Jr Lacrosse Headed To London ?
From The Free Press
Thursday June 13, 2002
THE FOREST CITY -- Two Londoners play in the National Lacrosse League.
Seven more from this area play in Jr "A" lacrosse.
Coincidence?
Absolutely not.
After a number of years for a sport that appeared to be on its last legs
in this area, lacrosse has found new limbs.
Registration for the London Minor Lacrosse Association has increased to
the point where even the most optimistic of organizers is surprised.
"We expected that the numbers were going up," says Brian Laporte,
president of the Blue Devils organization. "We plan for a big increase
but we seem to get more than we planned every year.
"We have a problem finding coaches and arranging floor time. But those
are luxury problems, really. We had more growth in London than anywhere
else in Southwestern Ontario. We are now the fourth largest centre in
the province."
Three years ago, registration for minor lacrosse numbered fewer than
400. This year more than 800 have signed to play house league and
competitive lacrosse in the city.
The surge in popularity is no mystery to those who have played or
watched the game. There are few sports that combine a need for skill,
the ability to withstand physical play and conditioning.
It has always been a great sport. Many well-known professional athletes
played lacrosse at one time or another, including NHLers Brendan
Shanahan and Joe Nieuwendyk. But for whatever reason, the greatness of
the sport never translated into numbers or recognition.
That seems to have changed.
"The exposure of the game on television with the Toronto Rock has really
helped and the fact now kids can see junior games on Friday has really
helped," Laporte says. "The sport is finally getting some exposure.
"It also seems that a lot of kids are looking for something different
other than soccer and baseball and lacrosse falls right in there."
No one needs more proof of the effect TV has on the game than by looking
at the huge increase in numbers at peewee and bantam levels (ages 12 to
15). Last year's peewee house league operated with 10 teams. This year
there are 14.
There were six bantam teams last year. This year there are ten.
Those ages are often glued to the TV set and most influenced by what
they see. The NLL broadcasts are often raucous, loud affairs with plenty
of music. It looks like it would be fun to attend and fun to watch.
Then there are players like Drew Candy, playing with the Rock, and Chris
Standish with the Washington Power, who give legitimacy to the sport.
Now players have something they can shoot for.
When you add into the mix local players playing Jr "A" lacrosse --
Trevor Meyerhoffer and Brody Campbell with Kitchener, Luke Forget, Mike
Carnegie and Ryan Pare with Brampton, Scott Carnegie and Jeff Hobbs with
Orangeville, there is a sense the game doesn't have to stop at an early
age for a player who is good and really enjoys playing.
The Blue Devils operate teams from peanut (four years old) to
intermediate (20).
"The peanuts play with a sponge ball. We just want teach them to catch
and throw," says Laporte. "We give them a shirt and they feel they are a
part of something. They love that."
It's this grassroots revival that offers hope for the future. It's a
future that promises much in this area. With a new downtown
entertainment complex, Laporte acknowledges a junior B or A team is a
possibility. As for the NLL, they'll go where there's money.
"I got some irons in the fire," says Laporte, talking about the
possibility of entering the junior lacrosse business. "We'll try and get
this thing going. We're talking about a few things. We have four weeks
left in the house league season. Then we'll see if we can find some
money.
"I've got a few ideas."
As well as having a lot of players.
Pat Maddalena
Newcomer Making Impression On
Major Athletics
Welland native brings scoring touch to Major A's
By Alison Rogers: St.Catharines Standard
Wednesday June 12, 2002
PORT DALOUSIE -- If you're a devoted Athletics' fan who hasn't paid much
attention to university lacrosse, you might not know much about the
Major A's newest addition, Pat Maddalena.
Though the 23-year-old Welland native starred with the Brock Badgers
field lacrosse team and was named the school's male athlete of the year
a few weeks back, Maddalena had never donned an A's jersey until last
week.
A three-year veteran of the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse
League, Maddalena made his Ontario Lacrosse Association major debut in
Peterborough (a 6-5 loss for the A's) Thursday and played at Bill
Burgoyne Arena Saturday in the A's 12-10 loss to Brampton Excelsiors.
