Winnipeg, MB—It was another exciting year at the Founders’ Cup, held in Winnipeg, MB from Aug. 12-18. The Calgary Shamrocks came away as this year’s national champions, beating the Six Nations Rebels 16-15.

“To be honest, our team has been planning this moment for 365 days. When we lost on a tie breaker in 2018, our coaching staff never felt more helpless. We were under prepared and overconfident, and we were not going to let that happen again,” said Jason Crook, co-head coach for the Calgary Shamrocks.

“The gold medal game was one of the most entertaining games I have been a part of. We started slow but once we got in our groove and realized we could score on their awesome goalie, we started rolling. As was the theme all season, we dominated the second period, answering back every time they scored, never letting them score three in a row. The third was a different story, we knew they would push back hard and never quit, but then I felt we got a little nervous. Forcing passes and shots that were not open and feeling the game unravelling in front of us, I challenged the offence to get one more goal, hoping that would be enough. Once we got to 16 I trusted our goalie Jared Ferris to shut the door. The last 30 seconds were the longest 30 seconds of my life, and luck was on our side. Having our fifth years account for 14 of 16 goals shows just how special that group of players is, and how deserving they were to go out as champions.”

Crook thanked co-head coach Andrew Smistad, defensive coordinator Colton Barby, head scout and assistant coach Doug Doane, goalie coach Kane Swartout, and manager Keri Drennan—and all of their spouses—for their time and dedication to the team.

At the 2019 Founders’ Cup, the Tournament MVP went to Marshall Powless from Six Nations Rebels, the Offensive Player of the Tournament was awarded to Cordell Hastings from the Calgary Shamrocks, the Defensive Player of the Tournament went to Cole Zubick from the Coquitlam Adanacs, the Transition Player of the Tournament went to Will Lutz from Manitoba Blizzard and the Goaltender of the Tournament was awarded to Briley Miller from Six Nations Rebels.

“Winning the Founders Cup is one of the greatest achievements in my life. It’s a feeling that words cannot explain. It meant everything to my team after working so hard for a number of years and always ending in disappointment. We had the mind set all year that we were going to win a Founders Cup so to actually achieve that goal was so fulfilling for us,” said Colby Fraser, team captain of the Calgary Shamrocks.

“Our coaches have worked endless hours the last six years to give us the best possible opportunity to win so it was a pretty amazing feeling to also win it for them. Everyone pushed each other night in and night out. I can’t thank this amazing family enough. I’m blessed to be apart of this organization and just want to thank all the boys, the alumni, the coaches, the parents and the rest of Alberta for supporting us.”

For full results please visit: http://founderscup.pointstreaksites.com/view/founderscup/news-feed/news_524725?fbclid=IwAR3hFZQza8r6PcEMic3tP_ryP5vRa8ytTNVAoQmFDqs28uBt9tsrRHRBN_c

About the Canadian Lacrosse Association     

Founded in 1867, the Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada. Our organization is comprised of 10 Member Associations representing nearly 85,000 individual participants, including coaches, officials, and athletes of all ages and abilities. The CLA'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. The CLA oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL). The CLA is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners - New Balance Athletics, Warrior Sports, NormaTec Recovery Systems, Canadian Red Cross, Westjet, RockTape, OPRO 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 on Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit our website at www.lacrosse.ca and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Victoria Klassen

Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Canadian Lacrosse Association
Phone: 613-260-2028 ext. 302
Email: victoria@lacrosse.ca