PG Minor Lacrosse Grads Trail Blazers

By Kelly Sharp

       PG minor lacrosse graduates conduct Hot Box Lacrosse Skills Camp     

He is only 26 years of age but Shawn Cable is a pioneer of the Prince George minor lacrosse association. Cable was the first PGMLA graduate to play in the National Lacrosse League. Next month he will enter his 6^th season of professional lacrosse and second stint with the Calgary Roughnecks.

“I was more into hockey,” Cable said, when recalling his introduction to lacrosse. He and his brother (Scott) played minor lacrosse in Mackenzie as a summer substitute for hockey. Moving to Prince George when he started high school Shawn continued to improve his lacrosse skills. With junior lacrosse still in the future for Prince George Shawn Cable faced older competition in the Prince George Senior Lacrosse Association.

The Prince George native impressed in the PGSLA, so much so, he earned a try-out with the Victoria Shamrocks where he played 3 seasons.

“I hardly knew anything about the NLL until I got drafted the same year Calgary and Vancouver entered the league,” added Cable, who was selected by the Roughnecks as a 20 year-old.

Cable, the manager of a restaurant in Calgary, says the popularity of the NLL continues to grow because fans respect players who juggle jobs with lacrosse.

“I love playing the game I think that’s a lot what you see with the guys who play in our league, it’s not about money. It’s the love of the game.”

Jeff Moleski, a teammate of Shawn Cable and Brandon Atherton of the Arizona Sting are the two other PG minor lacrosse products in the National Lacrosse League.

Moleski and Cable lead the instruction at the PGMLA Hot Box Lacrosse Christmas skills camp. Junior A help is from Davey Jenkins and Leif Paulson of the New Westminster Salmonbellies and Chris Madden of the Nanaimo Timbermen , all Prince George minor lacrosse association graduates.

The 19 year-old Paulsen combined academics with his lacrosse prowess to earn a scholarship to Cornell. He is a freshman on the nationally ranked field lacrosse team that’s opens league play in February.

“To see all these kids who followed after me, it’s awesome,” Shawn Cable said.

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