Niagara, ON—It was two action-packed, fun-filled, historic weeks of box lacrosse for the 2022 Canada Summer Games participants, which closed on Sunday in Niagara, Ont. with an emotional 17U Men’s Team BC victory.
Spectators were treated to high-energy lacrosse played by the best young talent across Canada, and athletes took the floor at the brand-new Canada Games Park.
Men’s Box Lacrosse returned to the Games for the first time since 1985, while Women’s Box made it’s debut on August 7, 2022.
Macey Hatfield from Team New Brunswick scored the first two goals of the first game, marking the first goals in women’s box history at the Games. New Brunswick would win that game, triumphant over PEI 8-1.
Ultimately, it was Team Ontario and Team British Columbia competing for the gold medal. Ontario took it 2-1 in a competitive game. Team Alberta finished with the bronze medal.
Following the women’s week, men’s box made its return for the first time since 1985. A thrilling opening game saw Team Saskatchewan tie Team Manitoba 4-4 in 3OT.
But the big story of the tournament featured the gold medal winners, Team BC. A teammate, Ben Pawluk, was supposed to attend the Canada Summer Games but was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma at the end of June, and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.
His jersey was hung behind the teams bench every game, and they kept him in their thoughts on, and off, the floor. It is covered in messages of support and encouragement from the other teams participating in the tournament.
Team British Columbia would defeat Team Ontario for the gold medal, while Team Alberta would get the bronze.
Lacrosse Canada would like to extend our deepest congratulations to all participating teams, athletes, coaches, officials, and event personnel. It was a long road to the Games, but the memories, friendships, and connections made were priceless ones.
The final standings were as follows:
Women’s Week:
1 - Team Ontario
2 - Team British Columbia
3 - Team Alberta
4 - Team Nova Scotia
5 - Team Quebec
6 - Team Manitoba
7 - Team New Brunswick
8 - Team Saskatchewan
9 - Team Prince Edward Island
Men’s Week:
1 - Team British Columbia
2 - Team Ontario
3 - Team Alberta
4 - Team Quebec
5 - Team Nova Scotia
6 - Team New Brunswick
7 - Team Manitoba
8 - Team Saskatchewan
9 - Team Prince Edward Island
About Lacrosse Canada
Founded in 1867, Lacrosse Canada 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. Lacrosse Canada’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. Lacrosse Canada oversees the delivery of numerous national championships and the participation of Team Canada at all international events sanctioned by World Lacrosse. Lacrosse Canada is proud to be affiliated with partners that share the same vision and values, including our corporate partners - NormaTec Recovery Systems, RockTape, OPRO, Canadian Red Cross, Westjet, 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, please contact:
Taylor Retter
Communications and Marketing Coordinator
Lacrosse Canada
Email: taylor@lacrosse.ca