Rare are the instances that the Sudbury Rockhounds enjoy the opportunity to strut their stuff at home, in front of family and friends.

From the U9 to the U22, the lads were taking full advantage as the Nickel City Shootout welcomed 24 out of town teams to Sudbury for a weekend of competitive box lacrosse.

Some of the local squads would rise to the top (U13 and U22 Rockhounds) – but even those who did not walked away more than a little pleased with their performance and the progress that has been shown to date.

“If you had offered me one win this weekend, it would have been considered a success,” noted Rockhounds U9 head coach Thomas Kingston. “To finish second in round robin, win a hard fought semi-final game and lose in overtime in the final – I couldn’t be more proud of all of them.”

Loaded with newcomers to the game, the Sudbury reps downed the Pelham Raiders 11-3 on Friday afternoon and made it a perfect opening day with a 6-5 triumph over the Kawartha Lakes Fury later that evening.

A 7-6 setback at the hands of the Orillia Kings followed by a 7-3 loss to the Stayner Hitmen still left the U9 Rockhounds reasonably well positioned for the Sunday morning semis, the team completing the weekend sweep of Kawartha Lakes with a 7-4 win.

Trailing 3-1 entering the third period of the championship affair before a raucous crowd in Coniston, the host team rallied to force overtime.

Unfortunately, the Hitmen would net the only two goals in the ten minute overtime session – though coach Kingston is as pleased as can be with the direction this team is heading and the lessons being learned.

“One thing we really try and hang our hat on is hard work, discipline – and just being a good person,” said the Cambrian College professor who works with the fitness component of students within the Police Foundations program at the school. “A lot of these kids are new to lacrosse and looking at it as a tool to get better for hockey.”

“We’re trying to get them to fall in love with the game and understand the importance of hard work.”

The Sudbury U9 roster features Avery Meade, Colby Kingston, Colton Williams, Dean Jackson Gunner, Grayson Antonio, Halden Leclair, Henri Bernier, Hunter Risk-Gillard, Jack Eamer, Jack Gainer, Logan Hudson, Marvel Peltier, Nolan Rancourt, Owen Wilson, Troy Michelutti and Troy Sakellaris.

Meanwhile, the U13 Rockhounds just keep rolling along, reeling off four straight wins (the team remains undefeated in OLA tournament play) and blasting the Kawartha Lakes Fury 13-3 in the final after bolting out to a 5-1 lead just over five minutes into the contest.

Kaesen Adair paced the Sudbury attack with a four goal effort, with Merrick Charbonneau chipping in with a hat trick of his own. Rounding out the scoring with solo markers were Karson Ferguson, Arlo Owl-McGregor, Wyatt Williams, Grayson Colton, Cedric Poulin and Clark Montgomery.

“The players have committed to hard work to maintain our defensive system and also with the selfless play needed to move the ball quickly on offense, allowing us to have compete team play when we have the ball,” said head coach B.J. Adair. “This was reflective in our scoring over the weekend.”

While the elite Rockhounds continue to shine brightly on this team, it is their willingness to assist newcomers and such that is raising the bar right across the U13 Rockhounds’ roster, a fact not lost on a young man whose competitive sports repertoire also includes basketball, alpine skiing and sailing.

“Our stars have really been there for everybody, pushing us forward, and our coaches have been there for me, helping me with plays, trying to relate lacrosse to basketball with picks and rolls and stuff like that,” said 11 year old Rohan Saidi-Smith, making the jump to the Rockhounds after one summer of house league play only in 2024.

“All of the work that we are putting in is paying off so far.”

That said, Saidi-Smith and company show no inclination towards taking their foot off the gas, with OLA Provincial Championships the end goal at the beginning of August and constant improvement still a priority.

“At the start of the season, our passing was not too great and we worked on that a lot and now we’re really good at passing,” said the young man who was propelled to lacrosse in part on the urging of cousins in Calgary who have prospered in the sport. “At the moment, I would say our defense still needs some work, just watching the man, hitting them men that are cutting and really having our heads on a swivel.”

“We do have a pretty good “D”, I would say, but it could still be better.”

The balance of the Sudbury U13 crew is comprised of Oliver Brunetti, Oliver Clarke, Jarrett Marshall, Carter Kuczma, Daxton Wabano, Fisher Lemieux, Laughlin Hagen and Noah Stott.

The Sudbury U22 Rockhounds also walked off with gold medals, though their encounters proved much to be much tighter. The three-time defending OLA divisional champs clipped the Stayner Hitmen 4-1, played to a 4-4 draw with the Orillia Kings on Saturday night and blasted an undermanned Barrie Bombers entry 12-3 a few hours later.

Facing a strong Owen Sound North Stars team in the “A” final, the Rockhounds rode a three goal first period outburst (goals from Jack Gouchie, Xavier Esquimaux-Osawamick, Jacob Barney) to a 3-0 lead and holding on for a 6-4 win.

Ashton Eadie, Kai Erkkila and Joe Gouchie accounted for the remainder of the offense as Sudbury now prepares for the insertion of the Hamilton Bengals Super Series this coming weekend prior to their annual trek to the Conradi-Engemann U22 Memorial hosted in Niagara-on-the Lakes from July 11th to the 13th.

Playing in the U11 “C” final, the Sudbury Rockhounds were beaten 7-3 by the Barrie Bombers, showing signs of progress with close losses to Barrie (in round robin play – 7-4) and to the Mimico Mountaineers (5-3). Additionally, the locals jumped out to a 3-2 lead in their final outing, with Nwaabdasse Trudeau scoring twice and Rudy Bazzard adding a solo effort.

Working with a relatively inexperienced team, head coach Michael Wilson continues to preach positivity, as was evident following a recent tournament in Newmarket where his team struggled to hit the win column.

“One of the most noticeable improvements was our team’s positioning,” he stated. “As the tournament went on, the team showed a better understanding of where to be and when to move, keeping coverage of their players and pushing hard on the elbow.”

“With each game, you could tell that the other squad wanted to keep the ball to the outside because they didn’t want to come in our house. It showed that we’re learning the basics of the game the right way.”

Justin Gouin netted a pair of goals in the loss versus Barrie, with Blake Dumont and Rudy Bazzard adding one tally apiece while Nwaabdasse Trudeau, Adam Bain and Taylin Johnson hit the target against Mimico.

An opening night loss to the Nepean Knights featured Adam Bain with the hot hand for Sudbury, registering a hat trick to account for all of the scoring.

Rounding out the U11 Rockhounds' roster are Benjamin Hepting, Hudson Lauzon, Jack Wilson, Liam Timony, Luna Bertand-Thrush, Mackenzie Thomson, Noah Legault, Noah Vallée and Owen Kunto.