Reduced to two teams, the Thompson Okanagan Senior Lacrosse League is an easy target for punch lines, but there is nothing funny about it having one knee on the canvas.

The Kelowna Raiders were unable to floor a team this year, citing a lack of numbers. The Vernon Tigers became extinct prior to the 2013 campaign.

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Kamloops and defending champion Armstrong remain, with a six-game series between the two teams deciding the league champion.

“It’s nice to keep the league alive,” Rattlers’ captain Mark Jurista said. “We just want to keep it going.”

Jurista has been sounding the alarm for years, suggesting the demise of the league may be imminent if Kamloops folds.

That has nearly happened on multiple occasions, including prior to this 2018 season, but the Rattlers have been bolstered in recent months by unexpected out-of-town additions.

There were 18 players on the Rattlers’ roster sheet on Sunday, when the Shamrocks earned a 12-5 victory in the season-opening tilt at Memorial Arena.

Mike Henry (2G, 2A), JJ Woldum (2G, 1A), Victor Rowe (1G), Andrew Kennedy (1A), Chris Kerssens (1A), Jacob Brown (1A) and Ryan Emery (1A) had points for Kamloops in support of goaltender Scott Helton.

Jurista said there may even be one or two more junior graduates on the way, former Kamloops Venom runners who would help round out the roster.

The option to carry anywhere close to 20 players would be a treat, considering Kamloops had to forfeit its place in the championship series against Armstrong last year due to a lack of players. The Rattlers also forfeited one league game last season.

The Raiders stepped in to play the Shamrocks in the 2017 final and were swept from the series in three games. Now Kelowna doesn’t have a team.

“In Kelowna, I think it’s organizational,” Jurista said. “We’re hoping they can get their act together.

“We almost had Vernon back this year. They just couldn’t get the numbers. We’re hoping they’ll be back next year.”

Numbers are good in Armstrong, which had 19 players on the roster on Sunday, not including Blake Frederickson, whose antics in the championship series last year led to a three-game suspension that carried into 2018.

Some of those ‘Rocks are nomad Tigers, lacrosse lovers from Vernon without a home of their own.

The Rattlers are shaking things up at practice this year, hosting open-to-the-public scrimmages on Tuesday nights instead of traditional training sessions.

“We’ve changed it to a masters drop-in,” Jurista said, noting scrimmages begin at 8:30 p.m. at Memorial. “Retired senior Rattlers can come out to play. No hitting. Minimal contact.”

Armstrong will play host to the next league game on Friday.

The Rattlers and Shamrocks will play for a third time on May 25 in Kamloops. Game time is 8 p.m.

Fans who miss that one will have three more chances to see the same two teams play again this season.