submitted by Jason Donville

Let the upsets begin!

Week 3 of the NCAA lacrosse season has been a blast and while there were not a large number of games played this past weekend there were several exciting upsets. Ohio State’s win over #5 Denver was the highest profile upset but Notre Dame’s win over Duke and Loyola’s win over #19 Delaware were all indicative of the parity that exists in Division I lacrosse. This week also saw the announcement of the Tewaaraton watch list (the long version) as well as several rookies in both men’s and women’s action getting their first noteworthy performances in. Players such as Schuss, Berg, Palmer, Magnan, Guy, Boissonneault, Cowx, Groothuis and Lachlan all had great games this past week. Here’s my recap of the week that was in Division I lacrosse.

Tewaaraton List Announced

The Tewaaraton watch list for 2012 has been posted and there are eight Canadians who have made the long list. My understanding is that a second, short-list will come out at mid-season. The eight Canadians on the long list are as follows;  Carter Bender – Hartford/Caledon, Travis Comeau – Georgetown/Red Deer, Shayne Jackson – Limestone/Bowmanville, Kiel Matisz – Robert Morris/Stoney Creek, Mark Matthews – Denver/Oshawa, Joel Matthews – Detroit/St Catharines, Bryan Neufeld – Siena/Virgil, Logan Schuss – Ohio State/Delta.  Congrats to all eight of you and good luck!

Division I Men’s – Here comes the Logun Schuss show

In a game that featured two of the top “Canadian” flavored offences in the NCAA, un-ranked Ohio State defeated #5 ranked Denver 10 to 9, led in part by the 5 goal performance of Logun Schuss. Jesse King (Victoria) was also a factor with a goal and an assist while Mark Matthews had 2 goals and an assist for Denver and rookie Wes Berg (New Westminster) added 2 goals and an assist.  Johns Hopkins has had a good start to the year and with the Duke and Denver losses should see itself sitting pretty the next time the polls come out. Hopkins started the season with a convincing 12 to 6 win over Towson with Zach Palmer (Oshawa) scoring 3 goals, 3 assists and adding a CT while Brandon Benn (Brampton) chipped in 2 goals and 2 GB’s. Robert Morris continues to play well with a 10 to 8 victory over UMBC. Luc Magnan (Pine Falls) played a terrific game once again with 5 GB’s and a CT while Jake Hayes (Calgary) had a goal and 2 assists and rookie Jacob Ruest (Cornwall) recorded his first NCAA goal. North Carolina is also looking solid and Chad Tutton (Courtice) had a strong performance against Detroit, scoring 2 goals and 2 assists while grabbing a GB in an 18 to 8 win over Detroit. Joel Matthews (St Catharines) replied for Detroit with 2 goals, 3 assists, 2 GB’s and a CT and Jordan Houtby (St Catharines) had 6 GB’s and 4 CT’s. Finally, Lehigh lost to Villanova this week but rookies Dan Taylor (Calgary) scored 2 goals and an assist while Patrick Corbett (Burlington) had a goal and an assist.

Division I Women’s – Boissonneault makes strong rookie debut!

In Division I women’s play there was several noteworthy performances. Penn State opened its season with a 19 to 3 win over Bucknell and Katie Guy (Whitby) scored a hat trick to go along with a GB and a CT. Virginia Tech also started its season with a win and talented rookie Jacqueline Boissonneault (Brooklin) was stellar with 2 goals, 3 GB’s and a CT in her NCAA debut.  Finally, Ohio State spanked Louisville 21 to 7 but Janaye Dzikewich (Whitby) had a good outing for Louisville with 2 GB’s and a CT.

