This has been a while in the making and I am very pleased to announce another place for people to talk lacrosse; the new LITG Chat Room.  By simply clicking the logo to the right or the logo in the top right corner of the site, you can enter into the Chat Room.  This room will be a little different than many others in that there will be no anonymous postings.  So called “Guests” to the forum can read and browse posts only, but will not have permissions to post new topics or reply to any current topics.

I did this in the interest of accounability.  Basically, if you want to say it, attach your name to it.  My intent is that this will hopefully “clean up” discussions, and get people talking more about the games and debating the hot issues, than it will in feeding the personal attacks on others and their views.  The forum will be moderated and it is my hope that it wil become an enjoyable lacrosse resource for all.

Anyone wanting to hlep out, by way of becoming a moderator, please let me know; gmark@lacrosseinsidethegame.com

from the CUFLA

November 4, 2009 – Ottawa, Ont., Canada – The Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association ( “CUFLA”), in association with Bank of America, is pleased to announce the Baggataway Cup ‘Final-Four’ championship to be held November 7-8 in Ottawa at Carleton University. This year marks the 25th annual Baggataway Cup, CUFLA’s championship that features scholar-athletes from Canada’s 12 premier university field lacrosse teams. The schedule of games to be played on Carleton’s Ravens’ Field follows:

Brock vs McGill, noon, Saturday, November 7
Trent vs McMaster, 3pm, Saturday, November 7

BROCK BADGERS

Record: 11 wins, 0 losses
Scoring: 140 goals, lead by Chris Nash #13 (22 goals), #9 Mike McLeod, (25 goals) and #88 Dustin Dunn (15 goals).
Defense: 69 goals against. Goalie Bret Kikot sports a 5.86 GAA. The long sticks, are anchored by #6, 64 Nate Reid, and are even tougher on man down.
Pro Factor: Brock has four players in the NLL; Dustin Dunn, Buffalo; Mike MacLeod, Rochester; Jay Winder, (former) Toronto and Dilan Graham, Boston.
X-factor: #17 Devon Sartor seldom shows up on the score sheet, but hes often on important ground balls and game changing plays. #15 Clarke Robinson is a LS middie who makes you keep your head up.
Motivation: Brock was embarrassed by McGill in last years semi. After 17 championships they think the cup is theirs and they want it back.

MCGILL REDMEN

Record: 8 wins, 3 losses
Scoring: 135 goals, lead by freshman attacker # 34 Alex Kruse,(30pts) and veterans #9 Nick Moreau, (28pts) and # 22 Nick LaCava (18 goals).
Defense: 81 goals against. Goalie Simon Hudson has a 6.36 GAA. All Canadian Brendan Farrer leads a fast and skilled defense corp.
Pro Factor: McGill has no NLL players on its roster, but they have 22 Americans.
X-Factor: #16 Sean Simeson is a hard hitting middie , who gets those all important ground balls and ignites the waves of McGill attacks.
Motivation: Coach Murdoch has raised the bar for building a program in this league by recruiting players in the United States and extending full squad off-season training. McGill wants to get back to the final they lost last year to Guelph.

TRENT EXCALIBUER

Record: 9 wins, 2 losses
Scoring: 124 goals lead by, #24 Chad Evans, (27 goals), #9 Mack OBrien (26 goals) and #18 Josh Wasson (18 goals)
Defense: 75 goals against. Starting goalie Kalvin Thomas sports a 7.00 GAA while back up Lindsey Cassel played at a stingy 4.67 GAA. Third year long pole #10 Seamus McGee leads stingy Trent back line.
Pro Factor: High scoring middie Josh Wasson plays winter ball with the Toronto Rock.
X Factor: #9 Mack OBrien scored 9 goals in two games against McGill. He didnt score against Carleton last week, so #21 Joe Stanley picked up the slack with 3 counters.
Motivation: Trent is CUFLAs Rodney Dangerfield, they get no respect. Theyre the little school who can. They defeated McGill twice this season to win their second east conference championship in as many years. With the addition of leading scorer Chad Evans, theyre ready to take it all.

