Brotherly love of lacrosse
Tye Steenhuis, left, and younger brother Ari Steenhuis are playing together this season for the first time with the St. Catharines WMKL junior A Athletics. Photo by: BILL POTRECZ
It’s no surprise Tye and Ari Steenhuis grew up with a lacrosse stick in their hands.
The sons of former St. Catharines WMKL Athletics and National Lacrosse League star Mark Steenhuis both have vivid memories of playing the sport at an early age.
“I remember traveling, all the trips to the arena with my dad and watching his games and playing lacrosse in the basement and backyard and getting into brother fights and building that brotherhood,” Tye Steenhuis said. “Lacrosse played a really big part of that.”
Ari Steenhuis remembered his childhood the same way.
“Lacrosse all day, every day,” he smiled. “There was always a little bit of chirps going on, some competition. Now we’re at the age where we are both just playing.”
The brothers may have played together in the backyard and basement, but their age difference — Tye turns 19 in July, Ari will be 17 in August — meant they were never on the same team growing up.
That changed recently when Ari Steenhuis joined his older brother with the junior A Athletics after beginning the season with the junior B Athletics.
“It’s been pretty cool just to see him on the floor,” Tye Steenhuis said. “It’s cool I get to set the example for him. He’s been working hard and deserves to be out there.
“It’s fun on the floor.”
Ari Steenhuis appreciates the opportunity to play with his older brother.
“Great experience. He’s someone I’ve looked up to my whole life. It’s cool to share the same floor as him,” he said. “I can ask him anything I want and I bonded with the guys because I already knew them all so it was a little easier for me coming into the team.”
Unlike his older brother who is a sniper, Ari Steenhuis plays at the other end of the floor as a defender, a position he is transitioning to after spending most of his minor days on offence.
“It’s different from O,” Ari Steenhuis said. “You have to watch your guys, backdoor, have to keep your head on a swivel at all times and pick up the loose balls and get off.
“The pace is a lot faster in junior A and lot more going on on D. More guys to watch, more slides that happen.”
Junior A head coach Steve Toll loves what Ari Steenhuis brings to the floor.
“We knew we he was going to be real good, it was just a matter of letting him get used to playing defence,” Toll said. “The B’s have done a great job with him.”
Toll said Ari Steenhuis could stick with the team for the rest of the season.
“Not 100 per cent sure but if he keeps playing the way he has he’s definitely going to get lots of looks,” Toll said. “We just wanted his confidence to get up. A couple of little things here and there we can tweak on but he’s an athlete.”
Toll also appreciates the attitude of both, who he said always arrive at the rink ready to play.
“They always have their sticks in their hands. It’s lacrosse all the time. You want to see two boys who come to the rink with smiles on their faces all the time, those are the two boys.
“They are just great kids, on and off the floor.”
Tye Steenhuis has committed to the University of Richmond on a field lacrosse scholarship while Ari Steenhuis is a Grade 12 student at Governor Simcoe and this week helped the Redcoats to an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associaitions (OFSAA) AA gold medal.
The A’s dropped a 15-3 decision to the undefeated Orangeville Northmen (7-0) Wednesday night at Canada Games Park.
Tye Steenhuis had a goal and two assists while Carson Robins and Jackson Webster added singles.
The A’s, 5-4, are at Toronto Beaches Thursday.
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