Division II Men’s – Mars Hill is still undefeated

Mars Hill had a great week with two big wins in Men’s Division II action. In a 12 to 3 win over Lees-McRae, T.J. Cowx (Delta) scored twice, along with 2 assists while grabbing 5GB’s and 3 CT’s. Chris Cudmore (Whitby) added 8 GB’s and CT while Anthony Malcolm (New Westminster) had 4 GB’s. In the second game, Mars Hill beat Florida Tech 17 to 3 with Cowx scoring 5 times and adding 2 assists and 2 GB’s. Cudmore had 8 GB’s and 3 CT’s while Blake Mattinson (Coquitlam) added 2 goals, an assist and 4 GBs. Pfeiffer had a nice win over Coker with Luc Gillespie (Vancouver) scoring a goal while grabbing 6 GB’s and a CT. James Sheppard (St John) was also strong for Pfeiffer with 2 goals, an assists and 2 GB’s while Robert Hope (Peterborough) scored a goal and grabbed 6 GB’s. Catawba had a nice start to the season beating Coker 12 to 6 as Braden Artem (Acton) had 3 goals and 3 assists and Michael Pecchia (Coquitlam) made 13 saves for the win. Limestone is showing great early season form as evidenced by its 14 to 4 win over Florida Southern. Shayne Jackson (Bowmanville) scored 3 goals, added 2 assists and grabbed 3 GB’s in the victory while Jackson Decker (Port Moody) scored 2 goals, an assist and grabbed 3 GB’s and Tor Reinholdt (Port Moody)had a goal, an assist, 2 GB’s and a CT. Finally, Matt Delmonico (Port Moody) scored 4 goals and James Delaney (Vancouver) scored a pair in a loss to LeMoyne.

Division II Women’s – Lindenwood has arrived

Lindenwood kicked off its debut in Division II lacrosse this past weekend with a win and a loss. In the first game, Lindenwood defeated St Leo 23 to 5 with Justiene Groothuis (Kitchener) scoring 4 goals, an assist and a GB while Lindsey Palmer (Whitby) had a hat trick and Jordan Constance (Calgary) added 2 goals, 2 GB’s and 2 CTs and Meghan Chase (Sherwood Park) scored twice and grabbed a GB. In the second game, Lindenwood lost to Florida Southern 18 to 16 with Groothuis scoring 4 goals, an assist and grabbing 5 GB’s, while Lindsey Palmer scored another hat trick while picking up 3 GBs and a CT. In the other game of note, Limestone beat Lees-McRae 22 to 0 with Sarah Oor (Uxbridge) scoring a goal and adding 4 assists.

Division III – Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse – all quiet

Pretty quiet in Division III this week with many teams not having even posted their lineups for 2012. The only game worth noting was Roanoke’s 12-6 win over St Mary’s in near blizzard like conditions (check out the pictures on the Roanoke lacrosse website).  Richard Lachlan (Port Coquitlam) led the way through the snow with four goals while somehow picking up 6 GB’s from the snow covered ground.

Games upcoming

There are several noteworthy games coming up this week but only one close to the border. On Saturday, Hobart hosts Cornell and if you really want to watch a great game and are prepared to drive seven hours there is UMASS at Ohio State. Both teams have had a great start to the year and the winner of this game will be highly ranked in the subsequent polls. Many of the top women’s programs of interest such as Canisius and Detroit don’t get going until closer to the end of the month.

Final thoughts

Can you imagine an NCAA Division I lacrosse final featuring an ACC team vs. a team from the Big Ten?  Well, it actually occurred (2010) although lacrosse doesn’t have an official Big Ten conference just yet.  However, the excitement of the Denver vs. Ohio State game this week and Notre Dame’s upset win over Duke make’s the thought of a Big Ten lacrosse conference extremely tantalizing. Besides this past weekend’s results we also have the resurgence of lacrosse at Penn State and the addition of Michigan and Marquette to Division I lacrosse – and yes I realize these are not all Big Ten schools. But these developments are important in the evolution of NCAA lacrosse and extremely important for Canadian lacrosse! Why is that? I am guessing that most kids in Maryland or Long Island don’t grow up dreaming about playing lacrosse in Ohio or Wisconsin in the middle of the winter. But for a lot of Canadian kids that don’t have NCAA teams on their door-step, there are actually advantages to playing in the Midwest over the East Coast and that advantage is distance. If your son or daughter plays in Detroit for example and you are from Southern Ontario, then you can actually watch your kid play on a weekly basis without getting on a plane. It is also worth noting that college towns such as Columbus, Ohio, South Bend, Indiana and even Marquette are closer to Toronto than Boston and certainly much closer than Duke or North Carolina. And even for kids coming from Vancouver, while Denver is obviously the closest Division I school, the Midwest is still a lot closer than the East Coast. Thus, as lacrosse expands throughout the Midwest, so do the opportunities for kids who want to play close to home and given the Big Ten’s proximity to the northern border, you know what that means. Now, if only a few more Big Ten teams could add Division I lacrosse. 