MCMASTER MARAUDERS

Record: 8 wins, 3 losses
Scoring: 102 goals, lead by Carter Williams, #25(22goals) Sean Dechars #18(10 goals) and Mike Bottasso #4 (9 goals)
Defense: 96 goals against. Goalies Joe Tallis, with an 8.75 GAA and Wes Kendall, with a 9.04 GAA have split the duty, but expect to see Tallis in Ottawa, following his big win over Guelph. Macs steady long poles are lead by veteran #2 Shawn Mahoney.
Pro Factor: Ed Comeau, Macs head coach is the head coach of the Orlandoi Titans. Ed is also the most experienced CUFLA coach in the final four.
X- Factor: Watch for # 34 Joey Cupido a very quick middie who surprised Guelph with 3 goals. #9 Michael Dawson took all the important face-offs in Macs big upset.
Motivation: Mac is this years Cinderella Story. After coming back from a 7-1 deficit in the second half of the Guelph game, theyve got to believe that the all – powerful momentum is on their side, and they can beat anybody.

These four teams are very close and should provide three great games to decide this years champion. Congratulations to the coaches, players and support staffs who have worked very hard to get to this critical point in the season.

The Bank of America Baggattaway Cup championship game starts at 1pm Sunday at Ravens Stadium on the campus of Carleton University.

Further to my message of last week, we have had to move the Year in Review show to next Tuesday night, November 10th, starting at 7:30 pm EST.  We will discuss minor lacrosse, Junior, MSL MLL, NLL, and pretty much anything lacrosse.  

My apologies to all as I double booked myself, being already committed to a Minor Lacrosse Meeting that I must attend.

We will be broadcasting the show live over the Interent, and are asking for all of you to come on and interact with us. We will also have some special lacrosse guests joining us. Already confirmed is:

Paul Stewart - former Assistant Coach of the Green Gaels Junior “B” squad, and current assistant with the Philadelphia Wings, Toronto Nationals, and Team Canada 2010
Jim Moss - Colorado Mammoth transition star, currently fighting a battle with Guilan Barre Syndrome
Shawn Williams – 2009 MSL Mann Cup Champion, 2009 Mann Cup MVP, 2010 Team Canada Field Team member

We are hoping to get more on with us as well, so stay tuned right here, the links will be up next week.

Also, if you have any topics that you would like discussed, please email me at gmark@lacrosseinsidethegame.com

(Rochester, NY)… The Rochester Knighthawks completed a blockbuster trade on Saturday with the Colorado Mammoth, acquiring forwards Gavin Prout, Andrew Potter and two first-round selections in the 2010 Entry Draft. In exchange, Rochester sent the rights of Ilija Gajic and its first-round selection in the 2012 Entry Draft to Colorado.

“It is a very good deal for the Knighthawks,” said Knighthawks Owner and CEO Curt Styres. “We got a couple of draft picks and shored up the right side with Prout. Andrew Potter won the (junior) scoring championship last year and should do very well.”

Prout enters his ninth season in the NLL in 2010. In his career, he has 230 goals and 441 assists in 127 games. The Mammoth’s all time leading scorer and team captain since 2005, Prout, 31, spent the past six seasons with Colorado. He was also a First Team All-Pro and the Championship Game MVP in 2006. Additionally, he was a Second Team All-Pro member four times in his career.

Prout was drafted first overall by the New York Saints in the 2001 National Lacrosse League entry draft. As a rookie, Prout was named to the All-Rookie team as a member of the Saints. Since joining the league, Prout has played in seven NLL All-Star Games (2002, & 2004 – 2009). In 2008, Prout led the National Lacrosse League in assists with 67, a career high. The eight-year pro also captured back-to-back MLL championships in 2008 and 2009 with Rochester and Toronto, respectively.

