Brooklin Redmen Holiday Raffle 2003

Wednesday December 31, 2003

WHITBY -- On behalf of the Brooklin Redmen Lacrosse Club, Happy Holidays
and Best Wishes for the New Year. The club recently held their annual
holiday raffle and  the winners are below, thanks to all for their
ongoing support:

Draw was held Monday December 29, 2003 at the Royal Canadian Legion, 
Brooklin


1st place,  Wheelbarrow of Cheer, Trisha Scott, North York
2nd place, 2 season tickets to the 2004 Brooklin Redmen, Joe Malhoa, 
Enniskillen
3rd place, 2 tickets to a Toronto Maple Leafs game, Bob Vesey, Brooklin
4th place, 2 tickets to a Toronto Rock game, Ray Arpin, Oshawa
5th place, 2 tickets to a Buffalo Bandits game, Bob McKendry, Oshawa







Hill Bides His Time

Lacrosse Player Will Be Particular
About Who He Plays For This Year





By Alge Borusas: Hamilton Specator

Wednesday December 31, 2003
 
HAMILTON -- Chris Hill was grateful to get a little certainty in what
could have been an uncertain professional lacrosse season.

When the National Lacrosse League announced that an agreement was
reached with the Professional Lacrosse Player's Association (PLPA) to
extend the existing collective bargaining agreement for the 2003-2004
season with minor modifications last week, Hill and his cohorts were
able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The agreement ensures that the entire seasonwill take place free of
interruption by a strike or lockout.

The season began last Friday, Boxing Day.

"I could see from both sides why they went head-to-head.

"There are many of us who play because we love to play while there are
others out there who play just to cash in," said Hill, a full-time
personal trainer at Burlington's Cedar Springs Racquets, Athletics and
Sportsclub.

The main sticking point in the 12-day PLPA strike was the elimination of
the non-dress clause.

Previously, players who missed a game for whatever reason, including a
coach's decision not to use them, were paid a flat rate of $150.

Now, contracts are fully guaranteed.

Hill had been playing with the Ottawa Rebel team last season in the NLL,
but it folded at the end of the year and his rights went to the
expansion Arizona Sting.

Arizona released him on the weekend, but as a free agent he has been in
contact with a few other teams already interested in his services.

"I have contacted head coaches and general managers of other teams. I'm
sitting back and seeing if there are any offers that are decent," he
said. "I have a feeling that chances are that it may be into the new
year before you see me on a team somewhere."

He said he had been known as someone who would take any job anywhere and
end up on a practice roster running the opposition's plays.

Hill wants a little more stability for his family. "It makes things
difficult choosing where to try out and who to contact and everything
else," he said.

"I have more than myself to look after. I have other responsibilities. I
have a 10-year old who also plays lacrosse. Things have changed from the
time I started."

Hill has been all over the map playing lacrosse during his career.

He had seen action with the Philadelphia Wings of the NLL when they won
the championship in 1998.

He also played for the Brooklin Redmen of the Ontario Lacrosse
Association major loop, the Six Nations Braves in the Can-Am League and
the Akwesasne Thunder in the OLA major league plus teams in the U.S. and
Hawaii.

This summer, he hopes to be playing for the new Windsor major team.







Coaches For The 2004 Season

Wednesday December 31, 2003

The Clarington Minor Lacrosse Association Rep Program is looking for
coaches for the 2004 season.

Coaches must excel at teaching lacrosse skills and teamwork. Coaches
must also have the ability to motivate and encourage players to reach
their potential as individuals and as team members.

If you have these skills, live in the Clarington area and would like to
pass your passion for lacrosse onto the youth of Clarington, email us
your contact information at cmla@rogers.com and we will send you an
application.

Application deadline is January 23, 2003.


Steve Millard
VP Rep
Clarington Minor Lacrosse
www.claringtonlacrosse.com
cmla@rogers.com







Why Lacrosse Matters

Welcome to the alternate reality of pro sports
Where the athletes truly play for the love of the game



Wednesday December 24, 2003
 
RADIO FREE CABBAGETOWN -- Somewhere out on the unspoiled American
plains, untold centuries ago, someone wrapped a thin strip of leather
around a curving stick, picked up a rock or a chestnut, and threw it one
heck of a long way.

Someone else thought that was a darn fine idea, rigged up a similar
stick, and threw it back. Pretty soon, they're playing catch. Pretty
soon, boys being boys the world over, they discover the sticks are good
for whacking each other, as well. Pretty soon, you've got a rough,
physical, lightning-fast game that requires brute strength and dazzling
finesse, and is lost without either.

Whatever those long-forgotten lacrosse pioneers were thinking of in
those happy moments of first discovery, it wasn't free agency, corporate
naming rights and salaries of $10 million a year.

The world, as it will, has changed enormously. The game, too, although
we who love it might wish, at times, that it hadn't.

The National Lacrosse League just survived one of those times. A dispute
over a new collective bargaining agreement turned into a player strike,
spawning a very serious threat from the owners to scrap the entire 2004
season, a move which would, quite likely, have destroyed this latest,
best attempt at creating stable, reliable professional lacrosse.

Back in time, way out on the windswept prairie, what would the first
lacrosse players have thought? Standing around, sticks down, while
lawyers and accountants quibbled and whined and threatened to end it
all? I'll bet you my last pound of buffalo they'd have busted up the
meeting with a few stern crosschecks, and gone right back to playing the
game. 