 Yours in Lacrosse – JP Donville

February 21, 2012
Categories: Inside The Game, Men's Field, Womens Field Lax . . Author: marksy . Comments: 1 Comment

submitted by Jason Donville

Polar Bear Edition

While much of the north east has been blanketed in cold weather of late, lacrosse season has slowly come to life with a couple of important early season games already in the books. These include Delaware’s upset win over Bucknell and Detroit’s win over Michigan in its inaugural game in Division I. Duke’s Coach Danowski also picked up his 300th career win this week. The women’s schedule is still barely underway but on the men’s side of the ledger, players like Schuss, Houtby, Matisz, Buchanan, Magnan, Leung, Jackson and Keane are showing terrific early season form.  Here’s my recap of the week that was in NCAA lacrosse.

Delaware upsets Bucknell while Ohio State is off to a great start

No.19 Delaware followed up its win over Detroit with an 11 to 10 overtime win over No. 12 Bucknell. Dan Keane (Elora) had a hat trick including the game winner for the Blue Hens. Ohio State has started the season strong with two convincing wins this week. In the first, an 11 to 6 win over Detroit, Logun Schuss (Delta) scored 4 goals and added 2 assists while grabbing 5 GB’s while Jesse King (Victoria) and Brock Sorenson (Peterborough) also added hat tricks each. A few days later, the Buckeyes downed Mercer 15 to 8 with Sorenson scoring a hat trick, Schuss a goal and an assist and Reegan Comeault (Pitt Meadows) adding a pair. Robert Morris won a close one over Bellarmine 9 to 8 with Kyle Matisz (Stoney Creek) scoring 3 goals, 2 assists and grabbing 3 GB’s and a CT in the victory. Rookie Luc Magnan (Pine Falls) grabbed 4 GB’s and Jake Hayes (Calgary) had a hat trick while Kyle Buchanan (Nepean) had a goal, 2 assists and 5 GB’s. Karsen Leung (Victoria) led Bellarmine with 3 goals and an assist, 2 GB’s and a CT. Cameron Mann (Hamilton) picked up 3 goals and an assist in Jacksonville’s 12-10 loss to Towson.

What’s going on in Division II men’s lacrosse this year?

Division II lacrosse had a few lopsided wins to start the year but in this edition of “Canadians in the NCAA” we are going to focus on the year ahead. This means we will look at either “teams to watch” with a decidedly Canadian flavor or individual players that should have a high impact in 2012.  Here are five teams we think look particularly interesting in the season ahead.

Limestone – Enters the year ranked #3 in the USILA Coaches Poll and this team is loaded with guys that can score including Shayne Jackson (Bowmanville), Riley Loewen (Burnaby), Jeremy Serraglio (Coquitlam) and Tyler Baker (Peterborough). These four scored a combined 128 goals in 2011. 

Pfeiffer – Pfeiffer starts the year ranked 10^th in the USILA poll. There are 10 Canadians on the Pfeiffer team this year and while many are young, players like James Sheppard (St John), Robert Hope (Peterborough) and Tom Buckley (Edmonton) all put up big numbers in 2011 and should be even stronger this year. However, Pfeiffer also has four freshmen from up north and thus this team is one to watch not just for 2012 but how it evolves into 2013 and 2014.  

Mercyhurst – Given its proximity to the Can/US border, Mercyhurst has always had a significant Canadian connection and 2012 is no different. The defending NCAA Div II champs and pre-season #1 ranked team in Division II lacrosse welcome back Kyle Kallay (Orangeville) who scored 35 goals last year along with Brady Heseltine (Elora) and Zac Reid (St Catharines), both of whom should see more field time this year. Rookies Eric Wales (Burlington) and Ryan McCrory (Whitby) could become impact players as the season progresses.

