Preseason Schedule Begins Against Rush
Oakville, ON – It’s finally here Rock City! Lacrosse returns tonight at 7pm ET, albeit in the form of a preseason scrimmage against the Saskatchewan Rush at the TRAC in Oakville, ON. Lax is lax, and we are back!
Four training camp sessions are complete and the players will finally get to compete against someone other than their teammates. Roster cutdowns are coming up quick and jobs will be on the line tonight.
Here’s what to watch for in tonight’s preseason opener.
- Riley Hutchcraft will start between the pipes, while Troy Holowchuck will play the second half. Nick Rose will have the night off and will not dress.
- If you’ve noticed on social media, the back-to-back transition player of the year Challen Rogers has been wearing a light practice jersey, the same colour as offensive stars Rob Hellyer, Dan Dawson and so on. The Rock captain has been exclusively taking reps out the front door during training camp and will play straight O on Saturday night. The staff feels the reps out the front door will help expand the versatile defender’s game even more.
- This will be Rusty Kruger’s first game on the bench as an assistant coach running the O after coming over from Buffalo and replacing Blaine Manning prior to training camp. Manning has stepped away from the Rock this season due to family and work commitments.
- With Adam Jones (UFA) not likely to play and Johnny Powless (RFA) deciding not to play this season, there will be a real shift of power, so to speak, with the Rock’s lefties. Dan Craig, Zach Manns and Reid Reinholdt will carry the bulk of the work on that side. The shift has opened the door to training camp invitees Justin Scott and Logan Holmes to get into the mix to add some depth. Note: Reinholdt is not in the lineup Saturday
- Jason Noble and Mitch de Snoo will make their debuts in a Rock uniform after being acquired in a pair of blockbuster trades back in July of 2020. Noble was the NLL’s defensive player of the year in 2017 and won the NLL title that year with Georgia. Mitch is regarded as one of the league’s best defenders and certainly has an underrated knack for making things happen in transition.
- Latrell Harris will see his first action since only appearing in the Rock’s Home Opener in December of 2019 before shutting things down. He had shoulder surgery in March 2020 to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. It was a nagging injury, and this could truly be the first time he’s fully healthy in his young NLL career.
- Breakout defender. Keep an eye on Adam “Sugar” Jay. He’s bulked up adding some muscle during the pandemic and hasn’t lost a step.
- Brandon Slade has played out the front and the back door during his NLL career. He’s the team’s swiss army knife and every team needs a guy like Slade. On Saturday, he’ll play out the front.
There will be no charge for admission to the preseason scrimmages. However, with seating at the TRAC being extremely limited, admission will be on a first come, first served basis. Fans will be required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated prior to entering the TRAC and are asked to wear a mask at all times.
Fans are also asked to complete the TRAC Covid screening questionnaire prior to arriving in order to expedite entry.
Tonight, the Oakville Fare Share Food Bank will be collecting non-perishable food items and items for babies including formula, diapers and baby food. They will also be selling raffle tickets with some unique sports memorabilia available to be won. For more information on the Oakville Fare Share Food Bank, please visit oakvillefoodbank.com.
The preseason opener will be televised locally on Cogeco’s Your TV. Cogeco cable subscribers in the south Halton region can watch the game on channel 700. Matt Cullen, Brian Shanahan and Ashley Docking will bring you all the action. There will not be an online stream available.
The Toronto Rock Home Opener is scheduled for Saturday, December 4 at Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre. Tickets for the game are now on sale to the general public through ticketmaster.ca and torontorock.com.
For more information on Toronto Rock Season Memberships, please contact a Toronto Rock account executive at 416-596-3075 or visit torontorock.com.