Minus the crosschecks, that's just about exactly what ended up
happening.

While the status quo may rule in the off-floor business department (the
old CBA was extended for one more year), NLL 2004 is a very different
league. Of the twelve teams that did battle last season, only seven are
returning their old cities. Three others have relocated: the Albany
Attack are now the San Jose Stealth, the Columbus Landsharks have been
reborn (again) as the Arizona Sting, and the long-suffering New Jersey
Storm took their nickname with them on a cross-continent migration to
Anaheim.

Two other franchises, the Ottawa Rebel and New York Saints, to great
sadness but for the greater health of all, have been put to sleep.

The new league looks very much like the NHL did just after the original
round of expansion in 1967. Most of the history and tradition -- and all
the championship banners -- remain in the east, where the Toronto Rock,
Rochester Knighthawks, Philadelphia Wings and Buffalo Bandits will all
face each other four times each in the winter months to come.

Toronto faces an unexpected challenge in trying to three-peat. Head
coach and general manager Les Bartley, likely the single keenest, most
creative mind in the game, underwent cancer surgery in November, and
will be lost to lacrosse for the entire 2004 season. His long-serving
assistants, Ed Comeau and Derek Keenan, take over as coach and GM,
respectively. Both stress the appointments are interim, and insist this
is still Bartley's team.

The new look of the NLL is best epitomized by the West Division. The
oldest team here is the Vancouver Ravens, entering just their fourth
season in the show. They are joined by the Calgary Roughnecks and
Colorado Mammoth, both ready to contend fiercely, and the three refugee
teams from the east. 

(Fun fact: The NLL has never had a team in the central time zone.)

With the possible exception of San Jose, the newcomers are in trouble.
Both New Jersey and Columbus were pretty dreadful organizations, and
their descendents in Anaheim and Arizona could find themselves badly
overmatched as the new season wears on. 

In Silicon Valley, however, lacrosse mastermind Johnny Mouradian is
calling the shots for an organization that, except for attendance, was
pretty solid in Albany. Mouradian was the original GM of the Toronto
Rock, building the team for its first two seasons -- and championships.
Before that, he picked up three rings as GM of the Buffalo Bandits. New
teams are always a gamble, but the San Jose Stealth must be considered
the early pick to best contend with their more-established western
rivals.

The final, in April, will be East vs. West. That makes every game
crucial in the east, and opens a shining door of opportunity for the
newer boys out west. 

And why does all this matter? Isn't this just another gimmick league,
like Arena Football, Slamball and the East Coast Hockey League?

No. This matters because the NLL represents a very different theory of
pro sports. If you can get past the hype and the relentless grind of
loud music played while the game is going on, there is a simple athletic
purity here that is very hard to match anywhere else in the pro ranks. 

With a top salary of $20,000 (U.S.) lacrosse is a part-time job for
every player, from the superstars to the scrubs. Western players face an
extra challenge this year, as many of them still live in the east, and
will be spending vastly more time on transcontinental air flights than
they will on the lacrosse floor.

But all this is part of a special spirit that comes from playing purely
for the love of the game. It is this spirit, I believe, that allowed the
players make some significant sacrifices to save the season. Labour
peace is not final, but at least the disruptions have ended for this
year.

This is a hugely important season for the NLL. Last year, the sport
struck gold when the Washington Power, a power on the floor,
past-pathetic in the front office, was sold to the owners of the NHL's
Colorado Avalanche, and moved to Denver. Similar experiments are now
being conducted in San Jose, Anaheim and Arizona. If they all take, it
will be a bonanza. If they don't, look for the good ones to continue,
and the other franchises continue relocating.

Cynics point to the huge number of NLL teams that aren't there anymore,
and say the league is a farce. The more optimistic (hi there!) feel that
if one, maybe two, Colorados can be added each year, and any new no-hope
nightmares (New York, Ottawa, New Jersey, Columbus, Syracuse,
Pittsburgh, on and on, etcetera) can be quickly eliminated, a solid
shining sports league will emerge, with low ticket prices and deeply
honest action for all.

That, I admit, is a dream. But it's a dream I'll be happily living
throughout NLL 2004.

Lacrosse is a game that literally changes the lives of the people who
love it. If that sounds intriguing, come on down!


 








Bring On The Province

Cornwall Minor Lacrosse Association To Host
Midget Division Championship Tournament


By Todd Hambleton: Cornwall Standard Freeholder 

Tuesday December 16, 2003 

CORNWALL -- Roy Ledoux can’t think of a better way for the Cornwall
Minor Lacrosse Association to celebrate its fifth anniversary next
summer. 

The association president has announced that the association will, for
the first time, host a provincial championship tournament. It’s at the
midget division level, Aug. 20-22. 

“It’s the first time we applied (to host), so we’re very excited about
being awarded the tournament,’’ Ledoux said. 

It’s no small undertaking. It’ll be one of the biggest amateur sports
events to hit the city and surrounding area, with dozens of teams
participating. 

“It’ll probably top off at about 60 teams,’’ Ledoux said. “It’ll be a
lot of hard work for us...it started (last) September.’’ 