Maddalena registered hat tricks in both games and now has 10 points on
the season.
After Saturday's game, Maddalena reflected on his junior A career with
the Burlington Chiefs. Ironically, he thinks his efforts in the junior A
all-star game staged at Bill Burgoyne Arena made the pro scouts take
notice.
"I think it all got started with the all-star game here in my last year
of junior," said Maddalena, a kinesiology grad who is working in Niagara
Falls.
"That game went really well for me and this is a floor I've always
played really well on."
After playing his minor lacrosse in Pelham, Maddalena was the Chiefs'
first pick in the 1995 junior draft and earned the OLA junior A league's
rookie-of-the-year award the following year.
He played 92 games with the Chiefs and was coached one season by St.
Catharines' Jim Brady.
He finished his junior career with 158 goals and 158 assists and was
drafted by the Bandits in the second round of the NLL draft in 1999,
14th overall.
Maddalena finished his third season with the Bandits with 22 goals --
fourth highest on a team that includes John Tavares -- and 14 assists.
He spent the last two summers playing for the New Westminster
Salmonbellies in the Western Lacrosse Association Senior A League, but a
new job has kept him in town this summer.
"I was always excited and wanted to be a part of the St.Catharines
teams," said Maddalena. "I got drafted and the Burlington people treated
me really well.
"I knew a lot of guys like Andy Turner, Sean Howe, Tom Hajek, and it's
good to finally play here."
Maddalena is headed to Perth, Australia, in a month to play for Canada
in the world field lacrosse championships. His A's teammate, Kyle
Arbuckle, will play for Scotland.
Maddalena, one of the fastest players in the NLL, joins Bandits'
teammates Pat McCready, Pete Tavares and Marc Landriault (another former
Chief) with the A's this season.
The A's host Akwesasne Thunder in a makeup game at Bill Burgoyne Arena
Thursday at 8:30 p.m. The A's face Brooklin Redmen for the second time
this season Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bill Burgoyne Arena.
THE SCOOP
Pat Maddalena
Age: 23 (turns 24 this month)
Sport: Lacrosse
Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 165 pounds
Teams: St. Catharines Major Athletics of the OLA; Buffalo Bandits of the
NLL; Canadian field lacrosse team.
Stats: Buffalo Bandits 2001-2002: 22 goals,14 assists, 36 points -
fourth in scoring on team; New Westminster Salmonbellies 2001: 23 goals,
28 assists, 51 points in 19 games.
Cullen Returns To Lacrosse Roots
Resurfaces with Athletics after
concentrating on junior hockey career
By Bill Potrecz: St.Catharines Standard
Tuesday June 11, 2002
ST.CATHARINES -- When Brandon Cullen gave up lacrosse four years ago to
concentrate on hockey, he did so grudgingly.
Just 17 at the time and heading into his first year with the Oshawa
Generals, Cullen figured it would be best to take the summer off from
lacrosse, hit the weight room and bulk up for the upcoming hockey
season.
"I wish now that I hadn't given it up, I had so much fun," Cullen said.
In fact, Cullen missed the game so much he approached the St.Catharines
Athletics about a comeback this season. The A's, coming off a Minto Cup
championship, were immediately interested.
"Watching my buddies on the team the last few years, and the fact I
always loved it so much and had so much fun, it was my last chance to
play junior," he said. "With nothing definite as far as my future in
hockey, I figured why pass it up?"
Cullen made his debut for the A's Sunday and had a goal and an assist in
a 10-7 win over Peterborough.
"To tell you the truth, I've never had so much fun for a long time,"
Cullen said. "It was good to get a goal in that first game."
Cullen, 21, will make his home debut Wednesday when the undefeated
Fitness Depot A's (10-0) play host to Six Nations Arrows, fourth in the
Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior A standings with a respectable 6-4
mark. Game time at Bill Burgoyne Arena is 8 P.M.
Cullen's role with the A's appears clear as far as general manager Bob
Luey is concerned.
