Greater Sudbury Lacrosse Association action underway

By the time that players arrive at the midget/intermediate division of the Greater Sudbury Lacrosse Association, newcomers to the sport are scarce.

Those who remain have generally enjoyed several summers perfecting their skills in what was declared the National Game of Canada in 1859.

The years of practice were evidenced on Wednesday night in Coniston, as players shelved their defensive commitment in favour of a wide-open shootout, much to the chagrin of netminders Eric Paquette (Rock) and Dan Ingrisellii (Rush).

Jumping out to a 6-4 lead after two periods of play and backstopped by a 34-save effort from Ingriselli, the Rush edged the Rock 7-6, as houseleague action begins to take hold within the GSLA.

Tristan Simeoni paced the attack for the winners with a three-goal performance, with Félix Coté and Aiden Ingriselli chipping in with two goals apiece.

Nick Marion countered with a hat trick of his own in a losing cause, with Jacob Leore, Ryder Thususka and Sebastien Desormeaux rounding out the scoring.

At this point in their careers, it should come as little surprise that those who return each and every April have developed an unmistakable passion for the game.
"I just love it, the anticipation, the adrenaline," noted goaltender Ingriselli, the elder of the two siblings suiting up with the Rush.

"Being the goalie, I love it when the guys come down, work the ball around, get me moving. I love the fast pace of the game."

Beyond his infatuation with lacrosse comes a very practical benefit for Ingriselli to step in front of a rubberized ball heading in his direction at blazing speeds.

"Being the rep goalie for the intermediates (Rockhounds), I focus a lot in houseleague on just my movements in the crease, working the breakouts, passing the ball really well, and hopefully just improving on my overall skill to take it to rep," said the 21-year-old Sudburian.

Last summer, the intermediate Rockhounds drew praise province wide, remaining competitive at tournaments and provincials despite fielding a roster of just eight players. Ingriselli is more than a little pleased with the ramped up outlook for the 2014 intermediate edition.

"We're looking like we have a very fast team," he said. "We have two goalies this year, which will help out a lot. The overall endurance and skill level of the team is really shocking to me. And we have a lot more players than just the eight guys that we had last year. It looks like we'll be able to show Ontario what we're all about."

Houseleague lacrosse runs Monday through Thursday at three local rinks, with the Nickel City Shootout (GSLA rep tournament) set for the weekend of July 4-6.