The association figured the timing was right to apply to the Ontario
Lacrosse Association for hosting rights. For one, it’s been eight years
since there’s been a provincial lacrosse tournament in eastern Ontario,
and that was in Nepean. 

SUCCESS STORY
 
For another, the Cornwall association is considered an impressive
success story. The association grew rapidly, and last summer was another
solid one with 260 kids registered. 

“Looking back to the (2000 season) and the rebirth of minor lacrosse in
Cornwall, I think we all agree we’ve had a successful four seasons,’’
Ledoux said. “Things have improved every year. Our teams have won
tournaments in Cornwall, Nepean, Gloucester and Peterborough, and some
of us will never forget the wonderful peewee provincial championship win
in Barrie in 2002.’’ 

Ledoux said his association applied to host at the midget level because
only four arenas are required, whereas in other divisions upwards of six
arenas are needed. 

Even coming up with four surfaces in late August – the beginning of the
ice age at many local rinks – is a challenge. The lacrosse tournament is
tentatively slated to be held at Si Miller Arena, and at Williamstown,
Long Sault and Akwesasne. 

Ledoux said the Cornwall Seaway Valley Tourism Bureau estimates that a
tournament this size could mean an influx of over $300,000 coming into
Cornwall and area businesses. 

The association won’t be getting any rest this winter. The off-season
skills program is under way at St. Lawrence College gym. 

About 35 kids in two groups gather on Thursday nights to keep their
stick skills sharp. 

• Anyone wishing to volunteer to help organize the provincial tournament
can reach Ledoux at 937-3727.







Labour Woes Rock NLL? Who Cares!


By MIKE ULMER: Toronto Sun

Tuesday December 16, 2003

TORONTO -- Once, not that long ago, the Toronto Rock were a good news
sports story, a local sporting franchise that actually won, and often.
The Rock monopolized the National Lacrosse League, winning four titles
in five years. They regularly attracted crowds of 16,000 or better to
the Air Canada Centre. 

Rock players were accessible. With $290,000 divided between 20 or so
players, cops, teachers and firefighters could earn a few extra shekels
living the fantasy life of a pro athlete. Fans got to cheer and dance a
bit at the ACC and still afford braces for their teenagers. 

Now, no one knows whether there will be professional lacrosse in
Toronto, or anywhere else for that matter. The players are
incommunicado, the ticket buying public is shut out and training camps
have been postponed. 

Earth to the players, coaches, owners and managers of the National
Lacrosse League: "Nobody cares." 

Rock players aren't talking in the wake of a take-it-or-leave-it offer
from the league which all but ignores the players' union. Each of the
league's 10 teams began tendering offers to players yesterday. The
salary structure is based on the expired collective bargaining
agreement. 

"We are starting to offer contracts to players," said Rock general
manager Derek Keenan. "I haven't signed anyone but I haven't had a no
yet, either." 

"I don't think this is about breaking the players' union. That's not the
intent. There can still be some negotiation." 

Keenan said he is planning to open camp Saturday at York University. The
schedule kicks off Boxing Day but the Rock are inactive until Jan. 10 in
Rochester. 

Professional Lacrosse Players' Association vice-president Dave Succamore
is too enmeshed in negotiations to explain what is going on with his
membership. 

"I got your message but I can't talk right now," Succamore said. 

Rock captain Jim Veltman said through a family member that he could not
comment. 

Management, they can talk. 

The league averaged 8,700 fans a game last season but was beset by the
usual franchise shifts and soft attendance problems in U.S. cities. 

"Two of our teams made money last year," said NLL Jim Jennings. "Those
teams were Toronto and Philadelphia. We lost teams in Ottawa, Montreal,
New Jersey, Albany and Columbus." 

The wonder, of course, is that anyone would have paid to watch lacrosse
in New Jersey, Albany or Columbus. The NLL has been in more than 30
North American cities now. 

"I can tell you that Calgary lost $800,000-$900,0000 last season and New
Jersey, which moved to Anaheim, lost more than a million dollars,"
Jennings said. 

All this, of course, begs a few questions. First, how do you lose a
million bucks if your player payroll is $300,000? And second, who are
these lunatics in Anaheim? 

Jennings said the league offered a salary cap of $600,000 US but wants a
term of three to five years. The players, he said, want a one-year-deal
and a million-dollar cap. 

It's not like the NLL has no long-term prospects. 

The league has a deal with The Score for 22 national games and regional
coverage through CTV Sportsnet. 

TOEHOLD 

Lacrosse has a bit of a toehold on some U.S. college campuses but it's
safe to say that put to a recognition test, more Americans would
recognize carpet bowling. 

And so a nice little sport has gone big-time with all the trappings.
Players insist on more money, owners plead poverty, franchises shift and
the six or so fans who might care are left to fume.





         

Mann Cup Quest


From Brampton Guardian 
 
Friday December 12, 2003  
 
BRAMPTON -- The Brampton Major Excelsiors Lacrosse team is offering
great savings on season ticket packages for the 2004 season.
 
Cost of the season seats are only $100 for a pair and $199 for four.
This limited time offer will save you between $62 and $125. All games
are played at the fully air-conditioned Brampton Centre for Sports and
Entertainment. 

If the Excelsiors can win Eastern Canada (as they have five of the last
six years) they will play host to the Canadian championships, and the
Mann Cup finals. 

