The Redmen have been the best team in the CUFLA this year. Following their Baggataway Cup victory last season, McGill has gone 10-0 against league opponents, winning games by an average margin of 10 points.
The Tribune has prepared an overview of the Redmen lacrosse team in anticipation of this weekend’s National Championships, hosted here at McGill from Nov. 1 to Nov. 3.
Offence
The Redmen have an incredibly strong offensive line, led by player-coach Kevin Donovan. Donovan currently sits in fifth place overall on the scoring leaderboard, with 28 goals and 37 points in eight games played. Other scoring standouts for McGill include third-year Connor Goodwin with 18 goals, co-captain Alex Rohrbach with 15 goals, and with 10 goals apiece, Richie Klares III, Leland de Langley, and Tayler Sipperly.
However, the biggest offensive strength for the Redmen lies in their balanced scoring attack, with no single player required to shoulder the scoring load. As a result, opposing defences cannot focus on stopping any one player and must be wary of numerous offensive threats.
Defence
McGill has a top-notch defence led by goalies Riley McGillis and William Waesche. McGillis has logged 497 minutes in the regular season, and has a Goals Against Average (GAA) statistic of 7.24; Waesche has logged 200 minutes with a GAA of 3.60. Both goalies have been outstanding for the Redmen.
Along with the goaltending, McGill boasts a stout defensive line led by co-captain Ossie Long. Long and second-year defenceman Quinton Bradley were named to the all-conference team in 2012.
Strengths
According to Head Coach Tim Murdoch, the strength of the squad lies not with one or two facets of the game, but rather with the mentality that the entire team has adopted. “[The captains] have been the heart and soul of this team,” he noted. “We have [Long], [Rohrbach], Brandon McLean, and Nolan Prinzen. We’re really lucky to have these four guys. In addition to their roles as captain, they do a lot of things off the field [….] It’s a top-to-bottom thing—captains down to the last man on the roster.”
McGill’s midfield line is also a source of pride for the team, as they boast arguably the most skilled midfield in the CUFLA, in addition to one of the deepest rosters overall. McGill has a balanced lineup, with no player in the league top 10 for minutes played. The squad boasts talented players at every position, allowing Coach Murdoch to minimize injuries and keep his team fresh.
Weaknesses
One key point to look out for are occasional lapses on the defensive end. This was most recently demonstrated in the Oct. 19 game against the NCAA Plattsburgh Hornets, in which the team played sloppy defence in the second stanza. However, the Redmen have the capability to rout their CUFLA opponents when the players stay engaged. The team’s youth belies its composure on the field.
McGill’s only challenge lies in battling complacency, as the Redmen have dominated their opponents so far. “It’s a fine balance [in regards to] complacency,” Long said. “We’ve kind of battled with that.”
”We don’t want to forget that we want to stay mentally and physically ready to go,” Murdoch added
Teams to watch
There are a number of teams that could make a surprise run for the Baggataway Cup this weekend. Brock University will pose the toughest challenge for the Redmen, as the Badgers finished atop their conference. While McGill has swept through its schedule undefeated, Brock’s lone loss came at the hands of the Western Mustangs, the team with the no. 2 position behind the Badgers. The Guelph Regals also have the ability to challenge for a spot in the championship, as they finished with a third seed in the tough Western Conference.
The Bishop’s Gaiters, led by Alex Henderson, pose the biggest obstacle for the Redmen in the East. McGill’s two games against the Gaiters in the regular season yielded narrow victories, in contrast to their clear dominance over other opponents.
While the rest of the CUFLA has made strides to take down McGill, no Canadian team has been able to defeat the Redmen in over a year. Expect the squad to win another Baggataway Cup, further advancing what is rapidly becoming a lacrosse dynasty.
#05 Alex Rohrbach
Position: Attacker
Height: 5-11
Weight: 160
Class: Third Year
Hometown: West Windsor, NJ (USA)
High School: West Windsor Plainsboro HS 2011
Academic Major: Finance
McGill Tribune: What was your favourite sport growing up?
Alex Rohrbach: It was definitely lacrosse. I also played football growing up. I did kicking, I was a receiver, and a defensive back—so I was always on the field. But I enjoyed lacrosse the most.
MT: How long have you been playing lacrosse?
AR: Since I was eight years old. My neighbour played lacrosse—lacrosse is very popular in New Jersey. I remember just having a catch with my neighbour, and thinking, ‘Oh, this is cool’, and wanting to check it out. That was right before going into the third grade.
MT: What made you come to McGill?
