MSL: Tim Prothero Photos: ONE OF THE GREAT SECRETS IN SPORTS?

>> BY MIKE DAVIES MAJOR SERIES (MSL) is one of Dawson (Rochester/Brampton), John Grant Jr. the great secrets in sports. Imagine if the (Colorado/Peterborough), Stephen Leblanc National Hockey League’s top players went (/Oakville), (Calgary/Six home each summer and played for their home- Nations), Rob Hellyer (Toronto/Oakville), Ryan town amateur teams. What kind of crowds Benesch (Buffalo/Kitchener-Waterloo) were would turn out to watch those hockey stars? among the NLL’s top twelve scorers with Well, that’s exactly what happens each Jamieson and Evans finishing one-two. summer in lacrosse as many of the world’s Most of the NLL’s top goalies also play in the best professional players can be seen plying MSL including (Rochester/Peterbor- their trade in communities after star- ough), Mike Poulin (Calgary/Kitchener-Waterloo), ring in (NLL) centres Anthony Cosmo (Buffalo/Brampton), Nick Rose during the winter and spring. (Toronto/Oakville), (Philadelphia/Six (Rochester/Six Nations), Nations), Zach Higgins (Minnesota/Brooklin) to Shawn Evans (Calgary/Peterborough), Dan name a few.

22 Ontario LACROSSE | Spring 2014 Several of the greatest names in the game – “Peterborough added some nice pieces,” , Shawn Williams, – said Kilgour. “It’s going to be a battle. I think have honed their skills in the MSL much of the everyone in the league got better this year.” past two decades. Brooklin took a major step forward last People in Peterborough have figured out year after several years of retooling with the entertainment value as the 2013 Lakers young players. averaged 3,177 fans per game, more than “Last year maybe everyone was a little bit 2,500 of them season ticket holders, at the surprised Brooklin did so well but I’ll tell you Peterborough Memorial Centre. I wasn’t,” said Sullivan. Kodiaks general manager “They have a good staff there and a bunch admits it’s a frustration his organization has of young players who have won Minto Cups encountered of not drawing more fans despite around that Whitby area and have done phe- the quality of the product. nomenal things. They’ve also been able to “We have a minor program in Kitchener keep guys like Shawn Williams around who and Cambridge and Guelph and those people makes players around him better. They’ll con- will go to Toronto or to Buffalo and pay a lot of “It’s so hard to put together what makes a tinue to get better.” money to watch a fantastic product,” Dietrich championship team. We found the mix last year.” Oakville GM Terry Sanderson was as said. “Yet they won’t drive less distance and The Chiefs could be better this year. aggressive as anyone in the off-season pay less money to watch virtually the same They’ve returned all the key pieces and added acquiring budding stars and brothers Jason players play.” Shattler and OLA Junior “A” star Randy Staats and Jeremy Noble, Jordan MacIntosh and What should also excite fans is the has graduated to senior. Kilgour says expecta- signing Hellyer while solidifying their goal- increasing competitiveness of the league. For tions will be nothing short of a repeat. This tending by adding Rose. After several years at a while the Lakers and Excelsiors dominated, year, that would mean on home soil as the the bottom of the standings, most observers meeting in the league final ten consecutive MSL champion will host the . expect a major improvement in Oakville. years, but times are changing. “Once you get a taste of that pie, you want “They have too many good, youthful Last season, Six Nations claimed their first another bite,” said Kilgour. players there now, who have something to MSL title in seventeen years and did it by The Lakers didn’t take kindly to falling prove, to not be better,” said Sullivan. beating Brooklin in the final, their first appear- short of defending their 2012 Mann Cup title. Nobody looks forward to playing the ance there in eleven years. There is reason to For missing the MSL final for the first time in Kodiaks who may have the league’s fastest believe Kitchener-Waterloo and Oakville aren’t eleven years coach/GM Jamie Batley lost his team and one of the game’s best goalies in far behind. job, being replaced by Minnesota head coach Poulin. They’ve improved year-after-year. For several years the Chiefs looked like Joe Sullivan. Sullivan addressed a need in goal Brampton has put a major focus on youth they’d break the Lakers and Excelsiors strangle- by acquiring Vinc, three-time NLL champion, drawing rising talent from the Brampton and hold on the MSL title but fell short. Not last year. in the off-season while snaring rising star Orangeville systems. The league has never “We thought we had the right mix the last Adam Jones, veteran sniper Aaron Wilson and seen as many quality, young players. three years and looking back we didn’t,” said secured the return of Andrew Suitor and “A lot of that has to do with the tremendous Chiefs’ head coach Rich Kilgour. Andrew Watt after both missing 2013 to injury. job the Junior “A” teams are doing in devel- oping some great young players,” Dietrich said, “and those young players are wanting to stay and play at home here in Ontario. That’s what is going to lead to the strength and suc- cess of this league going forward.” “You look up and down everyone’s roster this year and there is not an easy game on the schedule,” said Kilgour. “Oakville has stocked up on some really good young guys. Kitchener always has a young, fast team. Brampton is trying to rebuild. They had their run for ten years and now they’re trying to bring up some of their young people. You go up and down the list and every team has seven, eight, nine, ten NLL calibre players. If you don’t show up every night you might be on the wrong end of the scoreboard.” OLM

Mike Davies is the sports director of the Peter- borough Examiner and has covered two decades of . www.ontariolacrossemagazine.com Spring 2014 | Ontario LACROSSE 23