The Brampton roster includes as many as 19 faces who play in the
National Lacrosse league, including Colin Doyle, Bob Watson, Chris
Driscoll, Sandy Chapman and Patrick Merrill of the Toronto Rock. 

Call 905-453-4730 for details.










From Bill LeFeuvre

Friday December 12, 2003

ST.CATHARINES -- The St.Catharines "Major" Athletics would like to
announce that they will be accepting applications for the following
positions: 

Head Coach
Assistant Coaches
Game Day Volunteers
Fundraising Volunteers
Program Production & Sales
Statistician
Trainer
Website Journalists
(we would like to bring a writer with us on away games as well)

Interested applicants are requested to email the club at
stcatharinesmajors@hotmail.com. Please include your name, telephone
number and a quick bio. Candidates will be contacted by Management for
interviews.

We are also pleased to announce the we will have a website up and
running in just a couple of months, care of the MultiMedia program at
Niagara College in Welland, Ontario.

All of last years volunteers, management and players are returning with
the exception of the coaching staff.

We are looking for a trainer, statistician and someone to work on the
production and sales of our program, so that we can relieve some of the
work load of the people who have been with us the past few seasons.

Web journalist is obviously a new job title in our organization, as this
will be our first website.

We are in the middle of negotiating a deal with cogeco to have our games
aired on local cable, much like the Jr. A's did, so we will need a few
more game day volunteers to help organize that, as well as other game
day activities.

Regarding last year's coaching staff, the club is very grateful for
Derek Graham and Mike Mouridian's committment and dedication to the
club. Mike has decided that last year would be his final summer coaching
and Derek was unclear as to what his plans were. We feel it would be in
the best interest of the club to look for a new coaching staff that is
both qualified and willing to make the committment to a serious Mann Cup
run.

Last but not least, you can never have too many volunteers. We are
planning on building on the success we had on and off the floor last
year, and in order to do so, we will be holding some off-season
fundraisers.

If you have any questions or concerns about the upcoming season, please
feel free to contact the club through the e-mail address:

stcatharinesmajors@hotmail.com





           

Players Willing To Picket Arenas


By NEIL STEVENS: Canadian Press

Monday December 8, 2003

TORONTO (CP) -- The National Lacrosse League doesn't need a strike by
players as it tries to recover from the loss of three clubs and as it
attempts to spread the sport to California and Arizona. 

But that is exactly what it's got. The Professional Lacrosse Players'
Association membership went on strike Saturday. If no collective
bargaining agreement is in place by the Dec. 26 start of the season, the
league will use non-PLPA members and PLPA members who cross picket lines
in its games. 

"We will find players," commissioner Jim Jennings said from New York
Monday. "Any disruption of playing at this stage of our growth period
would be disastrous to our league. 

"Not playing games is not an option." 

Teams are advertising tickets for sale. They await Jennings' call to
proceed with home games with or without a CBA. 

"If there is a directive from the league that that's how we're to
proceed, then we would," Derek Keenan, interim general manager of the
Rock, said Monday from Oshawa, Ont. 

An exhibition game at Rochester, N.Y., between the Knighthawks and the
Arizona Sting on Saturday was cancelled, as was a planned scrimmage at
Philadelphia's practice facility between the Wings and the Anaheim
Storm. 

The Sting, comprised mainly of players from Ontario who hold practices
in Kitchener, were to scrimmage with the defending-champion Toronto Rock
on the campus of York University this Saturday but that will be
postponed. 

The PLPA has notified the NLL that there is to be no direct dealing with
players of the bargaining unit. 

"We don't think getting players is going to be a problem," said
Jennings. 

A California team has told him that, after giving 60 locals tryouts, it
has no doubt it can put a team on the floor, he said. 

Association vice-president Dave Succamore declined to guess about the
possibilities of the season beginning while his membership is on strike
but he was clear on one point. 

"It would be very difficult for them to do that," he said in Toronto.
"We'd be picketing." 

Succamore says the association had "unwavering support from our
membership" to go on strike, and adds job action was taken only because
the NLL intended to unilaterally impose on Tuesday what it termed a
final offer. 

"We all want to have a CBA in place," Succamore said. "We're just not
going to sell our players down the river." 

The association "intends to send a counterproposal to the NLL and is
positioned to continue talks this upcoming weekend" in Newport, R.I.,
the PLPA stated in a news release issued Monday from Bolton, Ont. 

Jennings said the counterproposal is expected Wednesday. Implementation
Tuesday of the "final offer" was postponed when word was received from
the PLPA it was on its way. 

"We're hoping it's a productive one and that we can sit down this
weekend and negotiate," said Jennings. 

Jennings has repeatedly complained that the association has not made its
representatives available often enough for bargaining sessions that
might have resolved outstanding issues by now. 

In its news release, the PLPA stated that, "The delay in getting to the
table was brought on by the failure of the league to address tens of
thousands of dollars that were owed to individual players and to the
PLPA under the expired contract that needed to be rectified before
discussion of future commitments. Those obligations included tens of
thousands of dollars that had been taken from players' paycheques
intended for PLPA dues and diverted instead by a number of clubs for
their own use." 

The PLPA says it filed charges with the U.S. government "to recover
misappropriated money." 

Players on some teams weren't being paid at times last season. The NLL
granted free agency to players with the now-dormant New York Saints
after some didn't get paid. 

