The return of the Manitoba High School Field Lacrosse League (MHSFLL) last Friday was a welcome sight for River East senior Will Angus. A seven-year veteran of LAX, who’s played box and field in the past, he has the opportunity to do both at the same time in 2022 as the MHSFLL returned after a multiple-year absence due to COVID.
“It’s just awesome. All my school friends, I tell them about lacrosse and the club and none of them are playing, but now it’s a chance for everyone to get into the sport and introduced to it,” he noted.
“A bunch of us are friends outside of sports. The communication, we all know what we like and everything. It blends together well on the field.”
In storybook fashion, Angus scored the game-winning goal in the Kodiak’s season opener against the Dakota Lancers a week ago, rifling his first of the season with two minutes to play an eventual 4-3 win. He prides himself on his speed, which is beneficial due to the open space available when playing field lacrosse, but on the game winner, he switched from midfield to forward.
“I couldn’t hit the net for most of the game. Both of my brothers are on the team, but my other brother decided I should play attack and he went midfield, so it gave me a chance to get down there and set up. I just got the pass and I scored.”
Overall, River East went 2-1 in their first three games during opening week, with the Angus trio of Will, Andy (grade 11) and Sam (grade nine) stepping up in a big way. Sam had a hat trick in the team’s most recent game, adding to an already memorable season that’s given the siblings a chance to all play together on a team for the first time.
“It’s fun. All of us are out here and my dad helped set this up,” Will said after last Friday’s contest. “We don’t have a field at our school because it’s getting re-done, so my dad had to go through a lot to get us a team officially. Now we’re out here and we won a game.”
Manitoba High School Field Lacrosse League 