"We need to improve our goal scoring," Luey said. "Our goaltending and
defence have been fine, but we've got to find a way to score more
goals."
As a hockey player, Cullen is noted as a tough, two-way grinder. That's
not the case on the lacrosse floor.
"When I first told people I was going to be playing (lacrosse) they said
the A's needed a fighter but I told them, 'No, No.' I do that all
winter. I don't need to do it all summer."
In fact, Cullen said he was a prolific goal scorer in his last season of
minor lacrosse.
"I left the game leading Ontario in scoring, and I want to go back to
that," he said.
Cullen, who played the 1997-98 season for St. Catharines Falcons before
being drafted by Oshawa, wound up his junior hockey career with Erie
Otters this season.
The Otters made it to the Memorial Cup and were within seconds of
advancing to the championship final but ultimately were eliminated in
overtime.
It was a bitter pill for Cullen to swallow -- particularly considering
it was his final season in junior.
"I was kind of disappointed with the Memorial Cup thing," he said. "It's
kind of overrated. You work so hard to get there, you battle for four
seven-game series, and then, all of a sudden, you have one bad game and
it's over."
Cullen's arrival should help offset the loss of sniper Craig Conn. Conn,
who has seven goals and 16 points in five games this season after a
26-goal effort last year, will miss about three weeks while he takes
summer courses at the University of Massachusetts where he attends
school on a field lacrosse scholarship. Conn may be able to play in the
occasional game since his courses are scheduled Monday through Thursday.
NOTES: The A's will play a make-up game Friday, July 5, in Burlington.
The game was originally scheduled for June 2 but was postponed when the
officials failed to show up.
Athletics Win Streak At Nine
Continue domination of junior A league
with win over Chiefs
By Bill Potrecz: St.Catharines Standard
Thursday June 6, 2002
PORT DALOUSIE -- It may sound a little strange, but despite winning
their first nine games of the season, the St.Catharines Athletics insist
the best is yet to come.
"There's always room for improvement," A's Kyle Neufeld said Wednesday
night at Bill Burgoyne Arena after the Athletics topped Burlington
Chiefs 10-5 in Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior A game played before
about 300 fans. "There are a lot of things we still want to work on, and
we're going to get right at it."
Niagara Fitness A's are now a perfect 9-0. The Chiefs dropped to 3-6-0.
The A's not only have yet to taste defeat, but they are also among the
league leaders in several statistical categories.
Perhaps the most important is goals against where the A's came into
Wednesday's games leading the league permitting just over six goals per
game.
"Our defence is very key to our success," said Neufeld, who picked up
four points on two goals and two assists.
"Both our goalies are playing well and our defence are playing excellent
man-to-man and not getting beat."
A's figured to be strong in net with the return of Minto Cup Most
valuable player Matt Vinc. Add in the aforementioned solid defence and
an explosive offence headed by Sean Greenhalgh, Craig Conn and newcomer
Jon Iannucci, and it appears the only team that can beat the A's is the
A's.
Wednesday night's game was a perfect example.
The A's jumped out to a 3-1 lead with a solid opening period, then got
into some bad habits in the second before turning it back on in the
third and outscoring the Chiefs 5-1 in the final 20 minutes.
Neufeld said that ability to turn it on and off can be a blessing in
disguise.
"That's something you don't want to get into," said Neufeld, who expects
to return to the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League this
fall. "It's a bad habit. If it's something we can do then it's a plus,
but we don't want to."
A's Morris Conn said he and fellow co-coach Steve Fannell had a chat
with the players following their sluggish effort in the second.
"They started running around and playing jungle ball if you want to call
it that," Conn said. "We went straight to the dressing room and they
went back to playing exactly how we asked them to."
Conn admits that with a club oozing with talent, the coaching staff's
biggest hurdle this year will be to keep everyone on the same page.
"You try to keep them all playing as a team," Conn said. "This is a hard
team to do that with because of the talent level. That's not a knock by
any means, but you want to keep everybody happy.
"It's only natural for a shooter to go out there and want to wail away.