"To us, that was the first order of business," said Succamore. 

Jennings says all players have been paid as of late October. He also
stepped in to suspend New York and Columbus owner Mike Gongas for two
years. 

"I personally got involved to make sure all the players were paid money
they were owed," he said. "We felt we could have been talking (to the
players' association) all along. 

"We take exception when they say that's the reason why they haven't
negotiated." 

Jim Brady, general manager of the Storm, was reluctant to comment on the
situation, saying he could be fined by the NLL. 

"We'll take our lead from the head office," said Brady. 

A free Friday, Dec. 19, exhibition game against the Colorado Mammoth to
follow the Colorado-Anaheim NHL game that night was still on as of
Monday. It is the Storm's major promotional tool for its first season in
Anaheim. 

"We hope the parties can get together and get a settlement," Brady said
from St. Catharines, Ont. 

The PLPA deemed as "nonsensical" what the NLL described as its "last,
best and final offer" to the association. 

"The offer is approximately 38 per cent less than what was available
last season in total compensation to the players," stated the PLPA
release. 

The NLL is willing to share revenues but the PLPA contends the offer
"when analyzed would amount to next to nothing." 

The NLL had 13 teams two years ago. There were 69 roster spots lost when
the number of clubs dropped to 10. Ottawa ceased operations last summer,
the New York franchise became dormant, the Albany, N.Y., team moved to
San Jose, the New Jersey entry shifted to Anaheim, and the Columbus,
Ohio, club left for Phoenix. 

Many NLL players are Canadians who hold down full-time jobs at home and
supplement their incomes by playing lacrosse. 

Besides Toronto, the league has teams in Vancouver and Calgary. The Rock
and the Mammoth led in attendance last season with an average of more
than 16,000 spectators for eight home games. Each team plays a total of
16 games in the regular season. Toronto has won the championship four of
the last five years. 

Note: Les Bartley, taking the season off from duties as Rock GM-head
coach, continues his recuperation from surgery. The St. Catharines
native, still in a Toronto hospital after removal of a cancerous growth,
has lost weight but is getting stronger and has, as a club spokesman
said Monday, "improved quite a bit."





        

Rock Tryout
A Great Experience For Goalie


By Steve LeBlanc: Canadian Champion 

Friday December 5, 2003

MILTON -- The next time Josh Arnold watches a professional lacrosse
game, it'll be with a newfound respect of its performers.
 
That's because the 21-year-old Miltonian squared off against many of
them recently at the initial weekend of the defending champion Toronto
Rock's training camp. 

"It was a little intimidating at first, going up against those guys. But
it was a good opportunity for me," said the local goalie, an
eighth-round draft pick of the perennial powerhouse squad in late
October. 

Arnold, who capped this past season with a brief stint with the Jr. A
Mississauga Tomahawks, didn't head into tryouts with any illusions of
actually cracking the Rock. After all, Toronto has the league's premier
backstopper in Bob Watson and arguably the best back-up in Anthony
Kosmo. 

Nevertheless, the two-day tryout session still provided an
incentive-rich venue for a goalie looking to build on last year's solid
finish with the hometown Jr. B Mavericks -- at either the Major or
Senior B level this coming season. 

Remarked Arnold, "It was great to gain some experience with the bigger
nets. It took a while to adjust. You've got to widen your stance, move
out and challenge the shooters a lot more." 

While pretty much shocked to be drafted by the Rock, his acquisition
wasn't that surprising to former Maverick skipper Glenn Little -- who
praised Arnold during a late-summer inquiry by Toronto's head scout,
Sean Ferris. 

"Josh worked his tail off last year and became very coachable. I told
him (Ferris) that if they were looking to take a goalie in the eighth or
ninth round, Josh would be a good pick up," said Little. "I'm really
pleased for him." 

While Little recently departed the local lacrosse scene, his days
coaching Arnold may not be over just yet. Now leading Burlington's
Senior B squad, he's targeted the Rock draft pick as a possible
third-stringer with his 2004 Chiefs. 

Their continued connection now hinges on whether that understudy role
will provide the Jr. B graduate with adequate playing time. Said Little,
"The key for Josh now is to find a place to play. Hopefully that'll be
for me." 







Hawks Looking For A Few Good People

Jr "B" Hawks Seek Coaches, Manager For 2004


From: Huntsville Forester

Thursday November 27, 2003

HUNTSVILLE -- They announced in a press release last week that the board
has the positions of head coach, assistant coach and manager available
for the 2004 season. 

“Most of the 2003 players are returning for the 2004 season. Some
players are now overage and others may decide to try out for other
teams. We do expect to see some new faces this year as we have a number
of players from the 2003 midget provincial finalist team moving up and
players from around the region have expressed an interest in playing in
Huntsville,” according to the release. 

The club also used the release to congratulate the Huntsville men who
played on the 2003 Barrie Tornado Founder Cup championship team. 

“Chad and Kevin Francis were Barrie Tornado players for 2003 season and
at the end of our season Barrie recruited Huntsville goalie Braden Deane
to assist with the goalie duties. Additional congratulations go to Chad
on his recent success with the draft and selection to the Toronto Rock
National Lacrosse League team.”

Anyone interested in applying for the coaching and manager’s positions
are asking to contact team president Geri Earl at 789–2644.





