US Lacrosse and Major League Lacrosse have joined forces on multiple fronts for the 2014 season.
Safety and Sportsmanship
US Lacrosse and MLL are committed to increasing the visibility and importance of safety and sportsmanship in lacrosse. The organizations have partnered to educate and inform players, coaches and spectators about the importance of these ideals and how they are integral to the continued and responsible growth of the sport.
Look for a number of partnership initiatives in the coming months as the best players in the world share their thoughts on sportsmanship and how to #CompeteWithClass.
Team USA Day
All eight MLL teams will be in action May 17. Charlotte plays at Boston, Florida plays at Chesapeake, New York plays at Ohio and Rochester plays at Denver. The host teams will offer discounted tickets, with a portion of the proceeds going back to the U.S. men’s national team.
What better way to spend your Saturday than to support your local pro lacrosse franchise and Team USA?
Visit
USLacrosse.org/MLL for more information. MLL All Stars vs. Team USA
For the third time in eight years, the MLL will host US Lacrosse in the MLL All-Star Game, pitting the league’s best players against Team USA as the U.S. prepares for the FIL World Championship. The game will be Thursday, June 26 at Harvard Stadium in Cambridge, Mass. Visit
MajorLeagueLacrosse.com/All-Star-Game for more information.
BRODIE’S PIPELINE
Sweeney (top) and Merrill played for two seasons together at Georgetown, where plays where designed for long-stick midfielders. The MLL veterans will look to stabilize a Boston Cannons defense that allowed a league-worst 202 goals in 2013.
Merrill also is the coach and director of lacrosse at the Hill Academy (above right) in suburban Toronto, which has become a breeding ground for NCAA talent north of the border.
Brodie Merrill’s lasting legacy in lacrosse, beyond his brilliance as a long-stick midfielder at Georgetown and six-time MLL Defensive Player of the Year, might prove to be his work as the coach and director of lacrosse at the Hill Academy in suburban Toronto. “I have my dream job,” Merrill said. “When I was in high school, there wasn’t anything like this. I was so fortunate to have a couple key coaches and people in my life that had a major impact. You feel that responsibility to pay that forward. We’re fortunate to be in a lacrosse hotbed in Ontario that has so many great players.” It’s a pipeline that’s opened even more to the American college game in the last decade, in part because of both Merrill’s success and his tutelage. Merrill was a relative newcomer to field lacrosse when he arrived at Georgetown, but his athleticism, stick skills and efficiency allowed him to blossom into one of the country’s finest players. Today, far more Canadians dot high-profile college rosters, and many of them have spent time at the Hill Academy, which in March defeated nationally ranked U.S. high school teams at St. Paul’s (Md.), Gonzaga (D.C.) and Landon (Md.). “You can see it, and have
for years now,” said Ryan Fournier, a two-time captain at Hill and now a freshman midfielder at Loyola. “Reilly
A Publication of US Lacrosse
O’Connor at Georgetown, Chad Tutton at North Carolina, Kyle Jackson at Michigan, all these top players. He’s really found the right formula for guys who want to be at the next level. He prepares you better than any other program out there.” It’s partially because Merrill has the lacrosse bona fides to earn instant respect. But it takes more than on-field accomplishments to be a good coach, and Merrill makes it a point to provide a complete example to his players. Now in his eighth year at Hill, Merrill participates in the same training as his players, a fact that stood out to Fournier when he reflected on his high school years. “The servant-leadership
mentality, I really believe in that,” Merrill said. “Coaching to me is a lifestyle, and even in workouts and getting to know them on another level and breaking down that wall a bit, teenagers and high school players at that age can identify what’s real and what’s not. So you want to make sure you’re living your message and backing it up.”
Merrill now has become teammates with some of his former players. Both defenseman Jason Noble (Cornell) and goalie Dillon Ward (Bellarmine) played in Hamilton alongside Merrill for at least part of last season. Seeing their successes, as
well as the accomplishments of dozens of other Hill alumni, only adds to Merrill’s fulfillment. — P.S.
May 2014 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 65
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