That's just a natural instinct, but we as coaches have to try and get
control of that."
Is Time Running Out
On Hawks?
By Brent Cooper: Huntsville Forester
Thursday June 6, 2002
HUNTSVILLE -- The Huntsville Hawks may have found their stride in the
past few games, posting a respectable 3-5 record in the past eight games
But now the question that should be on the minds of Hawk fans: are the
Hawks running out of time in which to make the Ontario Lacrosse
Association East playoffs?
Win number three came on Sunday against Markham, a 12-11 overtime win on
the road against the Ironheads. What makes the win against the 3-11
Ironheads impressive is that the Hawks were missing five regulars due to
injuries and personal commitments, and were playing their third game in
less than 72 hours.
But the Hawks have only nine games remaining in the OLA season, and
trail Oakville by four points for the fourth and final playoff spot in
the Central East division.
While this might not seem like an insurmountable total, the schedule is
not favouring Huntsville by any means.
The team hits the road this weekend for two games, a Saturday game
versus Ononodaga and a Sunday afternoon contest against Akwesasne. The
two teams are currently battling for first in the Far East division.
Huntsville's next home game is on June 11, when they host the Barrie
Tornado at the Jack Bionda Arena, with the game starting at 8 P.M.
Barrie is tied with the Green Gaels for top spot in the Central East,
each with 10-4 records.
Co-coach Ron Holinshead said that the Hawks understand that the road to
the playoffs might be a difficult one.
"If we had won our close games, maybe we would be in the playoff hunt.
We had an opportunity on Friday (a 17-6 loss to the Green Gaels) to win
one, but the third period just killed us".
Huntsville dropped two home games last week, a 10-6 game to Oakville on
May 28, and a 10-8 contest against Sarnia.
Holinshead said that prior to the start of the season, the coaching
staff estimated that an eight-win campaign would be enough to put the
team into the post season. Now he said that that mark could be a bit
off.
"I don't know now. Oakville and Scarborough are really playing well
lately, and they have been putting some wins together. But all I can say
to the team is onward and upward".
Chad Francis, who had been quiet offensively for the Hawks, was red hot
in the four games, potting 10 goals, including a hat trick against
Oakville and Sarnia.
Todd Holinshead had six goals in the four games, while Kurt West (five),
Josh Stahls (four), Bob Zangari, Jeff Pearson (two each), Joe
O'Halloran, Alex Bolton, and Jimmy Purves (one each) also scored for
Huntsville.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jr "B" ALL-STAR Game
From Dave Vernon - Jr "B" Commissioner
Wednesday June 5, 2002
The list of Players who will be representing their teams at
the Jr.B All-Star game in Mimico, June 15th at 7:00 PM
Coaches for the East Division Team will be the Coaching Staff
of the Mimico Mountaineers and for the West Division, the
coaching staff of the Halton Hills Bulldogs.
West Division
TEAM NAME # SHOOTS
Brantford Waylon Lewis 20 Right
Elora Adam Rooney 7 Left
Sean Turner 27 Left
Guelph Garrett Ball 16 Left
Halton Hills Mike Dube 8 Left
Richard Haan 11 Left
Josh McNaughton 1 (L)
Milton Kyle Goertz 47 Left
Orangeville Lee Dickie 3 Right
Colin Baird 22 Left
Josh Agar 0 (L)
Owen Sound Mark Bayard 6 Right
Sarnia Jeff Sauve 9 Both
Sean Pollock 88 Right
Six Nations Huey Johnson 24 Both
Dean Hill 17 Right
Spartan Justin Hawksbee 18 Left
Donevan Ruesen 13 Right
Ryan Monaghan 00
Wallaceburg Jeremy Paterson 33 Left
Welland Shane Robinson 23 Both
East Division
TEAM NAME # SHOOTS
Akwesasne Ryan Oakes 99 Right
Evan Cree 77 Left
Daylan Adams 21
Barrie Kenny Hamilton 12 Left
Rob Milnes 19 Left
Gloucester Keith Campbell 14 Left
Green Gaels James Barton 2 Right
Nate Andres 18 Left
Rick Passfield 41
Huntsville Joe O’Halloran 11 Left
Markham Geoff Griffiths 33 Left
Mimico Dan Gauer 8 Right
Mike Nicholson 17 Right
Kevin Olmstead 29
Rick Varone 7 Left
Nepean Mickey Gilchrist 9 Left
Brennan Sarazin 15 Left
Oakville Stuart Brown 92 Right
Onondaga Peter Benidict 10 Right
Drew Bucktooth 13 Both
Scarborough Bill McLean 22 Right
Darryl Gibson Cam Woods Gary Rosyski
Three Scarborough Residents
Ready To Battle For Mann Cup
By Sam Laskaris: Guardian Mirror
Sunday May 2, 2002
BROOKLIN -- Three Scarborough residents are among those who will be
trying to bring the Mann Cup back to Brooklin.