        

Tallevi Takes Over Bench Duties For
Junior "A" Chiefs


From: Hamilton Spectator

Saturday November 22, 2003

BURLINGTON -- Jeremy Tallevi has big shoes to fill replacing Jeff
Dowling behind the Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior "A" Burlington
Chiefs' bench.

Dowling had impeccable credentials to lead the gutted-stick crew to
bigger and better things. But for two summers, the majority of players
never lived up to their end of the bargain and subsequently failed to
grab hold of a playoff spot.

Under Tallevi, upper management is going to have to decide whether to
provide him with the necessary tools to succeed by scouring the
backwoods for the best available talent available or once again go
through the motions.

Simply put: you don't go anywhere unless you have a strong nucleus of
players from outside the area. If in doubt, check the Junior "B" Barrie
Tornadoes, Canada's reigning Founders Cup Champions.

"I have done this before (taking over a last-place team) with Brampton,"
the new bench boss says. "They hadn't been in the (Junior A) playoffs
for a number of years and (I) led them into the playoffs in both my
years there."

Tallevi, who will have Scott Stapleford, Sean Ferris and brother Jason
Tallevi as his assistants, also guided a non-playoff Wallaceburg Junior
"B" team to a Canadian championship (Founders Cup, 2001) within a
two-year period.

"We had a number of applicants and there were a handful of first-rate
coaches among them," says newly appointed GM Pete Bowers, who a year ago
held duo portfolios with the Chiefs as assistant coach and assistant GM.

"We knew that among this group, we would have a top-notch coach.

"When we got down to the final two or three candidates," adds Bowers,
with help from the team's executive, "we knew there was no wrong choice
and we had to determine who would best fit... We felt with
Jeremy's track record that he would be the one."

The Tallevi brothers are from Dundas while Ferris and Bowers are
Burlington residents

AROUND THE LEAGUE

* Success has a way of drawing interest in pitting two Lake Simcoe clubs
in OLA divisions.

The latest being Barrie Lakeshores, who have been granted entry into the
Senior "B" ranks for the 2004 season.

Both Mississauga and Windsor had put in applications for Senior "B"
competition but no word on their acceptance at press time.

* After going 11-8-1 and bowing out in the first round, Junior B
Clarington Green Gaels' GM Doug Luey has decided to act.

"I just thought it was time to go with some young guys," he said,
referring to dumping head coach Corny Derks and replacing him with Jason
Crosbie.

It's the third coaching change since the beginning of the 2003 season.
Kevin O'Brien held the job through the first eight games before being
replaced by Derks.







New Faces At Helm Of Jr."A" Chiefs


By Jon Kuiperij: Burlington Post

Sunday November 30, 2003 

BURLINGTON -- The Burlington Junior A Chiefs have turned to faces from
their past to try and brighten their future.
 
The lacrosse club recently announced that Peter Bowers, assistant
general manager with the team last season, will assume the full-time GM
duties left vacant by the departure of Jeff Dowling. 

Meanwhile, Jeremy Tallevi has been selected as the Chiefs' head coach
for the upcoming campaign. 

Both Bowers and Tallevi were prominent players with Burlington in the
early 1990s, something Chiefs president Rodney Butt felt was important. 

"These guys grew up through our system, they saw the system and they
know what they're capable of doing," Butt said. 

Although Burlington struggled to a 3-17-0 mark last season and finished
last in the Ontario Lacrosse Association standings, Bowers doesn't plan
to completely overhaul the roster. 

"Last year we made an executive decision to split a lot of players' time
between (us) and the Junior B (Oakville Buzz)," said Bowers. "The
scheduling conflicts killed us. Our kids would be out playing a game
with the B team when the A team had a practice. It's hard to go through
game preparation when half the team's playing with another team that
night." 

Dowling resigned at the end of last season, citing work and family
commitments. Bowers, also a scout with the National Lacrosse League's
Toronto Rock, isn't concerned about finding time for his GM duties. 

"(Dowling) is staying on in a director's role and he'll help out when he
can," Bowers said. "Within our coaching staff, (assistant coach) Sean
Farris also works with the Rock as a scout and Jeremy does a ton of
scouting on his own. We'll share a lot of duties and trust each other's
opinions and evaluation of talent." 

Tallevi is no stranger to taking over struggling clubs. The 29-year-old
London resident guided the Wallaceburg Junior B Red Devils from the OLA
basement to a Canadian championship in a two-year span. 

He also enjoyed success with the Brampton Excelsiors, leading the team
to the playoffs in both his years with the squad. 

In addition, Tallevi, a former Chief of the Year award winner, has
coached the University of Western Ontario field lacrosse team in the
past. 

"Jeremy has taken bottom-place teams and grown them, and he has taken
top-place teams and kept them there," Butt said. 

Tallevi's brother, Jason , will also serve as an assistant coach with
the Chiefs this season, as will NLL player Scott Stapleford. Stapleford
played for Tallevi in Wallaceburg.







Orangeville Northmen Thank Sponsors


From: Orangeville Banner

Friday November 21, 2003 
 
ORANGEVILLE -- The Orangeville Northmen Junior A and B teams would like
to thank their sponsors from the 2003 season.
 
