(Lacrosse Magazine) The Canadian Lacrosse Association on Tuesday announced the 24 players selected to the Canadian National Men’s Field Lacrosse Team. Team Canada will compete at the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships on July 10-19, 2014 in Denver.
Team Canada head coach Randy Mearns (St. Catharines, Canisius University) will lead the effort to claim a third world championship for Canada.
“When we started this journey in the summer of 2012, we were certain that our player pool would be the most extensive group of players with character, talent, lax IQ, experience and athleticism ever assembled for Canada lacrosse,” Mearns said. “It indeed was the case. The reality is that determining our final roster was both very challenging and extremely difficult. We have so many players; and that’s a great thing for Canada lacrosse. As a staff, we adhered to our process: with constant player evaluation and analysis, staff debates and discussion. In the end, we have to make decisions, as tough as they may be, to move to the next stage of our process, the 2014 World Championships.”
Team Canada invited 51 players to training camp in September. The roster includes reigning Major League Lacrosse MVP Kevin Crowley, veterans John Grant Jr., Brodie Merrill and Geoff Snider and attackman Curtis Dickson, who scored four goals in a 11-9 win against the U.S. as the “Duel in Denver” exhibition at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.
The event opens at the same site on July 10 with the opening ceremony at 5 p.m. local time, followed by the host U.S. battling Canada. The U.S. beat Canada, 12-10, in the 2010 world championship in Manchester, England.
The 2014 Team Canada roster, with the player’s current professional (Major League Lacrosse/National Lacrosse League) or college experience and minor lacrosse team, is as follows:[table id=80 /]
Four current NCAA Division I college players on the list, along with two players — former Notre Dame midfielder David Earl and Denver Outlaws defenseman Dillon Roy — who were originally in the tryout process for Team USA.
Some notables not on the list: Jordan McBride, Jordan MacIntosh, Chad Tutton and Keil Matisz and Garrett Billings, who was the NLL’s leading scorer this season at the time he tore his ACL. Canada’s press release did not list positions, but the coaching staff kept three goalies: Dillon Ward, Angus Dineley and Brennan Donville, who was Canada’s under-19 goalie two summers ago in Finland and is the backup for Cornell.
The complete list of players who tried out is here, and check out LaxMagazine.com coverage from the weekend tryout event, which included scrimmages against Denver, Robert Morris and Mearns’ Canisius team.