Lindenwood – New to Division II this year, Lindenwood has nine Canadians on its roster. Jordan McKay (Winnipeg) should lead the team in scoring in 2012 while Sophomore Carter McCracken (Lakefield) will be busy playing midfield and some attack on man-up situations. Two new faces in the Lindenwood roster this year include Graeme Hossack (Port Perry), a freshman who will start at LSM and Joe Roy (West Whitby), a 6”8” medical red shirt freshman who will start at attack.

Lake Erie – Has two strong Canadian returnees in Keegan Bal (Coquitlam) and Trevor Tarte (Amherstburg) and three rookies coming in from Western Canada including Reagan Harding (Saskatoon), MacGregor Johnston (Nanaimo) and Adam Bakular-Evans (Courtenay). Lake Erie Coach Greg Stocks is a Mercyhurst Alum and hails from Nanaimo and is quietly building a quality program in Painesville, Ohio. This program and coach is worth keeping an eye on. 

Players to watch in Men’s Division II action in 2012

Shayne Jackson – The only player in Division II to be nominated for the Tewaaraton last year was Shayne Jackson. Jackson is a great part of Limestone’s offensive chemistry because he is a superb set-up man. Jackson can score if he has too but he might be the best passer in Division II lacrosse and a great compliment to all the off-ball finishers at Limestone.

Chris Cudmore – Cudmore (Whitby) is an excellent LSM and perennial all-star. Mars Hill has seen a number of its stars graduate this past year but with Cudmore controlling the middle, Mars Hill won’t slip that far and might even surprise a few pundits.

Mike Melnychenko – Melnychenko (St Catharines) scored 50 goals as a rookie and should be a horse for Chestnut Hill this year. That said, he won’t sneak up on anyone this year and will receive a lot of attention from top defenders.

Riley Loewen – Scored 54 goals last year and will probably exceed that number in 2012. Unlike some teams with only one goal scorer, Loewen is the best sharpshooter on a team that is loaded with talent and as such, Loewen will be left alone on the off-ball side from time to time. This means he’s going to have another big year.

Jordan McKay – Is Lindenwood’s top gun and should lead the team in scoring again this year. McKay scored 36 goals last year in 17 games and while the competition will be tougher this year, McKay is a year stronger and smarter.

The number of Canadian women playing Division II lacrosse is up 90% this year

The number of Canadian women jumps from 10 in 2011 to 19 in 2012 which is a 90% increase. The addition of Catawba and Lindenwood to Division II lacrosse helps the numbers but regardless, the growth in the number of women playing lacrosse in the NCAA is a big story. Looking into 2012, there are several players and teams that will be of interest

Limestone – Like the men, Limestone is ranked #3 in the preseason polls. Sarah Oor (Uxbridge) is a big part of the team’s success having scored 25 goals and 29 assists last year in helping lead Limestone to a . Samantha Cock (Terra Cotta) should see more action.

Lindenwood – There are four Canadians playing for Lindenwood and this team could surprise in its debut in Division II. Justine Groothuis (Kitchener) is the star here while rookies Lindsey Palmer (Whitby), Jordyn Constance (Calgary) and Meghan Chase (Sherwood Park) will all vie for playing time.

Catawba – Also new to Division II lacrosse, Catawba has three Canadians on their roster that know how to play the game. Catawba’s schedule is tough but Kim McConnery (Welland), Juliana Conte (Hampton) and Jessica Leroux (Ajax) can handle it. Season one – bring it on!

Players to watch In Division II Women’s Lacrosse

Sarah Oor – Is the best Canadian player in Division II lacrosse and should follow up her strong rookie season with another big year in 2012.

Jill Dixon – Dixon (Fenwick) had a good season last year with Notre Dame of Ohio scoring 8 goals and 7 assists in 14 games. Expect those numbers to go up in 2012.

Justine Groothuis – Is the top scorer with Lindenwood and could be one of the top scorers in Div II lacrosse this year. Sadly, Groothuis is a senior so we are probably only going to have one season to watch her play.

Games upcoming

There is not a lot of lacrosse going on close to the Canada/US border this weekend. Best bet is to head to Syracuse where they are playing a double header. In the first game, Syracuse hosts Albany at 2PM and then at 5PM Siena plays Hobart.