AR: I was attracted to McGill for a number of reasons, lacrosse probably being the least important. So definitely the high academics, the city of Montreal, the international aspect of McGill and living in Montreal—[those were] big factors. I had been studying French for a number of years—eight years, nine years—and I was definitely interested in improving my French and having a place to practice it. And lacrosse was my last factor.
MT: What’s your favourite sports team?
AR: I’ll probably go with the Philadelphia Eagles. New Jersey, it’s weird. You’ve got the Giants, the Eagles, and the Jets. I chose the Eagles.
MT: What are your plans for the future?
AR: Career-wise: exploring the world of finance and getting into central banking in the public sector. Possibly doing something with the Federal Reserve in the United States. That’s really intriguing to me.
#27 Nolan Prinzen
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6-0
Weight: 190
Class: Second Year
Hometown: Summit, NJ (USA)
High School: Summit Senior HS 2010
Academic Major: Economics
McGill Tribune: What was your favourite sport growing up?
Nolan Prinzen: My favourite sport growing up was definitely hockey, and it’s still my favourite sport today even though [I’m playing] lacrosse here. I was born in Canada, and moved to the U.S. when I was 10 years old. I played hockey growing up in Canada, but when I moved to New Jersey there was no Rec League hockey so I wasn’t able to play. But if I could have I definitely would have.
MT: How long have you been playing lacrosse?
NP: I’ve been playing since I was in grade six, so I’ve been playing for 10 years.
MT: What made you come to McGill?
NP: I came for the academic reputation. I knew that since I went to high school in the U.S that I wanted to come to Canada for [university]. I knew I wanted to play lacrosse in university so I came to McGill since it was one of the top tier teams.
MT: What has been your proudest moment on the field?
NP: [That] game against Guelph. We were down by two goals, we scored two to even it, and we scored the last one to win it with seven seconds left. No one expected us to win it in regular [time]; everyone expected it to go to overtime for sure.
MT: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?
NP: I think it was getting that National Championship off our back. Because we’ve had a good team for a while now, and we finally came together as one unit last year [….] [In the] semifinals, we were down and we came back. And the finals went to overtime and we had to try and trust each other that we were still going to pull off the win. With our backs against the wall, we came through.
MT: What’s your favourite sports team?
NP: The Toronto Maple Leafs.
MT: Who is your role model?
NP: My Dad. He was a really competitive athlete in his younger years. He played professional football. I always wanted to work my hardest, because I knew he did.
MT: What are your plans for the future?
NP: I’m looking to go [into] finance. I’m an Econ major. This summer I interned in wealth management with RBC in Toronto, so I’m looking to go a similar road as Rohrbach, but the wealth management side.
#02 Osburn (Ossie) Long
Position: Defender
Height: 6-0
Weight: 180
Class: Fourth Year
Hometown: Sarnia, ON
High School: Northern Collegiate 2009
Academic Major: Physical and Health Education
McGill Tribune: What was your favourite sport growing up?
Ossie Long: Box lacrosse.
MT: How long have you been playing lacrosse?
OL: I started playing when I was eight, so about 16 years.
MT: What made you come to McGill?
OL: It was just the last school that accepted me. I was psyched. I applied to some dusty schools, and I got into McGill so I was just like I’m jumping on this for sure. It was kind of spur of the moment [….] Didn’t know anybody that was coming here, just went for it. No regrets whatsoever. Five years baby.
MT: What has been your proudest moment on the field?
OL: Probably just coming back from a two-goal deficit with a minute-and-a-half last year in the [semifinals] against Guelph. That was definitely triumphant. I liked that a lot.
MT: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?
OL: [On the National Championship]: It’s a fine balance [in regards to] complacency. We’ve kind of battled with that. At the start of the year, everyone was like, ‘Oh, we’re the champs,’. It’s been a good season, but the real challenge lies ahead now.
MT: What’s your favourite sports team?
OL: I’m not a huge sports fan, I just like playing sports. So I’d probably say our team, the Redmen [and] my box [lacrosse] team in the summer. I don’t really watch sports so I’m more of a fan of the teams that I play on.
MT: Who is your role model?
OL: My younger brother always pushes me because he’s got an unreal work ethic, and I’m really competitive with him. So we always push each other in that way.
MT: What are your plans for the future?
OL: Scoping into this season, I want to be the first team in the East to defend the National Championship [….] Cause Bishop’s [was] the first team in the East to win the title, so we have to be the first team in the East to defend it. And at home—that’s a sick opportunity.
I’m studying Phys. Ed., but I don’t know if I’ll teach right off the hop. I think I’m going to start a carpentry apprenticeship and just get some practical hands-on skills.
Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for guests. A tournament pass is $10 for students and $20 for guests.
