Lacrosse in Canada usually comes down to the sport’s two powerhouse provinces. It was no different over the weekend in Saskatoon as B.C. edged Ontario 10-8 in overtime in the final to win the Canadian U-15 field championship.
“That’s our big rival, so it was really huge to beat Ontario,” said standout goaltender and Langford resident Adam Bland, who backstopped B.C. to a 5-0 overall record in the national tournament.
“Our chemistry came together and we played for each other.”
Alberta took the bronze medal.
Bland was among five players from the Island on the victorious B.C. squad, including Patrick Wong, Graham Goodfellow, Riley Arsenault and Seve Cordero. All made tournament all-star teams, with Bland, Cordero and Arsenault named to the first team and Wong and Goodfellow to the second team. As well, Bland and Wong were named all-Canadians for their play during the entire season.
Bland is the lone player among the group who attends and plays in Royal Bay Secondary’s growing lacrosse program, while the other four are at the more established Claremont Secondary lacrosse academy.
All five are in Grade 10, meaning next Sept. 1 will be a key date on their calendar, because Grade 11 is when the recruitment process begins for U.S. collegiate NCAA field lacrosse.
“That’s the big goal for me, and for our whole group,” said Bland.
“I want to get my education and have lacrosse as an extra.”
This is a kid who thinks ahead as Bland is already planning on business as a major.
Bland is a goaltender in both the field and box versions of lacrosse, the latter in Midget with Juan de Fuca and the Chilly Willy tournament travel team.
“I like both field and box,” he said.
“After college, I would like to pursue box in the NLL and WLA.”
Both versions of the sport offer challenges in goal that are the same yet unique at the same time: “In box, it’s bigger pads and smaller net, and in field, it almost no pads and bigger net.”
Bland, echoing the words of so many lacrosse and hockey goalies, said he chose the position because: “I wasn’t good at any of the other positions.”
But he found his calling and is plenty good enough in the crease, with a lot of lacrosse ahead of him in his career, as the last line of defence.