Final thoughts

While most of Canada’s top lacrosse players come from Southern Ontario and the BC Lower Mainland, top caliber players do from time to time emerge in other parts of Canada. Those of you who have carefully read the preceding text closely will note two players from Manitoba who have had and will continue to have a significant impact on their team’s success in 2012. They are of course Robert Morris’ Luc Magnan who is a beast of a talent and who is starting in Division I on defense and Jordan McKay who will almost certainly lead Lindenwood in scoring this year. And they of course are not alone. Alberta and Saskatchewan are already loaded with field lacrosse talent while the sport is growing by leaps and bounds in Quebec and Nova Scotia.  Nice to see Canada’s national sport go national!

Yours in lacrosse – JP Donville

February 14, 2012
Categories: Inside The Game, Men's Field, Womens Field Lax . . Author: marksy . Comments: Leave a Comment

submitted by Jason Donville

Here we go for another year!

It is once again that magical time of the year and that of course means it is lacrosse season. While lacrosse is played all year round in different jurisdictions, it will always be a spring sport to me and spring is just around the corner. And of course, for those of us who just can’t wait until spring has arrived there will always be those teams that for a variety of reasons start their season early.  As in past years, the first edition of “Canadians in the NCAA” focuses on Division I. In this respect there has only been one game played on the men’s side and two on women’s but even with this limited schedule players like Keane, Adams, Diachenko, Matthews and Masterton are already making their marks. So here we go for another year!  

Shillinglaw wins his 300^th!

Before we talk about the one game that was played this week in men’s Division I play between Delaware and Detroit, let’s first congratulate Delaware Coach Bob Shillinglaw on achieving his 300^th career win on Saturday.  Shillinglaw has won a number of accolades over the years including two “Coach of the Year” honors and has played an important role in the development of some of Canada’s finest lacrosse players including John Grant Jr, Jordan Hall and Curtis Dickson.  Hall describes Coach Shillinglaw as “a dedicated coach who loves lacrosse and cares about his players”. Congrats coach, from all your friends up north!

As for the game, # 19 ranked Delaware defeated Detroit 19 to 6 although it is worth noting that the game was tied at halftime. For Delaware, Dan Keane (Elora) had a good start to the year with 4 goals while Nick Diachenko (Courtice) had a goal and an assist.  Replying for Detroit, Shayne Adams (St Catharines) led the team in scoring with 3 goals while Joel Matthews (St Catharines) had a goal and an assist, Tom Masterson (London) had a pair of helpers and Jordan Houtby (St Catharines) snagged 5 GB’s and 4 CT’s.

Players, coaches and teams to watch in 2012

Every season starts with a number of themes but in this blog we try to focus on themes that are of specific interest to Canadians. The first area of interest is teams that employ a large number of Canadians in their offence and/or box lacrosse influences in their schemes. For those who love the Canadian flavor of the game, here are a few teams to watch in 2012.

Denver – The Mark Matthews (Oshawa) show, with supporting artists Cam Flint (Georgetown) and Jeremy Noble (Orangeville) is playing at a theater near you. However, this year this group is more mature and will be joined by Canadian box lacrosse phenom Wes Berg (New Westminster). Win or lose, Denver is going to be a lot of fun to watch, and my guess is they are going to win a lot more times than they are going to lose.

Ohio State – The Buckeye’s already have Logun Schuss (Delta) in their line-up but what makes this team really exciting is the addition of a superb rookie trio in Reegan Comeault (Pitt Meadows), Turner Evans (Peterborough) and Jesse King (Victoria). Throw in a tough guy like Brock Sorenson (Peterborough) just to keep these guys grounded and you have the makings of one really exciting lacrosse team. This group is young so 2012 may not be their year, but watch out. The Buckeyes are for real!

Detroit – It’s unlikely that Detroit will win an NCAA championship but the four Canucks on this team bring stick skills, grit, determination and attitude. If the likes of Shayne Adams, Jordan Houtby, Tom Masterson and Joel Matthews can stay healthy than Detroit just might make it into the year-end tournament.

