Voyageurs lacrosse triple season success, earn playoff berth - Randy Pascal

A humbling defeat at home at the hands of the league-leading Guelph Gryphons last Saturday provided the Laurentian Voyageurs men’s field lacrosse team with a clear indication of just how far they need to go to play with the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) elite.

But it will not detract one bit from a season that helped the team realize just how far they have come.
Only a few years into boasting a full-fledged program that competes in Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) competition, the Voyageurs had never won more than one game per season entering the 2011 campaign.

After dropping their first three games this fall, Laurentian doubled the Laurier Golden Hawks (12-6), setting the stage for a victory that put the team on the map.

“My biggest memory right now — because maybe something better will happen next year — is when we beat McMaster here at home,” veteran long-pole defender Sean Allen said.

“That was a great game for us, with them as defending champs. It was an incredible feeling.”
That concept of building a program was not lost on Laurentian head coach George Sheppard, himself an alumnus of the storied field lacrosse program at McMaster University.

Like several of the 12 post-secondary institutions that field teams in this relatively unknown sport, Mac attracts prospects with the lure of a deep and rich tradition in field lacrosse, one which dates back several decades.

But Laurentian is beginning to close the gap.
“We have a lot more depth with the team this year,” leading scorer Clint Lamarsch said.
Now in his third year at LU, the Wallaceburg native finished second in league scoring with 46 points, including 30 goals.

“We picked up a lot of good rookies, we picked up a really good draw man, lots of middies, so we can flow three good middie lines,” he said.

While others in CUFLA actively recruit players from various parts of the province, Laurentian must rely, to some extent, on the good fortune of those who choose to make the trek to northern Ontario.
And, to a lesser extent, to a little home-grown talent. Lo-Ellen Park graduate Doug Bennett is one of the latest products who have recently emerged from the Sudbury Rockhounds crew. However, the Rockhounds involves fielding teams only within the realm of box lacrosse.

“Last year, I got my first taste of field lacrosse, but this is my first organized team that I’m playing on,” Bennett said. “It’s a better game than box (lacrosse), I think.
“Learning the rules and positioning can be tricky,” he added. “Playing middie (midfielder), I can get lost out there at times.”

The reality is that the skill set involved in mastering box lacrosse differs substantially from taking a similar base and bringing it out on the open field.
“Speed is a big thing in field lacrosse,” Lamarsch noted. “If you have speed, you have so much more room in field lacrosse than in a little arena.”

Like Bennett, Lamarsch had not been exposed to the outdoor version of the game until his late teens.
Enter the helpful advice of Allen, a Brampton native who played with the well-known Excelsiors program throughout his youth, competing in both variations of his favourite sport.

It’s allowed the third-year player an opportunity to garner valuable experience in learning the role of a defender. “As a long pole, you have to be quick on your feet, because a lot of the attack, offensive players are little guys that are really fast.

“You have to be good positionally, you have to learn to be really good with the pole, recognizing what hand the attacking player prefers and what their patterns are,” he added.

Finishing the regular season with a record of 3-7 — three times more wins than in any previous campaign — the Laurentian lads will make their first ever post-season appearance this coming Saturday in Guelph.

Facing a team that handed them an 18-7 whipping on Saturday, the Voyageurs are under no illusions that cracking the win column in the playoffs will come easy. But they are encouraged by what they have seen.
“We recognize that we can play with most teams in the league now,” Allen said. “The guys are more dedicated, our training camp was way better, the guys came in with the right attitude.”

It’s an atmosphere not lost on even the freshman class. “I think we’re more excited because we are developing,” Bennett said. “We have a bunch of rookies that have stepped up this year, for sure. Next year, we lose some pretty key players, but we’ll have to build on this year.”

The returning base is a solid one, featuring Lamarsch, who plans to enter his name in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) draft this year, hoping to play at the senior level and perhaps take the sport further.

In the meantime, he will enjoy the ride at Laurentian. “Just playing with the team is fun,” he said. “Win or lose, it’s always a good time.”

Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports editor for Northern Life.

Posted by Vivian Scinto