The Junior A Northmen appreciate the support of corporate sponsor TJ'S
Hangar, as well as sweater sponsors: A & P Food Stores, Archbold's
Custom Shoppe Inc., Arthurs Fuel, BDO Dunwoody LLP, Brokerhouse
Distributing, Bryan's Fuel, Con-Trak Mechanical Services, Debbie
VanWyck-ReMax, Jay-Car Drywall Inc., John Drew & Family, Kaandre & Co.,
Main Event Centre, Millenium Laboratories Ltd., Orangeville Top
Technicians Inc., Peeltown Welding Ltd., Phazer Electric, Professional
Barber Stylist, Rayburn Construction Ltd., Sanderson Source for Sports,
The Jones Consulting Group, The Sausage Man, Traders Customs Brokerage
Ltd., Woodchester Infiniti Nissan. 

The Junior B Northmen thank corporate sponsor MacMaster Pontiac, as well
as Roy McAlpine Trucking, Hockley Valley Foods, Acchione Construction,
Water Specialist, C. Ness-Royal LePage, Standard Auto, K. Plester-The
Mortgage Centre, Minor Northmen, Insta Plus Printing, Apple Auto Glass,
Orangeville Citizen, Bryans Roofing, Sanderson Source for Sports,
Greenwood Construction, Stainless Processing, Ursu Singcraft, The
Sausage Man, McArthurs Livestock, Universal Rentals, Debbie
VanWyck-ReMax, Northmen Alumni, 1st Impressions, Flex-More Trucking,
Dependable Trucking.





        

Sports Editor Wins OLA Media Award


By KAREN MARTIN-ROBBINS: Orangeville Banner

Monday November 17, 2003

ORANGEVILLE -- The Banner's sports editor, Mike Rawn, has been
recognized for his coverage of local lacrosse.
 
Rawn received the Ontario Lacrosse Association's award for extensive
local media coverage during an awards ceremony on Saturday. 

"We feel fortunate in Orangeville to get the coverage Mike (Rawn) gives
us," said Kathy French, vice president of promotions with the OLA in
Orangeville. 

The award was based on coverage from Oct. 31, 2002 to Oct. 31, 2003. 

French said Rawn not only attends games, which means that his stories
have photos relevant to each game, but he also covers what local players
are doing nationally and internationally. 

"The popularity of a sport is largely dependent on media coverage," said
French. 

She said when a media outlet covers games and profiles players, it
brings more young people to the sport and brings out more fans to games.

Rawn said he did not realize the local lacrosse organization had
submitted his articles for the award. 

"I was very surprised," he said. "It was a real honour." 

Rawn said he covers the Northmen because the organization has a
successful history in Orangeville, which dates back 25 years and
includes President's Cup, Founders Trophy and Minto Cup winning teams. 

"Everyone likes a winner," he said. 

SENIOR NORTHMEN 

He said the team's popularity and success dates back to the players who
were involved with the senior Northmen, who have continued to give back
to the sport by coaching or sitting on executive boards. 

"Now players who have finished their junior careers, guys like Josh and
Phil Sanderson, Blaine Burman, Bruce Codd, they are coaching minor
lacrosse in town," said Rawn. "That keeps the Northmen tradition alive
and well." 

Local players have also had success in the National Lacrosse League and
on Team Canada. 

"I think Mike has really picked up on what people are interested in,"
French said. "And we think people doing a good job deserve to be
recognized."





              

McMahon To Coach In Arizona


By MIKE RAWN: Orangeville Banner

Monday November 17, 2003 
 
ORANGEVILLE -- Orangeville resident Bob McMahon, 2002 National Lacrosse
League Coach of the Year, will be behind the bench as an assistant coach
for Arizona during the upcoming NLL season. 
McMahon, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant and later head
coach with the Albany Attack, parted ways with the team after they
relocated to San Jose. 

"It was frustrating, because I thought we had a good young team that
could compete for five or six years," said McMahon. "But we tried it in
Albany for a few years, and we couldn't get enough fans out." 

Arizona -- formerly the Columbus Landsharks -- is made up almost
exclusively of Canadian players, and will open their training camp in
Grimsby this weekend. The team will practice in Kitchener throughout the
year and will fly in for games, which is a better fit for McMahon. He's
excited to have another professional coaching opportunity. 

"It's a great league, with the best players in the world," said McMahon
of the NLL. "The (NHL's) Phoenix Coyotes are behind the Arizona
franchise, and they have Wayne Gretzky lending his support to marketing
the team. As someone who played until he was 15, he has an appreciation
for the game." 

McMahon will have the chance to work with Arizona head coach and general
manager Bob Hamley again. The two worked together in 2002, when Hamley
was an assistant coach on an Albany team that went to the Champion's Cup
final, losing to the Toronto Rock by one goal. 

"It's a great opportunity to get to work with Bob again," said McMahon.
"He took over a really young and inexperienced Columbus team last year,
and led them to an 8-8 record. He deserves a lot of credit for that." 

And although their roles are reversed this time around, they are hoping
to have the same kind of success. 

"Bob is a great offensive mind, and in Albany I gave him free reign to
run the offence while I looked after the defence," noted McMahon. "
He'll probably do the same for me this year. It was a really good fit in
Albany. There is a lot of trust there and we've become very good
friends." 

