Two local lacrosse goalies have come home with gold medals around their necks after winning the 2016 Box Nationals with Team Ontario.
Team Ontario midget goalie Sam Hadley, of Arthur, travelled to Saskatoon to play in the tournament Aug. 2 to 6, while bantam goalie Landon Kells, of Fergus, played in Whitby July 31 to Aug. 6
The midgets swept through the tournament winning all five games against teams from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Hadley played three games and while he was on the bench during the final, he felt the excitement.
“I was definitely a bit disappointed I wasn’t playing the final game but I knew I was part of the team, I helped them get there and I knew that we all won as a team, so I was okay with it,” he said.
During the first period of the final game, Team Ontario scored three goals. This gave Hadley a good feeling about the outcome.
Once the buzzer sounded, Ontario was in the clear with 13-1 over Team Alberta.
“Everybody just threw their gloves and sticks and helmets on the floor and they ran to the other goalie and we all hugged,” said Hadley.
“It was amazing, it’s kind of hard to explain.”
The bantam team also powered through the tournament, registering five wins. Kells was in net during the final game.
His coach did not tell the goalies who would start until 20 minutes before the final game.
“When he told me I was getting the start I was pretty nervous, but I knew I couldn’t let my nervousness get to me or else that could alter my performance for the worse,” said Kells.
Facing the First Nations team, Kells said the game was 1-1 until well into the second period, but that was when Team Ontario broke away. The final buzzer sounded with Ontario grabbing the gold with a 10-2 win.
“I didn’t quite know what to do because I’ve never been in that situation … so I just looked around and everybody was throwing up their gloves and I just copied and next thing I knew I was under a pile of people,” said Kells.
“It was an unforgettable experience for sure.”