The Brooklin Redmen captured the Mann Cup, awarded annually to the top
major lacrosse club in the country, back in 2000. The Redmen, however,
failed to defend their title last year.
Brooklin, which is located just north of Whitby, was defeated 4-2 by the
Brampton Excelsiors in their best-of-seven Ontario Lacrosse Association
championship series.
The Excelsiors were then defeated 4-3 by British Columbia's Coquitlam
Adanacs in the best-of-seven Mann Cup series this past September.
Brooklin's roster this season includes fifth-year players Darryl Gibson,
Cam Woods and Gary Rosyski. All three players are Scarborough residents.
And all three also play professionally in the National Lacrosse League
(NLL). Gibson is a member of the Toronto Rock, which won the NLL title
in April, while Woods and Rosyski are teammates with the Albany Attack,
the squad the Rock defeated in the league's championship final. Rosyski
is Albany's captain.
Gibson, who scored the winning goal in the NLL final, said another
Brooklin/Brampton final will materialize in this year's OLA circuit.
"The two teams have been to the final three years in a row," said
Gibson, 25, who works in the landscaping business and is also a
part-time economics student at York University. "And we should meet in
the final again."
The Redmen are off to a 1-2 start in regular season action this year.
Woods though said his squad has what it takes to vie for a national
crown again.
"A lot of us are anxious to get the opportunity to try and win the Mann
Cup again," said Woods, 26, who also works in the landscaping industry.
Rosyski, who manages a clothing store in North York, said having been
through the experience of playing in a Mann Cup two years ago has
fuelled his teammates' desire to do so yet again.
"It makes you hungry to get back there again," he said.
And despite their slow start to this season, Rosyski is confident the
Redmen have the talent to do just that.
"Once it comes down to it, I think we can do it," said the 25 year old.
Brooklin's next game is Thursday in Brampton.
The six-team league also includes clubs from Six Nations, Akwesasne, St.
Catharines and Peterborough.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday May 31, 2002
Barrie South Simcoe Minor Lacrosse Day
(All BSSMLA players admitted FREE)
Date: Saturday June 1, 2002 Location: Stroud Arena
8:00 PM
Barrie Tornado Jr. B's vrs. Markham Ironheads
(Paperweight/Peanut game between 1st and 2nd period)
6:00 PM
Barrie SS Tornado Midget's vrs. Markham
4:30 PM
Barrie SS Tornado Pee Wee's vrs. Markham
Come and join us for the 3rd Annual BSSMLA Day!
Troops And Excelsiors
Join Forces
Friday May 31, 2002
BRAMPTON -- Brampton's two premier sports team - the Battalion of the
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the Excelsiors of the Ontario Lacrosse
Association - have formed a promotional partnership that will provide
fans with the opportunity to purchase the same seats for all games that
the teams play at the Brampton Centre.
"We look forward to cross-promotions with the Excelsiors since our
seasons flow into each other and it will enable Brampton sports fans to
enjoy a year-round association with both teams," said Battalion
president Mike Griffin. "It also provides another added-value
opportunity for Battalion season ticket holders since they can purchase
the same seats to follow the Excelsiors."