McMahon brings a wealth of experience to the job. Prior to coaching in
Albany, he served as coach with the Brampton Major Excelsiors from
1993-2000, which included a Mann Cup win in 1998. More recently, McMahon
was an assistant coach for Team Canada at the Heritage Cup and the
inaugural World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. Now he's ready for a new
challenge in what promises to be an interesting NLL season. 

"There are two less teams this year, so the talent level will be very
high," explained McMahon. "There are a lot of established players
looking for jobs, as well as the players that were just drafted. 

"It's important, because our team is so young, to be patient." 

NORTHMEN 

The Arizona team features three former Orangeville Junior A Northmen --
Peter Veltman, Jon Harasym and Travis Gillespie. 





         

Coaching Carousel Lands Crosbie
With Green Gaels


By Brad Kelly: durham.com
 
Saturday November 15, 2003
     
CLARINGTON -- In a season in which the Clarington Green Gaels went
quietly, they are making some noise in the off-season. 

The Jr."B" lacrosse club has made its third coaching change this year,
releasing Corny Derks and naming Jason Crosbie as the new bench boss for
the 2004 season. Crosbie will share much of the workload with good
friend Jonas Derks, son of Corny, who was an assistant with the team
last season. 

The revolving door behind the bench ushered out Kevin O'Brien after just
eight games this past season, thrusting the elder Derks, who was an
assistant coach at the time, into the main role. An 11-8-1 season and
first round playoff exit wasn't enough to secure Derks an extension for
another season. 

"It was a hard one for me because I really like and respect Corny," says
general manager Doug Luey of the move. 

"I just thought it was time to go with some young guys. They are more in
touch with how the game is played today." 

Crosbie, 28, was Luey's first choice to fill the vacancy, adding the
year of experience the Hampton resident gained with the Brooklin
Merchants under head coach Terry Rowland this past season will be
invaluable. 

"Jason was interested in the (head coaching) job this past season, but I
didn't think he was ready," says Luey, opting to hire O'Brien, who led
the Green Gaels to the Founder's Cup in 1998. 

The fact Crosbie is a teacher by trade at Monsignor John Pereyma
Catholic Secondary School in Oshawa also made him a strong candidate,
notes Luey. 

"Because he is a teacher, he knows how to relate to the players and he
knows the game." 

Crosbie, the leading scorer with the Brooklin Redmen this past season
with 22-29-51 totals, is a former second round draft pick of the Toronto
Rock of the National Lacrosse League. Plying his trade with the Buffalo
Bandits, he potted 22 goals and added 27 helpers in 13 NLL games last
season, finishing second in team scoring. 

The opportunity to take over the helm of the Green Gaels is one he
didn't want to let slip away. 

"Doug asked me to think about it, and I think I'm ready. It's going to
be exciting." 

Help will also come from Jay Morrison, who returns as an assistant, and
Wayne Colley, who is expected to offer some tutelage for the goalies
when available. 

While it's too early to define what kind of team the Green Gaels will
have for 2004, Crosbie has some idea of what kind of style he will
employ. 

"We'll need good goaltending, that's always a key. We are going to make
things exciting. We are going to be very upbeat, very transitional and
play in-your-face lacrosse. We're not going to sit back and wait to see
what the other team is going to do." 

Aside from his vast knowledge of the game, Crosbie might have a little
karma working in his favour this season. National champions in 1998,
2000 and 2002, the Green Gaels should be the pre-season favourite to cop
the title again in 2004 if the two-year cycle were to continue. 

The Green Gaels are an organization steeped in tradition, and winning
the Founder's Cup every other year is a ritual they would like to
maintain. 





         

Bandits Lay Claim To Local
Jr."A" Lacrosse Star
 

By ROB ANDRUSEVICH: The Mirror

Friday November 14, 2003




     TORONTO -- David Brown got the dream moment
     he wanted when he was selected in the National
     Lacrosse League draft.
 
     The Toronto Beaches Jr. "A" lacrosse player was
     selected by the Buffalo Bandits in the sixth
     round of the draft last month. 

     Currently attending and playing hockey at
     Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo,
     he had to watch the draft over the Internet. 



"I had hockey all weekend and had to watch it over the Web between games.
I had a hunch I'd be drafted, then looked online and there I was," Brown
said in a recent phone interview from Kitchener. 

The six-foot, 190-pound defensive specialist missed half the season for
the Beaches due to an ankle injury. 

He returned in time to help the Beaches make a strong run to the
provincial semifinals where they lost in six games to Orangeville
earlier this year. 

"He's an aggressive, tough physical defensive player - very tough and
very agile," said Beaches coach Fraser McDonald. 

"He has a tremendous work ethic. He'll do well at the next level." 

Brown is eager to see what opportunities hockey and lacrosse will offer
him. The former Ontario Hockey League player with the Brampton Battalion
thinks both are professional career options for him in the coming years.

He doesn't expect to join the Bandits this year and will play out the
season with Laurier. 

He grew up in the East York minor hockey system and played hockey for
the East Enders. 

"I'd love to go to the Bandits camp for the experience. It's my first
year of university so I have the school and hockey to focus on this
year." 

Entry level NLL players make around $10,000 a season, so it's a
part-time job. The regular season starts in January. 

Brown was happy to be picked by Buffalo with close proximity to his
Toronto home. 

"I have one more year of Jr. A lacrosse left so maybe we (Beaches) can
take another run at a championship," Brown said.