Archive for August, 2012


Coquitlam Adanacs, IL Indoor, WLA

Coquitlam Adanacs disappointed with playoff exit despite surpassing expectations

August 31st, 2012 by Bob Chavez

The Adanacs were a surprising WLA finalist but will have to wait until next year for another Mann Cup shot. (Photo: Dan Brodie)
The Adanacs were a surprising WLA finalist but will have to wait until next year for another Mann Cup shot. (Photo: Dan Brodie)

The Coquitlam weren’t even a playoff team last summer. This year, they were 2 wins away from going to the Mann Cup. But you know where “close” counts, and this is lacrosse, not horse shoes. Still, coach Bob Salt talked of the pride he has in his Coquitlam team. “We went with a plan to rebuild this team and for them to play like they did was awesome,” Salt told Coquitlam Now. “They played way, way better than most people thought they could.” The Adanacs saw their Western Lacrosse Association season come to an end Wednesday with a 9-5 loss to the Langley Thunder, who are WLA champs for the second straight season after dispatching Coquitlam in 6 games. READ MORE »

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IL Indoor, International

Pair of former Canadian, NLL players coaching in European Lacrosse League

August 31st, 2012 by Stephen Stamp

The ELL kicks off this weekend. It's based in the Czech Republic but draws players from across Europe. (Photo: Provided)
The ELL kicks off this weekend. It's based in the Czech Republic but draws players from across Europe. (Photo: Provided)

It’s that time of year again. Players are testing their shooting strings, stretching out and getting ready to hit the floor for a brand new season. Yep, it’s time for the European Lacrosse League to get underway. OK, you may not have heard of the league, but it’s a growing concern across the pond. Thanks to Jamie Plunkett, IL Indoor will help you follow the inaugural season of the Deutschland Adler Lacrosse Club. After the jump is Plunkett’s report of the team’s preparations for their first weekend of play, starting tomorrow. Follow along every week for the best of European Lacrosse. READ MORE »

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IL Indoor, IL Indoor Fan Poll, MSL, Road to the Mann Cup, WLA

ILIndoor Fan Poll: Who will win Mann Cup?

August 31st, 2012 by Bob Chavez

Can goalie Brodie MacDonald and the Langley Thunder cash in on this trip to the Mann Cup? (Photo: Dan Brodie)
Can goalie Brodie MacDonald and the Langley Thunder cash in on this trip to the Mann Cup? (Photo: Dan Brodie)

So we’re down to the final 2 teams. The Langley Thunder of the Western Lacrosse Association and the Peterborough Lakers of Major Series. West vs. East. It’s for bragging rights as much as it is for the Cup, and there is none other that’s more coveted in Canadian lacrosse. The action gets started next Friday in Peterborough, so now it’s time to turn to you — the fans — to make the call. Who’s it gonna be? Will it be a clean sweep or a 7-game marathon? Here’s your chance to cast your vote and if you’re the talkative type, head on over to the message board to toss around a thought or two as the Mann Cup series gets ready to kick off in a week. READ MORE »

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Futures Report, IL Indoor

Box lax goes 3d at Niagara-On-the-Lake

August 31st, 2012 by Bob Chavez

Western Reserve Academy coach Kevin O'Brien offers a lesson at the 3d Lacrosse Box Immersion camp. (Photo: Casey Vock)
Western Reserve Academy coach Kevin O'Brien offers a lesson at the 3d Lacrosse Box Immersion camp. (Photo: Casey Vock)

As the big boys duke it out for box lacrosse supremacy, there was a group of dedicated players in Ontario, Canada, recently hungry for knowledge. They’ve got the lacrosse skill, but these fellas were looking to sharpen and hone the talent for the box game and what better place to do that than the 3d Lacrosse Box Immersion camp at Niagara-On-The Lake? With instruction from Matt Vinc of the Rochester Knighthawks, former Minnesota Swarm coach Mike Lines, camp founder and former Denver U. coach Jamie Munro and camp director Dave Jenkins, campers left the 4-day event armed with a new outlook on the game. Check out the sights and sounds of the camp that Casey Vock captured for ILGear.com. Oh, and while you’re there, scope out some of the gear the fellas were sporting.

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Ajax Rock, Futures Report, IL Indoor, MSL

NLL Draft: Hello, My Name Is…Alex Crepinsek

August 31st, 2012 by Stephen Stamp

Alex Crepinsek (13) with one of his biggest fans, Jordan MacIntosh (24) during their run of conference titles at RIT.
Alex Crepinsek (13) with one of his biggest fans, Jordan MacIntosh (24) during their run of conference titles at RIT.

