Weekend lacrosse roundup: A’s win fifth straight; B’s sweep Red Devils
The St. Catharines WMKL Athletics organization took a successful trip down memory lane this weekend.
The Athletics Junior A and Junior B teams played games at Bill Burgoyne Arena Saturday and Sunday due to a scheduling conflict at Canada Games Park, which brought back a flood of memories for many in the organization who grew up and played their lacrosse at BBA.
“It was pretty cool,” Junior A’s coach Steve Toll said. “It was like old times. The boys realized how sweaty it was and how hot it was and how lucky they are to have it.
“It went really well.”
The A’s defeated Kitchener-Waterloo 10-5 Saturday night for their fifth straight win to move to .500 at 7-7, factoring in two wins they picked up when their losses versus Toronto Beaches were overturned due Toronto using ineligible players.
“We started out a little rough but came back and played well,” Toll said.
The A’s were awarded the game Saturday after two periods when KW expressed concern about the condition of the floor at BBA and were hesitant to play the third. Eventually, officials awarded the game to the A’s.
“It was chaos,” Toll said.
Zack Toll paced St. Catharines with three goals while Colin French and newcomer Thunder Hill added two goals each. Singles went to Keaton Zavitz, Logan Fletcher and Julian Race.
Oliver Vanyo made 26 saves over 40 minutes for the win.
Hill was playing his first game for the A’s after being acquired from the Six Nations Arrows in exchange for a second-round selection in 2025 and a second-round pick in 2026.
“He made an impact right away with two goals and two assists in two periods,” A’s general manager Jeff Chcoski said. “His lacrosse IQ is really high. He’s an (20) 03 in his last year but he’s going to help us this year as we move along.
“He’s a class act so we’re happy to have him part of our program.”
Chcoski also moved Noah Snyder to the Arrows in exchange for Nick Thomas and a second-round selection in 2028.
Thomas, who has another year of junior eligibility, captained the Cambridge junior B squad this season.
“He’s a big (6-foot-4) lefty and player for the future,” Chcoski said,
The A’s are in Peterborough Monday and home to Burlington Wednesday.
“We’re looking at our last six games and predicting what our number could be but obviously predictions are different than when you go play a game,” Chcoski said. “We know where we want to be. We want to be in that four spot if possible to get home floor advantage in first round.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride. Those boys are coming together and working their tails off. I’ve never been so proud with the scoring, the defence and our goaltending has been amazing.”
Meanwhile the Junior B Athletics took care of business, winning a pair of games to sweep the Wallceburgh Red Devils 3-0 in their best-of-three Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior B playoff series.
The A’s completed the sweep with a 7-4 win Sunday after winning Game 2 7-3 Saturday.
Head coach Alec Tamas was pleased with the performance.
“The message for the whole first round was just get the job done,” he said. “We knew they were going to be a good team, we knew they would battle and not just roll over and at any point in the series.
“We did a very good job of keeping our composure and getting the job done.”
Nate Watson and Jack Parker each had two goals Sunday while Trent Mooradian, Ian Kohut and Jaden Patterson also scored.
Adam Ponting collected four goals Saturday while Notah Hopkins, Cody MacNeil and Levi Roest added singles.
Mike Napoli earned both wins in goal.
The Athletics will now be off for an extended period — the next series will likely start the first week of July.
“We’re still going to be on the floor, we’re still going be practising,” Tamas said. “We have a nice couple of weeks to get the bodies rested and recover from some bumps and bruises.
“We have to make sure we’re still putting in the work away from the rink. We have big dreams and aspirations and that just doesn’t happen at practice. It takes good habits away from the rink too.”
Tamas played two games with the A’s at BBA before the team moved to Jack Gatecliff Arena.
“There’s so much history in this building,” he said. “It meant a lot to our alumni and it means a lot to our community. So many memories for so many people here.
“To bring the guys back here and create some new memories for these kids and for our organization, it was a pretty special weekend.”
The A’s also held an alumni game Saturday after the B’s game and before the A’s contest.
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