"Teaming with the Battalion will allow both of us to cross-promote
throughout the year to a larger audience that includes more than 7,500
youngsters participating in minor hockey and lacrosse programs in the
Brampton area," said Exesliors vice-president Ed Gajewski. "We can also
develop year-round corporate sponsorships that will help promote the two
teams as Brampton's best."
The Battalion and Excelsiors will conduct a number of events that
involve members of both organizations.
Battalion season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase
the same pair tickets for the 2002 Excelsiors season for only $100 and
they will also have the first right to purchase tickets for the 2002
Mann Cup if the Brampton club earns the right to host the national
lacrosse championship in early September.
The Excelsiors have been a fixture in Brampton since being founded in
1883. The team, which captured the Ontario title in 2001 and lost a
seven-game Mann Cup final series to Coquitlam, B.C., features 24
professional players who compete during the winter months in the
National Lacrosse League.
Dowling Takes Over As
Jr "A" Chiefs' Coach
By Sam Laskarkis: Burlington Post
Wednesday May 29, 2002
BURLINGTON -- The Burlington Chiefs have themselves a new head coach.
Jeff Dowling is no stranger, however, to the local Junior A lacrosse
squad.
Dowling has been the club's general manager -- a post he will retain --
for the past three years. He also assumed the head coaching duties this
past week following the resignation of Ted Sawicki, who was in his third
season as the Chiefs' bench boss.
Sawicki said he received a phone call at his Grimsby home from Chiefs'
president Rod Butt last Monday.
"I was very surprised," Sawicki said. "And I said to him 'Let me guess.
We're 1-4 and you want me to resign.' And he said yes."
Sawicki said he decided to resign even though he didn't agree with all
of Butt's reasons for the team's slow start this season.
Sawicki was asked to leave
"I thought the team was getting its act together and going somewhere,"
said Sawicki, who was asked to leave the organization a day after the
Chiefs had registered their first victory of the year, a 13-7 triumph
over the Brampton Excelsiors on May 19.
Butt coined Sawicki's resignation as "a mutual agreement."
One of the reasons Sawicki didn't mind resigning was because he can now
spend more time with his family. Sawicki and his wife Lisa adopted a
baby girl from China this past December. Their daughter Phoebe is now 16
months old.
Butt admitted he wasn't happy with the outcomes of the Chiefs' first
four matches this season, all losses.
"They were close games," he said. "But they were games we should have
come out of on top."
Burlington also came out on the short end of the score during Dowling's
debut as the head coach. The Chiefs were edged 15-14 by the host Six
Nations Arrows on Sunday.
This marked the second time this year the the perennially strong Arrows
beat the Burlington club by just one goal, winning 10-9 in the season
opener May 3.
Though his Chiefs squad now sports a 1-5 record, Dowling believes there
is still plenty of time for the Chiefs, with 14 regular-season games
left, to salvage their 2002 Ontario Lacrosse Association campaign.
"We have a lot of young talent that will step it up," Dowling said.
Besides getting a vote of confidence from Butt to step behind the bench,
Dowling also appears to have the players' approval.
"No one really said anything to me (about Sawicki's resignation),"
Dowling said. "But the captains had a meeting with the players and they
told me that they're willing to stick behind me and go forward."
Dowling will be joined on the bench by the two individuals -- Dan
Armstrong and Peter Bowers -- who were Sawicki's assistant coaches.
To alleviate some of Dowling's dual responsibilities, Bowers has also
been named as the club's assistant general manager.
David Lomas had four goals for Burlington on Sunday while Nathan
Gilchrist netted a hat trick. Paul Winger and Duncan Ross also chipped
in with two goals each while Reid Westmacott (a callup from the Oakville
Buzz Jr. B club), Tim Cribb and Merrick Thomson contributed singles.
Burlington has a pair of home contests at Central Arena. The Chiefs host
the K-W Braves Friday at 8 p.m., followed by the defending Minto Cup
champion St.Catharines Athletics Sunday at 5 p.m.