Mimico Jr. B lacrosse season opener April 30

norm nelson

April 28, 2011

The Mimico Mountaineers Jr. B lacrosse team opens the new season this weekend with its season and road opener Friday, April 29, 8 p.m., in Oakville and its home opener at Mimico Arena Saturday, 7 p.m., against Newmarket.

It will be a much different Mimico team that takes to the floor than the one that closed out last season, at the end of a gruelling double overtime 4-3 loss in the national championship game at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke in August, ruefully watching the Halton Hills Bulldogs hoist the Founders Cup trophy.

This season they'll be defying the odds to get back to the national championship.

For one, they're not hosting it, as they did last year, which means no automatic berth like they had last year (and which they needed after their first-round playoff exit to Newmarket).

And two, incredible change - even by Jr. B standards.

The team obviously stocked up on veterans last year knowing they would be making a Founders Cup run, with many of them now over-age and not coming back.

"We probably only have seven or eight back," confirmed general manager Sean O'Callaghan.

And also among the exodus, although still eligible, was their star sniper Brendan Muise, who leaves the team as its second all-time point getter (407 points in 106 games), and who would have had an outside shot at moving into first place, all time, this season, but who instead headed to Clarington to suit up for the Green Gaels.

Mimico will host the Green Gaels for their second home game, Friday, May 6, 8 p.m. at Mimico Arena.

"He knew we were rebuilding and requested a trade," said O'Callaghan.

Expected to shoulder the leadership will be fifth-year player Shawn Browne, last year's captain, along with fourth-year player Andrew Bennett and sophomore Tyler Leblanc.

Also gone is the coach, although with a slight caveat.

"I fired myself," said O'Callaghan with a chuckle. He replaced himself with Toby Warnell.

"He was one of the original Mountaineers when we brought the junior team back to Mimico in 1993. He actually captained the club for a couple of years (1995/96), and he was an assistant coach from 2001 to 2005."

Returning staff include John Griffin and Denny Wilson, the latter also an original 1993 Mountaineer. Warnell will also bring with him two other former Mountaineers, Scott Gillingham and Chris Willerton who is third all-time in Mountaineer scoring.

While the Founders Cup is still the goal, as it is for every team, O'Callaghan said realistically "it's a rebuilding year.

"It's a year to get people's feet wet and hopefully play some very competitive, exciting lacrosse over the next two and a half months.

"We've got a young, exciting, very fast, hard working group of guys that I think will surprise some people this year."

NEW JR. C FRANCHISE

Also new this year is a new team.

The Mimico organization is fielding a team in the Jr. C league.

And the franchise kicks off with a three-game homestand, including the season and franchise opener Saturday, May 7, 2 p.m., at Mimico Arena against Innisfil. Next up are home games on the following two Mondays (May 9 and 16) against Huntsville and Clarington, respectively, and both are at Long Branch Arena, 75 Arcadian Circle.

LACROSSE DAY

One date O'Callaghan hopes local fans will mark on their calendar is Lacrosse Day in Mimico on Saturday, June 4 at Mimico Arena.

Not only will the two junior teams be in action - the Jr. B Mountaineers hosting Kahnawake at 5 p.m. and the Jr. C Mountaineers hosting Huntsville at 2 p.m. - but a special Sr. B game will also cap off the day at 8 p.m. between Brooklin Merchants and the Wellington-Dufferin Titans.

"We're going to have the grass roots lacrosse start at 8 a.m. that day with our local house league."

MORE INFO

More info on the club at www.mimicojuniorlacrosse.com/

More info on the league at www.ontariolacrosse.com/