The Mimico Mountaineers Junior B lacrosse team, for the second time, will host the Founders Cup national championship in August with teams from across Canada coming to Etobicoke to fight for Jr. B supremacy.
The organization - one of the oldest in Canada - is also set to celebrate its 120th anniversary with a gala dinner-dance June. 12. A limited number of tickets will be available for purchase. Those interested in attending, should email info@mimicolacrosse.comBut for now, the Mountaineers will be looking to kick off their home opener in the same fashion as their season opener - with a win. Mimico won 7-4 over host Mississauga Tomahawks on April 25 and continue their season opening road trip Friday, April 30 against Markham Ironheads.Their home opener is set for this Saturday, May 1, 7 p.m. at Mimico Arena, 31 Drummond St., against arch rival Toronto Beaches which is fielding an expansion Jr. B team this year in addition to the city's only Jr. A team.Always a tradition at each home opener, the George Kash Band will perform after the game.Mimico previously hosted the Founders Cup in 1997, losing an overtime semifinal 7-6 to eventual champion Six Nations Red Rebels.The 2010 Founders Cup will take place from August 16-22 at the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence in Etobicoke.General manager and coach Sean O'Callaghan said the team was lucky the centre was available after learning - just recently - that Mimico Arena was being closed in July by the city for renovations. "I've been involved with Mimico Lacrosse for 40 years as a player and coach. It kind of would have been nice to have it in our home (Mimico Arena)," said O'Callaghan."But, still, it (MasterCard Centre) is in south Etobicoke, and we can have about 300 to 400 more people comfortably in the arena.I know when we hosted in '97, the last day, there were probably 900 to 1,000 people jammed in that arena."While the team gets a free berth into nationals as hosts, O'Callaghan noted they've been consistently competitive, making the playoffs nine straight years, and making it to at least the second and third rounds in each of the last four years he's coached.At Saturday's home game, the team will gratefully accept an Ontario Trillium Grant for just over $37,000 to help offset the cost of hosting the tournament, estimated by O'Callaghan at just over $60,000.For an extensive interview with O'Callaghan, log onto www.insidetoronto.comTeam website is at http://mimicojuniorlacrosse.comThe team is also running a Founders Cup website at http://www.founderscup2010.comThe Junior B league's website is at http://www.ontariojrblacrosse.ca