Canadian Lacrosse Association – OTTAWA, ON (October 4, 2016) – The Canadian Lacrosse Association is proud to announce the men’s field lacrosse athletes that will suit up for Team Canada during next month’s exhibition games in Denver, Colorado.

A roster of 26 players, including 11 who will represent Canada for the very first time and seven members of the gold medal winning squad from the 2014 FIL Men’s World Lacrosse Championship, were selected to take part in matches against the University of Denver and United States Air Force Academy on October 22 and 23, respectively.

The men’s field lacrosse national team, led by head coach Randy Mearns (St. Catharines, Ont.), program director Dave Huntley (Toronto, Ont.), and chairman Dean French (Toronto, Ont.), will use this event to help plan for the upcoming 2018 FIL Men’s World Lacrosse Championship that will take place in Manchester, England.

“This training event in Denver will begin the journey towards the world championship in 2018,” said Mearns, “but it’s just the first step in a complex two year process. We are excited to get started.”  

The return to Denver, site of Canada’s win over Team USA in the 2014 championship finals, will be a little more special for the five University of Denver alumni on the roster, which includes veterans Mark Matthews (Oshawa, Ont.), Wesley Berg (New Westminster, B.C.), Dillon Roy (Denver, CO), and Jeremy Noble (Orangeville, Ont.).

“For myself it will be extra special to get back to Denver and see all the alumni and old friends,” said Matthews, who plays professionally for the Saskatchewan Rush and Atlanta Blaze. “At the same time, it is even more special to be able to wear the maple leaf once again.”

Two of his Rush teammates, Dan Taylor (Calgary, Alta) and Ben McIntosh (Port Coquitlam, B.C.), will look to build upon their successful season, having won the NLL’s Champions Cup in June before falling short in the best-of-seven Mann Cup series as members of the Maple Ridge Burrards in September.

Both players will be making their national team debut and are eager to hit the field.

“I was excited to get the call,” expressed Taylor. “Anytime you are given the opportunity to represent your country it’s a special thing. I think every Canadian kid grows up wanting to wear the maple leaf in some form or another and I’m thrilled I get the chance to do just that.

McIntosh, who won the NLL Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 and NLL Sportsmanship Award in 2016, was also thrilled, adding “There’s just such a great sense of pride that comes with playing for your country. I look forward to getting out to Denver and getting the opportunity to play with such a talented group of guys.”

Constructing the roster was no doubt a challenge, with many potential players either nursing injuries or unable to commit due to conflicts with work or school. Nonetheless, these games will still give the coaching staff a good idea of where the program stands moving forward.

“As was the case for the 2012 Duel in Denver, we felt it was important to develop a roster with veteran leadership for guidance and experience, but to also have a primary function of working with and evaluating some of the next generation of Canadian lacrosse talent,” explained Mearns, the head coach at Canisius College (Buffalo, NY).

Leading the charge for Canada’s youth movement are Jeffrey Teat (Brampton, Ont.) and Ryland Rees (Port Coquitlam, B.C.), both of whom were members of Team Canada during this summer’s FIL U19 Men’s World Championship, a team that lost in heartbreaking fashion to Team USA in the gold medal game.

Each of the athletes on this roster will look to leave a lasting impression on the coaching staff and hopefully earn an invite to the next senior men’s field identification camp, which will likely take place in 2017.

For more information on the exhibition games or to purchase tickets, please click here.

Please see below the full roster, in alphabetical order by last name:

First Name	Last Name	Hometown	NLL Team	MLL Team	School
Jake	Bailey	Rochester, NY	N/A	Atlanta	North Carolina
Wesley	Berg	New Westminster, BC	Calgary	Denver	Denver
Jeremy	Bosher	Kamloops, BC	N/A	N/A	Denver
Dan	Coates	St. Catharines, ON	Colorado	N/A	Canisius
Bryan	Cole	Oakville, ON	Georgia	Ohio	Maryland
Chris	Corbeil	Mississauga, ON	Saskatchewan	N/A	N/A
Zach	Currier	Peterborough, ON	N/A	N/A	Princeton
Brennan	Donville	Oakville, ON	N/A	N/A	Cornell
Matt	Hossack	Port Perry, ON	Saskatchewan	Denver	RIT
Graeme	Hossack	Port Perry, ON	Rochester	Atlanta	Lindenwood
Kyle	Jackson	Sarnia, ON	N/A	Boston	Michigan
Mark	Matthews	Oshawa, ON	Saskatchewan	Atlanta	Denver
Ben	McIntosh	Coquitlam, BC	Saskatchewan	N/A	Drexel
Ian	McKay	Port Elgin, ON	N/A	N/A	Vermont
Mike	Messenger	Surrey, BC	Saskatchewan	Ohio	Limestone
Jeremy	Noble	Orangeville, ON	Colorado	Atlanta	Denver
Jason	Noble	Orangeville, ON	Georgia	Chesapeake	Cornell
Ryland	Rees	Port Coquitlam, BC	N/A	N/A	Stony Brook
Challen	Rogers	Coquitlam, BC	Toronto	Boston	Stony Brook
Dillon	Roy	Denver, CO	N/A	Denver	Denver
Dhane	Smith	Kitchener, ON	Buffalo	Rochester	N/A
Dan	Taylor	Calgary, AB	Saskatchewan	N/A	Lehigh
Jeffrey	Teat	Brampton, ON	N/A	N/A	Cornell
Jay	Thorimbert	Whitby, ON	New England	N/A	Guelph
Kyle	Trolley	Peterborough, ON	New England	N/A	Notre Dame
Jason	Weber	Whitby, ON	N/A	N/A	Detroit Mercy

About the Canadian Lacrosse Association           

Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 80,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA’s mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. We strive to accomplish this while adhering to our core values of health, excellence, accountability, respect and teamwork. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners – New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, Westjet, and Baron Rings – as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation. For more information on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information, please contact:
 

Alain Brouillette

Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 302
Email: alain@lacrosse.ca