Toronto Rock players suiting up for summer lacrosse

Nick Rose is a fixture for both the Toronto and Oakville Rock.
(Photo: Dave Fryer)

Courtesy Toronto Rock

The Toronto Rock season may have some to a premature end as the NLL regular season came to a close, but there is still lacrosse to be played in Canada’s summer amateur leagues as players stay sharp for the pros and the 2017 NLL season which will begin in January.

The bulk of Toronto Rock players on the floor this summer will suit up for the Oakville Rock of Ontario’s Major Series Lacrosse (MSL). The team plays out of the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre (TRAC) in Oakville and is coached by Rock assistant coach Matt Sawyer. Leading the front office of the Oakville Rock is Toronto Rock forward turned summertime GM, Josh Sanderson. Oakville’s home games are played on Mondays at 8 p.m. at the TRAC.

Anchoring the crease for ‘Oak City’ are goaltenders Nick Rose and Steve Fryer. Rose had a brilliant 2016 season for the Toronto Rock while Steve Fryer continues to battle for an active roster spot and spent the bulk of the season on Toronto’s practice roster.

Redmen ride hot goaltending and team offence to 11-7 win over Lakers

Dan Ball and the Brooklin Redmen held off the Peterborough Lakers for an 11-7 win Thursday. (Photo: Kendall Taylor)

The last time the Peterborough Lakers lost a home opener was 2004. The team that turned the trick was the Brooklin Redmen, who were back in town Thursday night hoping for a repeat performance. Led by excellent goaltending from Zach Higgins and a sublime 8-point night from Shayne Jackson, Brooklin was able to do exactly that with an 11-7 win that improved them to 2-0 while dropping the Lakers to 1-1.

The visitors jumped out to a quick start when TJ Sanders scored his first of the season just 48 seconds in then Dan Lintner jumped to tuck home a back-door quick-stick power play goal off a perfect cross-floor pass from Reilly O'Connor just over two minutes after the opening faceoff.

Adam Jones got a pair for the Lakers, but in between O'Connor and Lintner combined for a carbon copy of the earlier goal when Peterborough couldn't come up with a loose ball and Zach Currier was caught well up floor looking for a breakout pass.

Currier was one of several young defenders in the lineup for Peterborough and they generally performed well, but Brooklin took advantage of a few breakdowns to make the Lakers pay quickly for their mistakes. Ryan Keenan put the Redmen ahead 4-2 when he connected with 20 seconds left in the first period.

Shawn Evans got a pair to tie things up in the second but back to back holding penalties to Thomas Hoggarth and Shawn Evans followed by a boarding major to Ian Llord gave the Redmen an extended power play, much of the time 5 on 3. Brooklin got goals from Keenan and Jackson to pull back ahead. Perhaps just as importantly, all the penalty kill time seemed to take some jump out of the Lakers at both ends of the floor, although they had looked a little flat anyway.

Chiefs explode for 8 second period goals in 15-5 rout of Excelsiors

Courtesy Six Nations Chiefs

The Six Nations Pro-Fit Chiefs sharpshooters were out in full force Thursday night.
On the road in Brampton, Randy Staats scored four goals and two assists, while Johnny Powless added three goals and four assists, and Craig Point pitched in with three goals and one helper, as the Chiefs blew by the Excelsiors 15-5.
Not to be outdone, Cody Jamieson made his presence felt with a goal and six assists, while Joe Hall, Marty Hill, Tim Edwards and Jordan Durston netted one goal each.
Dillon Ward made his 2016 Chiefs debut, and made 37 saves to earn the win.
After the two teams exchanged four goals each in the first period, it was all Chiefs in the second frame, going on an 8-1 run, before adding three more in the third.
With two wins to start the Major Series Lacrosse season, they now host the Oakville Rock on Tuesday at 8 p.m., at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena.

Six Nations 15, Brampton 5 (box score)

Redmen take out Excelsiors 12-5 in Wednesday night MSL action

Matt Spanger and the Brampton Excelsiors took on Shawn Williams and the
Brooklin Redmen in both teams' season openers Wednesday.
(Photo: Tim Prothero)

Both teams were missing a handful of players for various reasons, primary among them guys being involved in the National Lacrosse League championship series. It's safe to say that as the game went on, the Brooklin Redmen handled a cobbled-together roster better than the Brampton Excelsiors did.

Brampton jumped out to a 4-3 lead after one period and scored the opening goal of the second. But for the final 34 minutes, it was all Brooklin as the Redmen scored nine unanswered goals to take a 12-5 win in the Major Series Lacrosse season opener for both teams at Whitby's Iroquois Park Sports Centre.

