Question: Friend or Foe?

February 11, 2009
Author: tfitch

Answer: It depends on what month it is, or even what day it is sometimes.

I think most lacrosse fans are aware that all these great players don’t play for just one team. As the NLL season ends they return home to the WLA or OLA as well as the MLL. These guys can end up playing on the same team or against each other depending on what month it is (or even what day of the week it is for some of the guys playing for the Rochester Rattlers).

Let’s first look at San Stealth forward Colin Doyle and Portland Lumberjax defender Brodie Merrill. December through May these two guys are going to be battling each other in the NLL. Then May through September they’re battling together to win the MLL and Mann Cup Championships. Throw John Grant Jr. in to the equation and on the summer weekends they’re playing together as Rochester Rattlers and the rest of the week JG is a Peterborough Laker and CD and Brodie are Brampton Excelsiors. Last summer during the playoffs those three literally played against each other all week in the OLA finals and then on Saturday and Sunday went out and won a MLL Championship. Flipping the switch like that is pretty impressive.

<figcaption id="caption-attachment-181" class="wp-caption-text">Stealth Forward and
Thunderbird Receiver
Tom Johnson</figcaption></figure>

After the Stealth loss to the Lumberjax last Saturday we were talking to Tyler Codron at the drink up and learned of a new player connection I’ve never seen in lacrosse. Mainly because it doesn’t actually involve lacrosse. It turns out Jax defender Tyler Codron plays football at the University of British Columbia (which we knew) with Stealth forward Tom Johnson (which we did not know!). Tyler apparently loves to play defense and he is a defensive back. Tom being offensive minded is a receiver and the play against each other every day in practice. Looks like there is more to TJ than competitive eating, flowing hair and lacrosse.

So next fall, in that time of the year when there is no lacrosse to follow, and you’re getting ready to pass the time by cheering on your favorite pro or college football team consider cheering for a smaller college team that has some of your favorite lacrosse players on it, the UBC Thunderbirds.