Robert Morris – Yes, there have been a few important stars to graduate but the depth of Canadian sharpshooters on the Colonials is still amazing. Kyle Buchanan (Nepean), Kiel Matisz (Stoney Creek), Jake Hayes (Calgary), Tyler Digby (New Westminster) and Kevin Brownell (Burlington) are all back and will play more this year and Dave Morton (Orangeville) is healthy again.  Freshman Jacob Ruest (Cornwall) is a future star and Matt Worlidge (Burlington) will eventually contend for a starting position when he heals.

St Josephs – They never won a game last year, but they have a new coach and he is from Edmonton.  His name is Taylor Wray and he joins Canisius’ Randy Mearns as only the second Canadian coach in Division I lacrosse. And while Wray doesn’t have any Canadians playing for him right now, he has hired Kevin Crowley as an assistant coach. So imagine this. A guy from Edmonton and a kid from New Westminster take over a winless lacrosse team that is based in coach “friendly” Philadelphia.  Sounds like a movie! Sounds like a movie I would like to watch. Good luck T-Wray and Crow!

Canadian players to watch in Division I in 2012 – The big guns

Every year, players who have had good NCAA seasons really step up and become the poster children for Canadians in the NCAA. Here are a few players you will be hearing a lot about in 2012.

Mark Matthews/Denver – Matthews scored 46 goals as a junior and is expected to lead Denver back to NCAA Final 4. Matthews is tall enough and strong enough to handle the double team but both he and his supporting cast are older and stronger than they were last year. It’s going to be fun watching Matthews and Company light it up.

Jason Noble/Cornell – Brodie Merrill set the standard for Canadian LSM’s and it is only fitting that one of his students would come along and be the next standard bearer. A great leader in the dressing room, his quiet demeanor understates his intensity. His 4:40 sprint times combined with great vision and hands tell you in part why he is so good.

Jordan Houtby/Detroit – He doesn’t get the attention he deserves but Houtby is legit. As the starting LSM on Detroit he controls a lot more of the flow and possession than many people realize. Houtby is a superb transition player and might be the most under-rated Canadian in Division I lacrosse.

Jeremy Noble/Denver – The twin brother of Jason Noble, Jeremy is the perfect midfield compliment to Mark Matthews and Cam Flint. Like his brother, he is fast and intense although a tad bit noisier than the other twin we are told. Interestingly, Cornell will play Denver on the 20^th of March and we will see these two brothers play against each other for the first time ever.   

Cameron Mann/Jacksonville – Cameron Mann is a superbly skilled player but what all of his coaches and team mates rave about is his character. That said, Mann scored 37 points last year while grabbing 45 GB’s and 9 CT’s so he obviously has a very complete game. If the Dolphins have a great year, Mann will be a big part of the story-line. 

Canadian rookies to watch in Division I in 2012

Predicting which rookies will have the biggest impact each year is tricky because a lot depends on the strength of the program they are joining. That said here are my picks for five rookies worth keeping an eye on.

Reilly O’Connor/Georgetown – Reilly O’Connor (Brooklin) has great hands, great touch and excellent decision making abilities around the cage. O’Connor might be the best offensive threat coming out of the Canadian rookie class in 2012 and that’s high praise given the depth of the scoring touch in this class.

Wes Berg/Denver – Superb stick skills and athleticism, Berg is probably the best 19 year old box lacrosse player in Canada. The only question is how quickly he can pick up the nuances of the field game. The rumors out of Denver are that he is a learning really quickly. 

Reegan Comeault/Turner Evans/Jesse King/Ohio State – Remember Crowley and McBride at Stony Brook? This is kind of what it feels like is going on in Columbus. Three superb rookies to go along with Logun Schuss. Hard to say how long it’s going to take for the chemistry to kick in, but it will.

Dan Taylor/Lehigh – Dan Taylor (Calgary) is big, strong and athletic and can shoot. Reminds many of Carter Bender. Taylor needs to learn the field game but will eventually become a high impact player.

Canadian Women in Division I in 2012

One of the interesting stories in Canadian lacrosse in 2012 is the jump in the number of woman in Division I lacrosse, which leapt from 16 in 2011 to 22 this year. While the raw numbers still lag the men it should be noted that this is a 37% increase and 11 of the 22 women are freshman suggesting that the number of Canadian women playing Division I lacrosse is about to grow quickly to the 40-50 player level. If that trend holds up than that is terrific news for Canadian lacrosse. At the same time, the number of men playing Division I lacrosse is down slightly and the men’s freshman class in particular is down sharply.

