Junior B Athletics roll past Cambridge
The St. Catharines WMKL Junior B Athletics have big plans for Sutter Pilon this season.
The 18-year-old St. Catharines native is coming off a solid rookie campaign that saw him firmly establish himself as a legitimate junior lacrosse player with a tremendous upside.
“He’s still young, he’s only in his second year, but last year he took a lot of big strides as a rookie,” Athletics coach Alec Tamas said. “He’s somebody who we weren’t sure exactly what our expectations were of him or what his ceiling would be but he exceeded all of our expectations.
“He’s taken on a bigger role this year, taken on a leadership role and he’s looking to make the next step for us that way.”
Pilon, a Grade 12 student at Governor Simcoe, is ready for the challenge.
“I think it’s a big difference because as a rookie you don’t know what to expect and you’re not expected to do a lot. This year they have a set thing for you to be doing. There’s a lot more pressure but I don’t mind the pressure so it’s kind of nice,” he said.
Pilon admitted it can be intimidating getting accustomed to the junior game.
“Going from playing kids that are a year older or the same year as you to playing kids who are older, it’s definitely a hard jump to make,” he said. “Even walking into any away arena this year is much more comfortable because we’ve been there and we know what teams are like. Last year when we went to a game it was a new experience for all the rookies.”
Tamas feels Pilon can do it all.
“He’s a really smart player, really fast, really good stick, really good defensively,” he said. “He is one of our go-to defensive guys. He’s on our last-minute defence and on the penalty kill and someone we rely a lot on for transition. He makes a lot of smart decisions and has a really good stick so we use him all over the place. We’ll even throw him out for an O shift. He’s the kind of guy who you can use in any situation.”
Pilon is a thinking man’s player who comes from a lacrosse family. His older brother, Kealan Pilon, is a former Athletic who also played at Queen’s University of Charlotte and was drafted by the Halifax Thunderbirds of the National Lacrosse League. His father, Dan Pilon, played at the junior, senior and university levels, as well as coaching and serving on both the St. Catharines Minor Lacrosse Association and St. Catharines Junior Lacrosse Associations boards.
“It’s always nice if I have any questions I don’t have to go very far. I can ask my brother and dad and they can show me stuff and they have a lot of experience so that’s always good to have,” Sutter Pilon said.
Tamas said Sutter Pilon’s lacrosse genes are easy to spot.
“He’s a guy who studies a lot, puts a lot of time and effort into lacrosse on and off the floor. It starts with his family. I played with his brother and known his dad for a long time. It shows on the floor. His IQ for the game is superior to a lot of guys on the floor out here,” Tamas said.
Sutter Pilon plans to go back to Simcoe for 12B next season with the hopes of playing at the NCAA level.
The Athletics improved to 3-1-1 with a 15-9 victory over the Cambridge Highlanders in Ontario Lacrosse Association Junior B action Friday night Canada Games Park.
Jaden Patterson paced the A’s with a goal and nine assists while Colton Armitage had four goals and an assist, Cody MacNeil three goals and four assists and Jack Parker three goals and an assist. Trent Mooradian added two goals while Pilon and Landon Jaeckle also scored.
Mike Napoli made 40 saves for the win.
Tamas is encouraged with the early returns.
“We’re still trying to find our identity a little bit,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys in the lineup. Still waiting on a handful of guys coming back from school.
“We’re working hard every single night which I’m proud of. Every single day we come to the rink we’re looking to get better, improve and make strides and positive improvements and we’re trending in that direction so I’m pretty happy so far.”
The A’s are at Windsor Sunday at 4 p.m. and home to Owen Sound Saturday, May 10 and Point Edward Sunday, May 11. Both are 4 p.m. starts.
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