Playoff Notebook: Veterans Get Back to Postseason and Playoff Mindset

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NLL Vancouver Warriors

Playoff Notebook: Veterans Get Back to Postseason and Playoff Mindset

April 24, 2025 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Vancouver Warriors News Release


As the Vancouver Warriors prepare to host their first playoff game under Warriors' General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky, there's a sense of purpose in the locker room.

With a veteran core that's seen the highs and lows of postseason lacrosse, and a group that's weathered the grind of the regular season to string together a six-game win streak, the Warriors are entering the playoffs with momentum, belief, and a clear identity.

From captain Brett Mydske to his defensive cohort Matt Beers, Ryan Dilks, Jeff Cornwall and forward Riley Loewen, the message is the same: details matter in the playoffs and the team is ready to embrace the pressure.

We've got a two-part playoff notebook with thoughts about the postseason from the players above to get you primed for the game on Saturday.

What it Means

In his 14th NLL season, Mydske is preparing for his 10th postseason appearance. A chance at a championship is why everyone plays the game and to do that, Mydske says they set out team goals at the beginning of the year and chipped away at achieving them, taking it one game at a time.

"Our number one goal at the beginning of the year was securing a postseason spot. We got to check that off the list and like Curt said, once that was off the list, then the next goal was to get a home playoff date. We checked that one off, and now we're just excited to play in front of our home crowd - it's meant a lot to us all season," Mydske said.

"They give us that little extra motivation. It gets loud in there; we build on their energy, and it helps us go on runs. So, to be able to have a one and done playoff game at home, it means everything to us."

Cornwall went to the playoffs most recently with the Calgary Roughnecks but has been to the postseason eight times and played in five NLL Cup finals.

"It's huge. If you ask anyone around the league, they know that once you make it to the postseason it's totally different, anyone can win a game, and anyone can win a playoff series. So, the stakes are a lot higher and that's why we play the sport; to play when the stakes are highest," Cornwall said.

Dilks was part of the Rush dynasty with Mydske and Cornwall but hasn't been to the postseason since 2018. The two-time defensive player of the year had been to eight consecutive postseasons from 2011 to 2018 and said through that time he probably took it for granted, but over the last few years he's realized how precious the playoffs are.

"It feels amazing. It's obviously a goal we had at the start of the year, and it's a good step in the right direction, but now we're here we have a new goal - bringing a championship back to Vancouver," Dilks said. "I missed playing important games at the end of April and into May here, so I'm really looking forward to it."

Dilks has the utmost confidence going into battle with Warriors' Head Coach and General Manager Curt Malawsky leading the way.

"He puts his players in the right positions for success. He has the most experience out of all of us, so he knows more about the game and as long as we follow his instructions, it usually leads to a good thing," Dilks said.

The last time Riley Loewen went to the playoffs was 2019 with the Calgary Roughnecks with Malawsky as his coach. Loewen says it's a relief to be able to get over the hump and give their fans a home playoff game.

"To have Curt come here last year and change the culture has been pretty unbelievable," Loewen said. "There were times after games the last few years where you feel so bad for the fans that we can't give them a good product and over the last season and last year. I feel like coming to the rink is so fun, and you just hear more people talking about the team, and then being on the floor signing autographs, you can just see the excitement in everyone. So, that kind of fuels us."

Matt Beers enters his fifth postseason in his 14-year NLL career, and the last time he went to the playoffs was in 2017 with the Vancouver Stealth. Beers won a championship with the Washington Stealth in his rookie season (2010) and went to the NLL Cup Finals in 2011 and 2013.

"When I was young, I didn't realize how fortunate I was to be playing on such a good team and have the success we did right out of the gate. Since then, it's made me a little more appreciative of the process of how hard it is to get back there," Beers said.

Beers knows anything can happen in the playoffs - bounces that may or may not go your way and calls - and that they must ride the ebbs and flows and control what they can.

"I have just as much confidence in this team as I did in the [Stealth] teams when we went to the playoffs, 2010, 2011, and '13. We have the pieces and the caliber people to win it all if we put it all together at the right time," Beers said.

Playoff Mindset

The six-game win streak gave the Warriors confidence going into the playoffs. They've experienced how much the details matter, which was one of their biggest takeaways from the regular season.

"The biggest thing that our team got from the season was being in all those close one-goal games and seeing how the little things could make it turn one way or the other. Missing a loose ball can lead to a goal and the smallest of details end up being great contributors to the outcome of the game. Having experienced both the losing and winning sides of that, our team has grown a lot over the past 18 games, and I think that we're ready to take the next step as a playoff team to make a push," Cornwall said.

One important detail that has been a team mantra since Malawsky has been in Vancouver is breaking the game down into five-minute segments.

"Having that five minutes at a time is a good way of making sure everybody resets and keeps the energy even keel," Mydske said.

The Warriors pulled themselves out of a midseason slump, which has helped build a playoff mindset. They've gained confidence, putting solid games together against tough opponents down the stretch.

"I think in the middle of the season there, we're, we're still kind of figuring out how to get all three aspects of the game on the floor once. Some games, our defence and goaltending would be great, but we couldn't get offence going, and then vice versa in other games," Dilks said.

"It's about how you stick with it, you don't panic right, don't give up on each other. You trust the system, trust what the coaches are telling us, implement it on the floor and sure enough, now we're on that six-game run, and all three aspects of the game are coming together at the right time, and there's no better time to keep it going in here than in the first round."

Loewen said even when the Warriors offence wasn't at its best at the beginning of the season, the belief that they had the next goal was always there. There's trust in each other in every part of the game going into the postseason.

"Our defence has been our backbone all year, and then obviously getting Christian [Del Bianco] gives a lot of confidence in your offence and takes a lot of pressure off," Loewen said.

The Warriors haven't faced the Rochester Knighthawks since their home opener in December and Beers says that doesn't change their approach to the game.

"It's a whole new season; it's one and done. We've got to make sure we don't worry about what we've done in the past, we've got to worry about what we're going to do this weekend," Beers said.

"You have to be clean, make sure that you're organized on the back end, and that Delbs can see the shots. We've been playing well, we're scouting individual players for their tendencies, but our systems stay the same."

With Vancouver fans behind them and a season's worth of lessons in their back pocket, the Warriors are embracing the moment. The grit, growth, and the grind have all led to this opportunity - a chance to take another step toward a championship in front of their home crowd.

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