 Players and teams to watch in 2012

I will be the first to admit that I don’t know as much about the women’s game as I do about the men, but I am a fan of their game nonetheless and committed to covering it. Like the men, the first areas of interest for fans are those teams that employ a large number of Canadians in their offences. For those who love the Canadian flavor of the game, here are a few teams to watch and a few comments on their high impact players. 

Detroit – Head coach Laura Maness will be installing a new offence this year and the three Canadian’s on her roster are likely to play a prominent role. Emily Boissonneault (Brooklin) had a superb 2011 season scoring 63 goals in 18 games and has been named the team captain for 2012. She will be supported by Corina Mahorn (Whitby) and Erin Campbell (Orangeville) who are also gifted offensive players. All three have the potential to lift Detroit to some unexpected wins in 2012.

Canisius – Canisius is coming off its most successful season in school history that saw it win the MAAC Championship. Several Canadians played key roles in last year’s Championship run including returnees Megan Oosting (Lakefield) who scored 52 goals last year and Carly Quinn (Orangeville) who scored 43 goals along with 22 assists. In 2012, the Griffs welcome talented rookies Taylor Smith (Ashburn) on defense and midfielder Tori Quinn (Orangeville).

Virginia Tech – The Hokies are coming off their winingest season in 12 years and what makes this team interesting to watch is the fact that they have snagged two of Canada’s best up and coming lacrosse players in Taylor Landry (Whitby) and Jacqueline Boissonneault (Brooklin).

Canadian rookies to watch in Division I in 2012

Taylor Landry/Virginia Tech – The 2012 women’s rookie class is the strongest that Canada has ever delivered to the NCAA with 11 freshmen joining the ranks of Division I lacrosse. Of this group, Taylor Landry is by far the highest impact Canadian. Landry led Team Canada in scoring at the 2011 FIL World Championships with 22 goals and 7 assists in 8 games and was voted to the tournament all-star team. Landry could crack the Virginia Tech line-up as a freshman defender but has the potential to become a dominant two-way midfielder.

Katie Donohoe/Monmouth – Donohoe (Peterborough) was also voted to the 2011 All World All-star Team and played an important role in Canada’s bronze medal performance. Hard to say whether she will start but if she does, she has the potential to steal games.

Jordan Lyons/UMBC – Lyons (Peterborough) has speed and power and can play both attack and midfield. Lyons was third in team scoring at the Worlds with 15 goals and 4 assists in 8 games and should become a top rookie in her first year at UMBC.

Games upcoming

Not many games being played close to the Canadian border this week but there is one that is really important. On Sunday, Michigan plays its first Division I game against Detroit at 1PM and it should be a great game. The other game worth checking out is Bryant at Colgate on Saturday at 1PM. 

Final thoughts

If you ever watched Kanatiio Adams play lacrosse than at some point during the game you would turn to the person beside you and with a huge smile on your face say “did you see that?” And the person beside you would be laughing and he would be shaking his head and he would say something like “amazing”. That’s how precious Kanatiio Adams was, that’s how good he was at playing the game of lacrosse.

Kanattio Adams passed away on the 2^nd of January, 2012. Some called him son, others brother, some called him roommate, team mate or friend, most just called him Tiio. He wasn’t just a good lacrosse player, he was superb and he undoubtedly would have been the starting LSM for Team Iroquois at the upcoming World U19 Championships in Finland. He was also an outstanding student athlete, on his way to one of the best and most academically challenging universities in the world (Cornell) on a full ride nonetheless. And he was funny too, a real practical joker with a smile that was all about joy and friendliness.

Words can only say so much at times like this. His uncle wrote a poem at the time of Tiio’s funeral and in it he said “that there’s a hole in our heart the shape of you”. That comes pretty close. So does the word “amazing”. Rest well Tiio.

Yours in lacrosse – JP Donville

February 14, 2012
Categories: Inside The Game, Men's Field, Womens Field Lax . . Author: marksy . Comments: Leave a Comment