Redmen open their season with 9-4 win over Oakville

Derek Suddons (left) and Brendan Thenhaus take the ceremonial faceoff
before their Brooklin and Oakville teams open their MSL seasons. 

The Brooklin Redmen won each period to take a 9-4 win over the Oakville Rock in the season opener for both teams Wednesday night. Kyle Whitlow led the way for the Redmen with 3 goals and an assist in his first MSL game while four other players also got their first MSL goals for Brooklin (Josh Gilray, TJ Saunders, Ray Degerdon and Nick Loyst).

Zack Higgins made 36 saves on 40 shots to earn the win as Brooklin held period leads of 3-2 and 7-4 then shut out the Rock 2-0 in the final 20 minutes.

Redmen righty Mike Triolo said with a bunch of new players in the lineup, including rookies and call ups, communication was the key issue. "Everyone just keep talking. Even when we come back to the bench, the coaches are saying not enough talking out there," Triolo said. "Guys like Dan Ball out there who's talking to everyone, making sure they know where they're at, it's huge for us."

Kodiaks open MSL season with 12-5 win over Chiefs

Joey Cupido, here against Peterborough, had a hat trick to lead KW to a 12-5
win over Six Nations in the MSL season opener. (Photo: TimPprothero)

The Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks used a 6-0 third period to run away from the Six Nations Chiefs and beat the two-time defending Mann Cup champs 12-5 in the first game of the 2015 Major Series Lacrosse season Tuesday. 

Joey Cupido led the third-period charge with a hat trick. Cupido added an assist while Ryan Benesch and Tom Masterson each had a goal and 3 assists in the game for KW. Randy Staats was the top gunner for Six Nations with 3 goals. Davide DiRuscio stopped 41 of 46 shots to earn the win in goal.

Six Nations was missing a number of regular players who either are still in the NLL playoffs or just finished their NLL seasons on Saturday. They did, though, have Dhane Smith, Kedoh Hill and Johnny Powless, but KW limited the potent trio to a single assist each. 

The season continues Wednesday night when the Oakville Rock and Brooklin Redmen play their first games of the season at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre in Whitby at 8pm. Brooklin is the defending regular season champion while Oakville has turned over about half its lineup in a bid to compete with the top teams in the league this summer. 

Revamped Oakville Rock looking to take the next step

Stephan Leblanc led Oakville last summer with 21 goals and 34 assists for
55 points. 

Plenty of Optimism after off-season moves

contributed by Garrett Chisholme, AGM of the Oakville Rock

The Oakville Rock approach the 2015 Major Series Lacrosse season with renewed optimism after a number of off-season moves. Newly appointed GM Josh Sanderson was busy after being named as a replacement to his father, the late Terry Sanderson.

“I know how special this team was to my dad,” said Josh. “I know he had a vision and a plan and I want to continue that for him and see it through.”

Fielding a fairly young team in 2014, the Rock finished with  a franchise best 6 wins and 12 losses, narrowly missing the playoffs. Sanderson saw the need to add veteran leadership and toughness.

17 players on MSL rosters among 23 named to Canada's team for 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships

Major Series Lacrosse players have provided the vast majority of the players named to Canada's squad that will look to win the country's fourth gold medal in as many World Indoor Lacrosse Championships when the tournament is played this September on the Onondaga Nation in upstate New York.

The Canadian Lacrosse Association released the final roster this week and 17 of the 23 players selected are on MSL rosters.

The finalists from last season lead the way with four players each. The Six Nations Chiefs have goalie Brandon Miller, defenders Billy Dee Smith and Dan Coates and forward Dhane Smith on the national team. The Peterborough Lakers' selected players are goalie Matt Vinc and forwards Shawn Evans, Adam Jones and Curtis Dickson.

Jordan MacIntosh for Steve Fryer trade between Oakville and KW

Steve Fryer started last year in Brooklin before being traded
to KW. Now he's off to Oakville for 2015.
(Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Oakville Rock have traded forward/transition player Jordan MacIntosh to the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks for goalie Steve Fryer. KW also receives a 3rd round pick in the 2017 junior draft in the deal.

MacIntosh, 25, played eight games for Oakville in 2014, scoring 8 goals and 14 assists for 22 points. He spent the two previous seasons with the Peterborough Lakers, including helping them to win the 2012 Mann Cup. He started his career as MSL's rookie of the year with the Ajax Rock in 2011, scoring 28 goals and 24 assists for 52 points, after spending his Jr A career with the Burlington Chiefs. MacIntosh plays for the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse in the summer and generally isn't available for a full MSL schedule. He has been named the NLL's transition player of the year the last two seasons.

Fryer, also 25, was voted a second team all-star once each in the Ontario and BC Jr A leagues. He spent a season with the Langley Thunder of the WLA and a season and a half with MSL's Brooklin Redmen before being traded to KW last summer. Fryer is on the Toronto Rock's practice squad, so he continues the trend of Oakville adding Toronto players to their roster.

Excelsiors to play 2015 home games at Memorial Arena

The Brampton Excelsiors are returning to Memorial Arena, effective immediately. The team left its former home at the Powerade Centre with the plan to eventually return to its old stomping grounds at Memorial, but were expecting to have to play games this summer at Century Gardens while renovations at Memorial were completed.

With things proceeding apace, though, the team has announced that Memorial Arena is ready to go and they'll be playing their 2015 home opener there on June 4 against the Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks.

For more information about the team and how to get tickets, including season passes, go to the Brampton Excelsiors web site.

MSL season tickets available

Catch great MSL action all season long at a discount with seasons tickets.
(Photo: Tim Prothero)

Major Series Lacrosse is already a great value, with the best players in the world battling for the ultimate goal of the Mann Cup. Four teams in the league are offering an even better deal with the opportunity to buy seasons tickets that represent substantial savings over the single ticket game prices.

To get seasons tickets for the defending Mann Cup champion Six Nations Chiefs, call 905-768-225 or email tjohnson2419@gmail.com or visit their web site for more information.

The Peterborough Lakers have been extremely successful over the last decade and the crowds they draw show how appreciative their fans are. The team generally sells well over 2,000 seasons tickets, but there are still good seats available. Call the Memorial Centre box office at 705-743-3561 or buy tickets online.

The Oakville Rock are on the rise; they were pushing the Chiefs for the final playoff spot last summer and have added tons of talent this year. You can catch all their home action by calling 416-596-3075 or emailing gchisholme@torontorock.com. Get more info about the team and tickets by visiting their web site.

The Brampton Excelsiors have won four Mann Cups this century. They've struggled a bit the last few years to string wins together but they're rebuilding with loads of home grown talent and looking to work their way back to the glory years. To get seasons tickets for 2015, email the team at excelsiors@bell.net or go to the web site for more information.

The league's other two teams sell individual game tickets. You can order Brooklin Redmen tickets online by going to the defending regular season champions' web site.

The Kitchener-Waterloo Kodiaks sell tickets at the door. You can learn more about the Kodiaks at their web site.