They are coming. In a region where most sports fans could probably tell you the pros and cons of the Montreal Canadiens’ 116th overall draft pick, but don’t know what a long pole is, a lacrosse renaissance has begun. Quebec’s historically divided solitudes of Mohawk, French and English are uniting on the lacrosse fi eld. Some of them have turned the heads of U.S. prep coaches looking for the next wave of talent north of the border.


With British Columbia and Ontario fi rmly fi xed on the recruiting radar, Quebec has resurfaced with talent that will remind lacrosse historians of the sport’s origins. Two prospects — attackmen Cougar Kirby, 16, and his cousin Shakohawi Kirby, 17 — are from kahnawake, a Mohawk community south of the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. Marc-Antoine Pion, 17, is one of the top defensemen coming out of Canada. He’s a French Quebecker from the school whose patron gave lacrosse its English name. Midfi elder and faceoff specialist Taylor Boyd, 17, is from Westmount, an affl uent English-speaking suburb of Montreal. All four standouts play for Quebec Lacrosse’s under-19 fi eld lacrosse program and expect to land at NCAA Division I programs. In the meantime, they will train at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., and play for its up-and-coming post-graduate boys’ lacrosse team. They are symbolic of the rebirth of Montreal lacrosse. “It’s really a renaissance of the sport that was already here,” said Quebec U19 and McGill University coach Tim Murdoch, whose Westmount Lynx fi eld program has drawn hundreds of players since its inception in 2006, including these four trailblazers.


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