A’s add another Zavitz
Keaton Zavitz, right, joined older brother Carter Zavitz on the floor for the St. Catharines Athletics Wednesday. Photo by: BILL POTRECZ
The St. Catharines Athletics featured a double dose of Zavitz Wednesday night.
A’s sniper Carter Zavitz was joined on the floor by younger brother Keaton as the Athletics topped the Oakville Buzz 8-5 in overtime in Ontario Lacrosse Association junior A action at Jack Gatecliff Arena.
Keaton, a 15-year-old, Grade 9 student at Sir Winston Churchill, was making his junior A debut after being called up from midget to help out the injury-riddled A’s.
“I’m excited,” Keaton said. “I found out at 9:30 (this morning). I didn’t believe it.
“I’ve never had an experience like this before.”
Carter Zavitz was also is shock when his mother woke him with the news.
“I didn’t really think it would happen this year. I thought it would be more of a possibility next year,” he said. “It’s a cool experience and definitely very exciting.
“It’s kind of surreal.”
The brothers grew up playing both hockey and lacrosse, but with five years separating them, never played on the same team in any sport or league.
“In our backyard, we have a couple of field nets and then we’d play mini sticks in the basement but we’ve never been on the floor together in the same competition,” Carter said.
A’s treasurer Todd Zavitz was naturally one proud papa.
“I can’t say any words to explain how proud I am for them to be on the floor together, and this soon,” Todd Zavitz said. “They have both lived and loved lacrosse from their grandparent, Larry Scriver, and Sean Allen since they were two years old.”
A’s general manager Jeff Chcoski had no worries adding the younger Zavitz to the lineup.
“He’s very talented and he’s got a nose for the net,” Chcoski said. “That (midget) team is a very special team that Bob Fisher is coaching. There are two or three guys that are that talented that they could come up and play for us at this point.
“We thought it would bring a little bit to our dressing room.”
Keaton, who is also an accomplished hockey player who played for the Niagara North Stars last season, realizes he will eventually have to choose one sport over the other, as his older brother had to.
“It’s probably my last year of playing hockey coming up. I’m probably going the lacrosse route. It’s pretty tough. You never want to lose a sport,” he said.
Carter made the same choice and was able to parlay his lacrosse skills into a spot on the Princeton field lacrosse squad.
“You can just focus on your skills in your chosen sport and further develop your skill set in that sport. You can focus on getting stronger in aspects to help your lacrosse game,” he said.
The Athletics were missing top scorers Jake McNabb (quad) and Tyler Brown (shoulder/collarbone) as well as snipers Alex Simmons and Riley Curtis, who are both still away at school.
“It’s taking a toll on us missing two good players like that. When you are playing in this league missing a couple of guys like that, it makes it tough,” Chcoski said. “The challenge we have is having a core eight guys playing offence so therefore we’re struggling to score goals. Our defence and goaltending are holding us in.”
Carter Zavitz paced the A’s Wednesday with two goals and four assists while Kealan Pilon and Brayden Mayea added two each. Singles came off the sticks of Bradley Fannell and Saul Van Der Zalm. Keaton Zavitz chipped in with a pair of assists.
St. Catharines, 4-2, outshot Oakville 41-28 and collected three power-play goals.
A’s acorns: Carter Zavitz had four in a 9-7 loss at Whitby Tuesday. Pilon, Sam LeClair and Peter Hrynluk added singles . . . The A’s are at Barrie Friday and Toronto Sunday afternoon.
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