Potter appeared in just one game for the Mammoth in 2009 following his arrival in Colorado via a trade for (the then-retired) Gary Gait. The trade also gives the Knighthawks two first-round draft picks in 2010, while the Mammoth receive Rochester’s first-round pick in 2012. Furthermore, Potter led the Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior “A” circuit with 125 points (51+74) in 22 games this summer.

Ilija Gajic, 24, was the second overall pick in this year’s draft and now heads to the Mammoth. He played three seasons of college lacrosse at the University of Denver and is expected to be an immediate impact player in the National Lacrosse League.

Contacts:
–
Craig Rybczynski (454-5335 ext. 3008), Vice President of Communications
Warren Kosel (454-5335 ext. 3025), Communications Coordinator

Rochester Knighthawks Lacrosse Club
Blue Cross Arena at Rochester War Memorial
One War Memorial Square
Rochester, NY 14614
Phone: (585) 454-5335
Fax: (585) 454-3954
www.knighthawks.net

Est. 1995

Alright everyone, it has been way too long since we have been in contact with all of the lacrosse crazed fans out there. It’s time for the 2009 lacrosse year end wrapup show. Ron Messer and I will be coming to you live next Tuesday night, November 3rd, starting at 7:30 pm EST.  We will discuss minor lacrosse, Junior, MSL MLL, NLL, and pretty much anything lacrosse. 

We will be broadcasting the show live over the Interent, and are asking for all of you to come on and interact with us. We will also have some special lacrosse guests joining us. Already confirmed is:

Paul Stewart - former Assistant Coach of the Green Gaels Junior “B” squad, and current assistant with the Philadelphia Wings, Toronto Nationals, and Team Canada 2010
Jim Moss - Colorado Mammoth transition star, currently fighting a battle with Guilna Barre Syndrome

We are hoping to get more on with us as well, so stay tuned right here, the links will be up next week.

Also, if you have any topics that you would like discussed, please email me at gmark@lacrosseinsidethegame.com

For now, have a little listen to Messer inviting you to join us Right Here

Have you ever thought that you have what it takes to play in the National Lacrosse League?  For me, that thought / dream has long passed, but for many of you out there, the desire might be there.  Well here is your chance.

The Orlando Titans will be holding open tryouts for the 2010 team.  All of the information is below:

Titans Open Tryouts

Friday:

8:00-9:30 pm- Informational session about indoor game and tryout process from Titans coaching staff

Saturday (players will participate in 1 session):

Session 1- Noon-2:00 pm
Session 2- 2:00-4:00 pm
Session 3- 4:00-6:00 pm (only used if needed based on number of participants)

Sunday:

Final Session- 10:00 am-Noon

Location:
Barber Park
3701 Gatlin Blvd
Orlando, FL 32812

Outline of Program:
Training session will include various drills and game speed situations
Players are evaluated by the Titans coaching staff
Players deemed qualified will have invitation to training camp

Participants receive:
Informational session on the indoor game
Try out and evaluation by Titans coaching staff
Titans try out jersey

Cost-$75

To sign up log onto www.orlandotitans.com or you can download a registration form Right Here

This is the first in a mini series done up by Ron Messer himself. In this series, Ron will talk with many of the names that shaped the game, historians, players, builders, and more. In his first sit down, we could not think of anyone better than the Wamper himself, Larry Power.

If you know of someone that you feel should be featured, or have a great story, please message me at gmark@lacrosseinsidethegame.com

as written by Neil Stevens

Thirty players have been selected from among 56 who were at a Thanksgiving weekend camp in Toronto and now general manager Johnny Mouradian and head coach David Huntley and his staff will take their time before arriving at the 23-man roster that will represent Canada at the world field lacrosse championship in Manchester, England, next July.

Among the 30 are such established pro scorers as Shawn Williams, Dan Dawson, John Grant, Gavin Prout, Mark Steenhuis, Merrick Thomson and Jordan Hall as well as faceoff specialist Geoff Snider, who was tournament MVP after Canada defeated the United States 15-10 to win the world title the last time it was contested, in 2006 in London, Ont.

