The Sudbury Novice Rockhounds kicked off their 2018 summer tournament schedule on a very positive note, finishing second in their pool before dropping a cross-over game at the Confederacy Challenge hosted by Six Nations Lacrosse, June 1-3.
Suggesting their first encounter was something of an eye-opener may be a tad generous, as the Rockhounds were swamped 11-1 by the Arthur Aces.
"This game was the first for many players and was used as a learning experience," noted head coach B.J. Adair. "It also marked the first time in net for our brand new goalie, Braeden Paradis."
Thankfully, the Sudbury novices proved to be very quick learners, evening their record at 1-1 with an 11-4 win over the Akwesasne Storm.
Keys to the Rockhounds' offensive onslaught included Caleb Mead with five goals, Jeremy Rhéaume with three, Josh Bell with two and a solo tally from Keegan Adair.
Playing their third game of the day in an ultra-hot setting, the Sudbury youngsters pushed through, edging the host Six Nations Warriors 7-6. Mead powered the Rockhounds attack with a four-goal performance, with Rhéaume (2) and Adair round out the scoring, and Paradis showing exponential progress with a handful of highlight-reel saves.
Though the locals were eliminated in Game Four, the contest proved to be a memorable one for the northern crew as the team took to the artificial turf surface of the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena.
Caleb Mead was joined on the scoresheet by younger brother and tyke-aged addition Jackson (Mead), with Jeremy Rhéaume adding the final goal in an 8-3 loss to the London Blue Devils.
Koda Peltier, Zeebin Ashawasegai and Liam Hagen were all competing in a rep lacrosse tournament for the very first time, with the Rockhounds' roster rounded out by Alex Rietze, Allaura Peltier and Andrew Roney.
