They went to the college in Clinton, S.C., knowing it would take some years to build. It only started in 2006 but the Big South Conference wasn’t going to add men’s lacrosse as a conference sport.

‘There weren’t even any rumours about it shutting down,” Smistad said. “They were cutting back on our funding so it seemed like things were falling apart. When the word came out after our spring break trip, we were up north for three games, they laid it on us that we would have finished the season and we were done. When it came out, I was surprised.”

Although they will be waiting for a long time to play their first meaningful game, Melnyk is excited about the move to Marquette. The new program should be in a much better situation than Presbyterian.

“It was hard to get guys there because it wasn’t funded that well,” Melnyk said. “Now we’re in the Big East. It’s fully funded and the coach (Joe Amplo) sounds like a great guy. They have a bunch of juniors coming in. It should be a new experience. Hopefully we can build some chemistry up before we play our first game.”

Edmonton Miners

After failing to address scoring at the provincial trade deadline, the Miners shooters were ice cold in a two-game weekend set in Calgary. Over the two games, an 11-4 loss to the Raiders and a 5-5 tie with the Mountaineers, the team went 3-for-23 on the powerplay.

They even squandered a pair of five-on-three opportunities against the Mounties that even extended into overtime.

“If you watch us in practice and see us in games, you would wonder why we change 20 players,” said head coach AJ Johma. “The 20 guys who practice are not the same 20 guys who show up for the games. It’s unbelievable.”

“I honestly believe if they ever get their confidence, there will be positive things happening. It’s just a matter of getting them to believe in themselves. Athletically, they are very good. We’re getting good looks at the net and we’re just not finishing.”

Edmonton Eclipse

Nothing actually happened during a nine-day break for the Eclipse. It just feels like so much went on. With some major trade discussions falling through with the Edmonton Miners, the Eclipse will have the same lineup Wednesday against their crosstown rivals that they’ve used all season.

The two clubs were working on what would have been a five- or six-player swap but the Eclipse killed the deal. The Miners would have picked up some offensive help in the way of graduating seniors. The Eclipse are a point ahead of the Miners in the standings but the two teams face each other twice more, including a big matchup Wednesday night.

The Eclipse were looking at next year during the trade deadline but now the focus shifts back to a Minto Cup run this year.

“Strangely enough the trade talk galvanized the kids,” said head coach RJ Johma. “They are gung ho. We’ll see if it translates to better play.”

Calgary Mountaineers

If the Mounties want to secure either second- or third-place in the province, they will need a win in one of their final two games. That may mean improving their record against senior competition.

The Mounties are 1-4 against senior teams this season, and had they gone .500 in those games, they would have already secured second spot and avoided a first-round matchup against the powerhouse Raiders.

“Hopefully we get that on track this week,” said head coach Rick Windl, whose team plays the Raiders Wednesday night and the senior Knights Saturday.

“We only have one win against seniors. That’s the difference between us and the other junior teams. We’re 2-2 against the Raiders, 2-2 against the Eclipe and 2-2-1 against the Miners. Depending on Wednesday’s game, we’ve split every series. It’s not like we’re struggling against teams in our own division. The senior teams are killing us this year.”

Calgary Raiders

Jimmy Delaney made an instant impact in his first game with the Raiders after coming over from Port Coquitlam at the transfer deadline.

The right-handed forward potted three goals in an 11-4 victory over the Edmonton Miners Sunday. Delaney and goalie Carson Michaud didn’t have the benefit of a practice before stepping on the floor, but they did get to meet teammates during an off-floor workout Saturday.

Head coach Bruce Codd expects to give Michaud a start in one of the final two games of the regular season so he can get sharp before the playoffs start.

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