“We had a very competitive camp” said Huntley. “We were impressed by the level and commitment of all the players. I was most impressed by how our professional and college players related to each other. The future is bright for Canadian lacrosse. We have reduced our roster to 30 and will make more decisions over the coming months. We are one step closer to assembling the team that will compete for the 2010 world championship.”

Other attackers and midfielders who survived the first round of cuts were Garrett Billings, Matt Brown, Rhys Duch, Zack Greer, Kevin Huntley, Jordan McBride, Ryan McClelland, Kevin Ross, Billy Dee Smith, Adam Jones and Stephen Keogh.

The defence includes Brodie Merrill, Patrick Merrill, Phil Sanderson, Matt Vinc, Mac Allen, Jon Sullivan and Curtis Manning.

Goaltenders still under consideration are Chris Sanderson, who’s also on the coaching staff, Brad Conlon, Angus Dineley and Evan Kirke.

Players such as Shawn Williams and Phil Sanderson provide veteran leadership.

Williams scored the winning goal for the Huntley-coached Toronto Nationals when they won the 2009 MLL pro field championship and he’s hoping to get to his third world tournament. “Nothing compares to it,” he says of international play. “Wearing the maple leaf on the chest obviously is special, and these tournaments only come around every four years so you treat every chance as very precious.”

Williams doesn’t find the demands of field lacrosse that much different from the box version of the sport. He plays indoors during winters for the NLL’s Rochester Knighthawks and last summer earned championship series MVP honours in helping the Brampton Excelsiors win the Canadian amateur senior title. “I kind of do the same things,” he says. “My work ethic, leadership and ability to make the right play, I pride myself on those things. I don’t change my game too much in playing field lacrosse.”

The 30 candidates for the world team represent an incredibly talented group.

“It’s unbelievable,” says Williams. “As we mature as a field lacrosse country, the talent is getting better all the time. We’ve got talented field lacrosse players now and that’s a key in moving forward. The United States is the premier field lacrosse country but, make no mistakes about it, we’ve got good players in field as well as box.”

At the age of 35, he’s older than most of the remaining 30. “I feel great,” he says. “As you get older, you treat things differently. You know how to do things properly. They call that wily, I guess. But I’m a kid at heart. You want to do everything you can while you can. I’m playing as much lacrosse as I can.”

He’ll be on four teams next year. “People ask me how I do it,” he says. “All I tell them is that I don’t know any different.”

Phil Sanderson last represented Canada in 1996 as a member of an under-19 team that won bronze in Japan. He stuck with indoor box lacrosse in the ensuing years, but he got the field bug again after being asked to play for the Toronto Nationals last summer. “That sparked the love of the field game again,” he explains. So, he tried out for Team Canada 2010, too. So far, so good. Adjusting from box to field has been no problem for Sanderson, who also played for the Excelsiors last summer and who’ll suit up for the NLL’s Toronto Rock come January. “I’m just a blue-collar guy,” he says. “I go out and work hard and try to chip in offensively, too, if I can. I’m a Steady Eddy kind of guy _ just go out and do my job and hopefully help the team win.”

“The names on the list of 30 are eye-popping,” he says. “If we gel at the right time, we’ll have a really good shot at winning the world title again. I’m very excited about getting the chance to be part of this.”

Players with home towns to accompany Team Canada 2010 news release:

Attack: Garrett Billings, Langley, B.C.; Matt Brown, Burnaby, B.C.; John Grant, Peterborough, Ont.; Zack Greer, Whitby, Ont., Kevin Huntley, Baltimore, Md.; Stephen Keogh, Toronto; Jordan McBride, Surrey, B.C.; Merrick Thomson, Hamilton.

Midfield: Dan Dawson, Oakville, Ont.; Rhys Duch, Victoria; Jordan Hall, Surrey, B.C.; Adam Jones, Owen Sound, Ont.; Ryan McClelland, Hamilton; Gavin Prout, Whitby, Ont.; Kevin Ross, Toronto; Billy Dee Smith, St. Catharines, Ont.; Geoff Snider, Calgary; Mark Steenhuis, St. Catharines; Shawn Williams, Oshawa, Ont.