As far as resume-builders, it would be pretty tough for a lacrosse defender to top this one: Shut down John Grant, Jr., holding him to one assist in a Major Series Lacrosse playoff game. That’s exactly what Ajax Rock defender Alex Crepinsek can boast, though. The only time Grant scored a single point in a lacrosse game this calendar year, the man with primary responsibility for covering him was Crepinsek. The 23-year-old played his Junior A in Burlington, where he was a solid player on a team with the likes of Jordan MacIntosh and Kiel Matisz. He’s really come into his own as a shutdown defender over his two years of MSL play with the Rock. READ MORE »

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IL Indoor, Road to the Presidents Cup, Senior B

Presidents Cup: St. Regis needs late rally to knock off Rockyview and remain unbeaten

August 31st, 2012 by Bob Chavez

Of the 7 teams at this year’s Presidents Cup tournament, there are 2 teams that remain unbeaten. Barely. St. Regis upped its record to 4-0 at the week-long Senior B championship tournament in Spruce Grove, Alberta, but needed a big rally to preserve that perfection. The Braves were down 5-0 after the first period but found life at both ends of the floor late for an 11-8 victory over a plucky Rockyview Knights squad. It leaves St. Regis and host Spruce Grove as the only undefeated teams of the tournament, although that could change later today when Spruce Grove plays against St. Catharines, the Ontario champion. The Saints are 3-1 and need this win badly to remain in contention for Sunday’s title game. READ MORE »

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IL Indoor, Road to the Presidents Cup, Senior B

Despite loss, St. Catharines Saints confident they can run with best at Presidents Cup

August 30th, 2012 by Bob Chavez

Now they know. The St. Catharines Saints saw the scores that St. Regis was posting through the first 2 days of the Presidents Cup tournament in Spruce Grove, Alberta. On Wednesday, the Saints did what they could to contain the Braves and their high-powered offense and for the most part, the Saints did that. But St. Regis still walked away with a 7-6 victory and at the very least, St. Catharines walked away with the knowledge that they can run with the Braves. “I think we kind of surprised them,” Saints coach Chuck Brown told The St. Catharines Standard. “It comes down to … who controls the middle in each other’s end. They got to it more than we did.” The loss didn’t end any dreams of winning the title, but it did add a bit of urgency to the rest of the round-robin format, and the Saints are ready for that. “These guys know what they have to do,” GM Dave Colbourne said. “They just have to win out and they probably will see these guys again.”

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Edmonton Rush, National Lacrosse League, The Ballers, The Life

Edmonton Rush defender Chris Corbeil signs with the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL

August 30th, 2012 by Teddy Jenner

A former NLL All-Rookie team member and Team Canada defender, Chris Corbeil is one of the best defenders in the game. (Photo: Edmonton Rush)
A former NLL All-Rookie team member and Team Canada defender, Chris Corbeil is one of the best defenders in the game. (Photo: Edmonton Rush)

Earlier today ILIndoor received news from player agent, Chaka Bainbridge that Edmonton Rush defender Chris Corbeil has signed a contract with the Stockton Thunder of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), a farm team of the Edmonton Oilers. What bearing this will have on his NLL status is not clear but according to Bainbridge, “it was an opportunity for Chris to continue his hockey career and play in North America.  We are going to evaluate his career options again as his hockey career progresses through the season but come September 28 he is a proud member of the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL.” After the jump, check out the official press release from the Thunder, who are based in Ontario, California, as they look to battle for the Kelly Cup. And stay tuned to ILIndoor as more on this story comes available. READ MORE »

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B.C. Junior A, Futures Report, IL Indoor

NLL entry draft: Hello, My Name Is … Eric Ransom

August 30th, 2012 by Bob Chavez

Eric Ransom
Eric Ransom

The differences between box and field lacrosse are many but if you’re a field lacrosse midfielder, there’s one aspect of that game that will help you anywhere else you may play. And that’s running. Lots of it. The unintended result of that is your fitness level and for a lot of middies, it’s through the roof. That’s where Eric Ransom is coming from, using his middie fitness as a defender to spark transition for the Junior A Langley Thunder. The left-hander out of Sherwood Park, Alberta, does more than just play defense, he’s proud of the work he does there and that’s the sort of intangible GMs of the National Lacrosse League love. He’s hoping that translates to a National Lacrosse League job after hearing his name announced at the Oct. 1 NLL entry draft in Toronto. READ MORE »

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IL Indoor, Road to the Minto Cup

Orangeville’s Brad Gillies discovers bittersweet emotions of winning Minto Cup

August 30th, 2012 by Bob Chavez

Brad Gillies (6) ended his Junior A career as a Minto Cup champion with Orangeville. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)
Brad Gillies (6) ended his Junior A career as a Minto Cup champion with Orangeville. (Photo: Tim Prothero, VintageLax)

Winning a Minto Cup puts a player on top of the Junior A lacrosse world. It also puts a lot of guys at the end of their Junior A road, which fosters a conflict of emotions. “All game, I kept thinking, ‘This is the last time we’re going to be in the huddle. This is the last time I’ll be running out with these guys,’ ” Orangeville defender Brad Gillies, 21, told InsideHalton.com. “It was a bittersweet thought, that’s for sure.” Making it even more special for Gillies and the Northmen was the chip on their shoulder, put there by a perceived lack of respect entering the tournament. The fact that defending champion Whitby also was hosting this year’s tournament gave Orangeville the idea that it was being overlooked. “We’ll always have this together,” he said. “This group was one of the closest I’ve been a part of. We were just like a family, and we’ll never forget this.”

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