Years from now, perhaps Sudbury U22 Rockhounds coach and Sudbury Sports Hall of Famer Mike Miron will be extremely thankful for the work that David Rock and his staff undertook with the Sudbury U7 Rockhounds way back in the summer of 2026.

Truth is: you have to start somewhere.

With basically an entire roster of players contesting competitive box lacrosse games for the very first time ever, the U7 Rockhounds posted a respectable record of 1-3-0 at the Rob MacDougall Memorial Lacrosse Tournament in Oakville last weekend.

Impressively, the locals won their inaugural outing, edging the host Oakville Hawks 4-3 as Player of the Game Malcolm Randersen pocketed the hat trick, with Nash Paradis rounding out the scoring.

Paradis donned the goaltending equipment for game two and was recognized as Player of the Game in spite of a 6-3 loss to the Fort Erie Hawks as Randersen (2 goals) and Austen Beskorowany handled the offense.

Battling a very rough Orangeville Northmen crew in game three, the U7 Rockhounds came up a little short, dropping an 11-5 decision as Malcolm Randersen recorded his second hat trick of the tournament, joined on the scoresheet by Austen Beskorowany and Nash Paradis.

Peppered with shots virtually from start to finish, Sudbury netminder Ryland Côté managed to keep the score respectable and was rewarded in receiving Player of the Game accolades.

Completing their tournament with a wild and woolly affair, the Rockhounds were trimmed 11-8 by the Guelph Regals as Quillon Boissoneau, Nathan Dubois and Hunter Hastie all hit the mark for the very first time.

Nash Paradis netted no less than three goals directly off his ability on the FOGO (Faceoff and Go), with Austen Beskorowany and Malcolm Randersen rounding out the scoring. A hustler from start to finish in all four games, Nathan Dubois walked off as Player of the Game.

"We were so proud of how the team handled themselves over the course of the tournament," said coach Rock. "From the first whistle, learning to play against another team and with referees, through to the final battle of our fourth game, these athletes (5-6 years old) never stopped trying their hardest."

"We faced some tough opponents from major lacrosse hubs and proved we could compete with them, improving with every game. The effort, teamwork and dedication shown by this group ultimately made this tournament a successful experience for these developing young Rockhounds."

Rounding out the Sudbury roster are Noah Proulx, Jackson Rock, Chayson Campioni, Jaden Creaser, Daxon Lane, Noah Andre-Pellerin, Talon LeGree, McKinley Hudson, Ronan Stewart, Callum Croft, coaches Alex Croft, Tom LeGree and Tyler Stewart, trainer Mathieu Paradis and team manager Jessy Proulx.