Junior graduate Austin Shanks led all scorers with 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points. Dan Lintner, fresh off his NLL rookie season in Toronto, enjoyed being back with many of his junior teammates with the Whitby Warriors, scoring 4 goals and adding an assist. Two of those reunited teammates each added 5 points: Reilly O'Connor had a goal and 4 assists, Shayne Jackson 5 assists.

It wasn't just the youngsters producing for Brooklin, though. Veteran Derek Hopcroft and uber-veteran Shawn Williams each chipped in a goal and 3 assists.

Matt Spanger, Mike Burke, Mike Teeter, Tyson Bell and Phil Caputo responded for Brampton, who outshot the Redmen 45-42 but didn't get many quality chances against a stout Brooklin defence.

Oakville doubles Cobourg 10-5 in Kokiaks' first game in their new home

Bradley Kri and AJ Masson battle for a faceoff in the Kodiaks first game since moving to Cobourg. (Photo: Anna Taylor)

The Cobourg Kodiaks got off to a great start in their new home and gave the home crowd of over 1,000 fans something to cheer about Sunday afternoon at the Cobourg Community Centre.

Unfortunately for the team and their fans, they weren't able to sustain their momentum and fell 10-5 to the Oakville Rock in the 2016 Major Series Lacrosse season opener.

Eric Guiltinan broke away and scored the season’s first goal just under three minutes into the game. Rance Vigneux was sharp between the pipes for Cobourg, allowing the Kodiaks to weather some pressure from the Rock until Matt Crough, playing his first game with the team, took a pass from Jacob Ruest and tucked it home from in close to make it 2-0 near the midway point of the first period.

Jeremy Noble finally got the visitors on the board when he rifled home an outside shot on the power play at 12:55. That was all the scoring in the first frame.

Oakville finally solved Vigneux more regularly in the second as Wes Berg scored three of his first four goals in the first half of the frame and Jason Noble added a transition goal. Cobourg coach Jamie Dubrick pulled Vigneux when Brenden Thenhaus buried a sidearm rip from deep to make it 6-2.

Excelsiors send Buque to Redmen for pair of lefties

Michael Teeter is heading to Brampton in today's MSL trade with Brooklin.
(Photo: Tim Prothero)

The Brampton Excelsiors and Brooklin Redmen have completed a trade just prior to the 2016 MSL season. Brooklin receives goalie Alex Buque, a graduate of the Whitby Warriors who is currently playing his third season with the WLA's New Westminster Salmonbellies. He helped lead the Warriors to a Minto Cup championship in 2013 and provides the Redmen with options down the road. Brooklin also gets Brampton's first-round pick in the 2018 MSL draft. 

In return, Brampton receives lefty forwards Mike Teeter and Kyle Aquin. Teeter was the CLax offensive player of the year in 2015 then scored 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points in 17 games with  Brooklin last summer. 

Aquin has 54 points, including 32 goals, in 28 career MSL games spread over five seasons. His biggest season was 2014 with Brooklin when he played 10 games and posted 10 goals and 13 assists. 

Six Nations Chiefs looking to return to top of MSL in 2016

Courtesy Six Nations Chiefs

The Six Nations Pro-Fit Chiefs are looking at a bit of redemption.

After having to watch the Peterborough Lakers celebrate the Major Series Lacrosse championship at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena last season, the Chiefs have been champing at the bit to get back to the top of the league.

The biggest changes have been off the floor, with Steve Detrich being named the Chiefs new general manager and John Tavares the new offensive coordinator. 

On the floor, the Chiefs have had to say goodbye to Jeff Shattler and Colin Boucher. 

Shattler, enjoyed two great season with Six Nations and quickly became a fan favourite. But this season, he is back in the Western Lacrosse Association with the defending champion Victoria Shamrocks.

Boucher played three seasons with the Chiefs and will now be a rival with the Oakville Rock.

Also gone for the season are Colin Doyle and Brandon Miller.

With four big holes to fill, the Chiefs brain trust went to work, building within their own.

Jordan Durstan, Leo Storous and Warren Hill are the fresh faces in the Chiefs lineup. All three players are familiar to Six Nations lacrosse fans, all playing at one time for the junior A Arrows.

Hill will be the backup to starting goalie Dillon Ward. The former Arrows and junior B Rebels goalie won a Presidents Cup with the Chiefs' senior B affiliate Six Nations Rivermen last season.

Storous was one of the rocks on the Arrows back end for their back-to-back Minto Cup championships. Named the Ontario Lacrosse Association's junior A Defensive Player of the Year, Storous will bring plenty of additional toughness to an already nasty defence.