Men's World Lacrosse Box Championship Preview
The 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships are in 6 days. Canada’s Men’s team has a deep and veteran roster in hopes of winning their sixth consecutive gold medal.
Canada held their training camps and tryouts at the Canada Games Park Arena in St. Catharines, Ontario. The coaching staff then finalized their roster down to 23 and seven alternates.
Canada is in Pool A with powerhouses like England, USA and Haudenosaunee. They will be relying on their veterans to prevail.
Let’s break down each of Canada’s Pool Play matches:
CAN VS ENG-Saturday, September 21 @5:30PM EST
Canada’s strength in the game has traditionally been in box lacrosse. Despite England adding Toronto Rock forward Cory Small, England will still have a challenge getting any offensive opportunities against a strong Canadian defence. England has a very similar roster to their 2019 squad and will be led by long-time player and captain, Tom Roche. Roche will be making his second career appearance at the World Box Championships and will look to lead his squad to a medal. Defensively, England will try to shut down the likes of Dhane Smith, Josh Byrne and Jeff Teat. This will be challenging as this three-headed monster will look to lead the tournament in scoring. On offence, England will have to try and get by Graeme Hossack, Mitch de Snoo, Jake Withers and Zach Currier. Hossack is a three-time NLL Defensive Player of the Year and is one of the best box lacrosse defenders in the world. For England to be successful on offence, playmaking which attacks the areas of the Canadian defence which Hossack does not patrol may be the key.
CAN VS HAU-Sunday, September 22 @4:00PM EST
This will be the Pool Play matchup circled on everyone’s calendar. Featuring the five-time gold medalists against the five-time silver medalists this could be a preview of the gold medal match for a sixth straight time. The Haudenosaunee National Team has an immense amount of depth and talent on this roster that includes brothers Lyle, Jeremy and Shonwahnonkon Thompson who will look to lead the team to a gold medal. Other notable names include veterans Tehoka Nanticoke, Cody Jamieson, Randy Staats, Zed Williams, Eli McLaughlin.A notable addition to this roster is rookie, Trey Deere. Goalies Doug Jamieson and Warren Hill are back anchor the Haudonasaunee. Being that the majority of these players either played in the Premier Lacrosse League this past summer or were a part of the Six Nations Chiefs playing MSL in Ontario, this team expects to challenge for the gold one more time.
CAN VS USA- Tuesday, September 24 @8:00PM EST
Another chapter will be written in the lacrosse history books when Canada takes on the USA. These two countries have a rich history and have gone back and forth at various championships to win the gold. At the box level, Canada’s roster depth has proven to be too much for the Americans , This year they have added a bulk of NLL talent to try and earn a medal better than the bronze. Jack Hannh, Mac O’Keefe, Blaze Riorden, Joey Spallina, Ryan Terefenko, Joe Nardella, and brothers CJ and Connor Kirst have been named to the roster. All but Riorden are making their USA National Box debuts. A young and talented USA squad will look to Riorden’ leadership to advance through the tournament. This match against Canada will help them gauge their position against Canada and the other top teams in the tournament.
All of Canada’s games will be streamed on ESPN and TSN+.
Click the link HERE to access Team Canada’s schedule for the World Championships
All games can be streamed with a subscription on the WLTV app. Click the link HERE to go to the website.
Article by Lucas Argier
About Lacrosse Canada
Founded in 1867, Lacrosse Canada is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 11 Member Associations representing nearly 85,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. Lacrosse Canada’s mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members, leading our partners, and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate. Lacrosse Canada oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by World Lacrosse. Lacrosse Canada is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners - Nike, CoachThem, Gait, Cascade, Normatec, Zoll, Signature Lacrosse, and Baron Rings - as well as our funding partners the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation.
For more information, please contact:
Kealan Pilon
Communications Coordinator
Lacrosse Canada
Email: kealan@lacrosse.ca
