While they’ve reached this point in years prior, the upcoming weekend is going to a special one for the Nipissing Lakers lacrosse program.
The Lakers are set to not only participate in the Baggataway Cup - which is the Canadian University National Lacrosse Finals - but also host it for the first time ever.
The tournament gets underway Friday afternoon with six teams vying for CUFLA’s title.
This year, in a reduced and altered schedule, the Lakers finished with a 4-2 record, good for second in the Central Division behind only Trent.
Lakers head coach Jason Rudge said his team had a solid weekend, but were looking to nab top spot.
“Finishing 4-2 in second place wasn't how we wanted to finish, but we are happy with our season as we continued to improve moving into Championship Weekend,” he explained.
Throughout the year, offence wasn’t an issue, but on the defensive side of the ball, the Lakers were improved and it showed in not only their stats, but also the way they played the game.
That will hopefully translate into success this weekend.
“We have been known of our offensive power and ability to score goals over the last few seasons, but this year we were able to pick up some new recruits on the defense side of the ball that have strengthen our core defense,” Rudge explained.
Dictating the tempo and establishing the style of the game are keys to the Lakers success, which is what they were able to do in their four wins.
If they are able to do that this weekend, they have the potential to go on a long run.
“Our focus coming in is playing a balance and controlled game, keeping control of the ball and making every possession count will be key to our success this weekend,” Rudge noted.
Hosting the championship is exciting in itself, but the Lakers are focused on their Round 1 opponent – staying locked in on the Guelph Gryphons and enjoying the all the festivities will go hand-in-hand in making the weekend a special one, but also a successful one for Nipissing.
“It has been a lot of work, but to have this quality of lacrosse in Northern Ontario is big for our community and our school. Hosting will bring a lot of attention to our lacrosse program in the small lacrosse community in our province/country which we hope let young athletes know what we have to offer in the north as they look at playing lacrosse at University,” Rudge said. “In addition, the support of hosting from our school shows that our lacrosse program over a short seven years has gained respect with the school, but also with the league.”
Friday’s opponent will pose challenges to the Lakers, but they feel they are equipped to find success, regardless of who is on the other side of the ball when they hit the field.
“We haven't played Guelph in a few years and with no lacrosse last year and new divisions this year it is hard for anyone to be able to know what each team is out of division will be like,” Rudge said.
“The ability for us to watch and review video we will know what we need to do, it is just making sure we execute our game plan as well.”