Defence: Mac Allen, Toronto; Curtis Manning, Surrey, B.C.; Brodie Merrill, Orangeville, Ont.; Patrick Merrill, Orangeville; Phil Sanderson, Orangeville; Jon Sullivan, St. Catharines; Matt Vinc, St. Catharines.

Goal: Brad Conlon, Ottawa; Angus Dineley, Toronto; Evan Kirk, Kitchener, Ont.; Chris Sanderson, Orangeville.

Team media contact:
Neil Stevens
Brampton, Ont.
905 792-2531
Loose47@live.com

Sorry for this little bit of shameless self promotion.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) has a contest called the Journalism Dream Contest. They are encouraging people to submit a written article, or a picture, for a chance to be selected to attend and cover the Olympics in Vancouver.

I have entered a condensed version of an article about the brawl in this year’s Mann Cup from BC. The hope is that I can get enough votes to be considered by the judges as a finalist and then they decide from the top vote getters.

The link to my story is below, and you can vote once every day until November 22nd. It does require you to register, but if you can take the few minutes to do so and try to vote (every day), who knows, I might just be able to cover the Olympics in 2010. Here is the link…

http://journalismdream.theglobeandmail.com/entry_article.asp?id=273

Thanks everyone.

Gary

Toronto Rock Lacrosse is just around the corner!!

Our home opener is on Friday January 15th @ 7:30pm vs. Boston and it will be very special night for minor lacrosse players across Ontario. We will be holding our annual OLA Night of Champions at our home opener, and we want the ACC to be ROCKING!!

 To the right is a poster with all of the details of the Night of Champions, but here are some highlights:

 Line-up on the Floor with the Rock

The team with the largest group will line-up with Rock players on the field during the pre-game ceremonies and will be honoured in front of the Air Canada Centre crowd!!

  Practice with the Rock!

For every 20 tickets your team purchases, 1 Ballot will be entered for a draw to have Rock players and coaches come to your practice!!

 First Come, First Serve Platinum, Gold seats behind the net in the lower bowl!!

In addition to our End Red seats, we will now be offering Platinum and Gold seats behind the net in the lower bowl on a first come, first serve basis! To avoid disappoint, order early to ensure you get the best seats possible. You only need to place a 10% deposit to secure your seats!

Please click the flyer below for pricing info. Note, the game on Sat Jan 20/ 2010, should read Sat Jan 23 / 2010.

Below you will find some great benefits for being a group leader, as well as some exciting ways to make organizing your team’s outing quick and easy.

Group Rewards

We want to make your experience as a group leader a rewarding one! As a result, we have created a brand new Group Rewards Program that gives you the opportunity to get great prizes for your efforts as group leader,  including merchandise, discount cards, and lots of fun prizes as well as great incentives for every member of your group! Check out the Group Rewards PDF for more details.

Rock Evite

Organize your team outing to the game with a Rock Evite! This custom Evite allows you to quickly and effectively communicate with your team and manage your invites to the game. You can also send an Evite out to your Facebook friends and your mobile phone contacts at the click of a button! Check out this link for all of the details:http://www.evite.com/app/invitations/create/event.do?template=torontorock_rockevite_bdv

 Group Tracking Sheet

Download and print your customized Rock tracking sheet to help keep an organized record of your group! See the attached Excel file for more details.

If you are interested in booking seats for the Night of Champions or any other Rock home game this season, I would be happy to help you organize your team’s outing! Thank you and I hope to see you at the Night of Champions!

Shaun Guest
Director of Ticketing | Toronto Rock Lacrosse Club
100-416 North Service Road East | Oakville, ON | L6H 5R2
p: 416-596-3075 ext. 229 | f: 905-339-3473
e: sguest@torontorock.com  | w: www.torontorock.com