Hamilton Nationals

This article is about the former Major League Lacrosse franchise. For the defunct Tier II Junior "A" and Junior "B" ice hockey teams, see Toronto Nationals (hockey).
Hamilton Nationals

Team logo
League MLL
Founded 2009
Home stadium Ron Joyce Stadium
Based in Hamilton, Ontario
Colours Black, orange, white, purple
                   
Head coach Dave Huntley
General manager Jody Gage[1]
Owner(s) Arrow Express Sports[1]
Steinfeld Cups 1 (2009)
Formerly Toronto Nationals
2009–2010
Hamilton Nationals
2011–2013
Website nationalslacrosse.com

The Hamilton Nationals were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They began play in the 2009 season in Toronto, Ontario as the Toronto Nationals, becoming the first-ever Canadian team in MLL history. In 2009, they played their home games at BMO Field, which is also home to Major League Soccer's Toronto FC[2] but moved to the smaller Lamport Stadium for the 2010 season.[3] On February 3, 2011, the Nationals announced that they were relocating to Hamilton, Ontario, and would play their home games at Ron Joyce Stadium on the campus of McMaster University.[1] On 21 November 2013, MLL announced that the team would not participate in the 2014 season, with most of the players being transferred to the expansion Florida Launch.[4][5]

The Hamilton Nationals' identity represented both the Canadian and Iroquois communities. The team's logo incorporated the Canadian maple leaf and the Iroquois Five Nations belt pattern taken from each respective flag. Additionally, the Nationals continuously signed Iroquois players.[6]

Franchise history

The Nationals had their roots in the MLL's charter franchise the Rochester Rattlers. Before the 2009 season, part of the Rattlers' roster was transferred to the new Nationals' team; however, the name, colours, and history stayed behind in Rochester to be potentially used by a future MLL team.[7] In November 2010, it was reported that the Chicago Machine had moved to Rochester, NY and resumed operation of the Rattlers franchise.[8]

The Nationals started play in the MLL on May 15, 2009 and won against Washington Bayhawks 17–16. They won their first home game over the Chicago Machine 15–11. The Nationals qualified for the playoffs as the second seed with a 7–5 record and the best offense in MLL with 184 goals for. The Nationals played their first playoff game against the Long Island Lizards at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland. Toronto won their semi-final matchup 14–13 thanks to a strong game by Merrick Thomson scoring 4 goals. Toronto (at the time) went on to face the Denver Outlaws in the Steinfeld Cup Final. The Nationals were tied with the Outlaws 9–9 with over a minute to go in the game. Nationals head coach Dave Huntley called a time-out to draw out a strategy. With 45 seconds left to go, Joe Walters passed to Shawn Williams and Williams scored the winning goal to give the Toronto Nationals their first championship victory 10–9 over the Denver Outlaws. Merrick Thomson was named Playoff MVP and Brodie Merrill won the Major League Lacrosse Defensive player of the Year Award.

On February 3, 2011, the Nationals announced that they would be moving to Hamilton and would be known as the Hamilton Nationals.[1] It was also announced that Arrow Express Sports would take sole ownership of the team and the team would play their home games at Ron Joyce Stadium on the campus of McMaster University.[1] Jody Gage was announced as the new general manager for the team, while Regy Thorpe was named the new head coach.[1]

On 21 November 2013, the MLL announced that the team would not participate in the 2014 season, with most of the players being transferred to the expansion Florida Launch.[4][5] The team was expected to attempt to rejoin the league for the 2015 season once construction of the new Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton is completed, much like the Rochester Rattlers did for the 2011 season, but failed to do so. No information on a return for the team has been reported.[9]

Season-by-season

Hamilton Nationals
Year W L % Regular season finish Playoffs
2009 7 5 .583 2nd in League Won semifinal 14–13 over Lizards
Won championship 10–9 Over Outlaws
2010 3 9 .250 6th in League ---
2011 7 5 .583 3rd in League Won semifinal 11–9 over Denver Outlaws
Lost championship 10–9 to Boston Cannons
2012 4 10 .286 7th in League ---
2013 9 5 .750 3rd in League Lost semifinal 12–13 to Chesapeake Bayhawks
Totals 30 34 .469 Total Playoff Record 3 – 2
Playoff Win % = .600

Current Coaching Staff

All-Time Head Coaches

# Name Term Regular Season Playoffs
GC W L W% GC W L W%
1 Dave Huntley 20092010 24 10 14 .417 2 2 0 1.000
2 Regy Thorpe 20112012 26 11 15 .423 2 1 1 .500
3 Dave Huntley 2013 14 9 5 .643 1 0 1 .000

Current roster

2013 Hamilton Nationals
Number Player's Name Nationality Position Height Weight College
1 Joe Walters United States Midfield 6 ft 0 in 190 lb Maryland
5 Joe Resetarits United States Attack 6 ft 0 in 190 lb Albany
8 Kyle Rubisch Canada Defense 6 ft 3 in 210 lb Dowling
11 Roman Lao-Gosney United States Midfield 6 ft 1 in 200 lb Lehigh
13 Garrett Billings Canada Attack 6 ft 0 in 195 lb Virginia
14 Cameron Lao-Gosney United States Midfield 6 ft 0 in 190 lb Lehigh
16 Michael Kiekebelt Canada Defense 6 ft 3 in 205 lb RIT
17 Brodie Merrill Canada Defense 6 ft 4 in 205 lb Georgetown
19 Matt Dolente United States Midfield 5 ft 7 in 165 lb Johns Hopkins
20 Jordan Hall Canada Midfield 6 ft 0 in 190 lb Delaware
21 Kevin Crowley Canada Midfield 6 ft 4 in 200 lb Stony Brook
22 Cody Jamieson Iroquois Attack 5 ft 9 in 205 lb Syracuse
23 Brett Queener United States Goalie 5 ft 10 in 180 lb Albany
24 Tyler Brown Iroquois Attack 5 ft 4 in 197 lb Syracuse
28 Stephen Keogh Canada Attack 5 ft 10 in 188 lb Syracuse
33 Solomon Bliss United States Defense 6 ft 3 in 215 lb Syracuse
34 Martin Cahill United States Attack 6 ft 0 in 200 lb Delaware
40 Matt Lovejoy United States Defense 5 ft 11 in 200 lb Virginia
48 Roy Lang United States Midfield 6 ft 3 in 203 lb Cornell
51 Tucker Durkin United States Defense 6 ft 2 in 210 lb Johns Hopkins
74 Jeremy Thompson Iroquois Midfield 5 ft 11 in 195 lb Syracuse
80 Donny Moss United States Defense 6 ft 2 in 200 lb Adelphi
81 Dana Wilbur United States Defense 6 ft 0 in 190 lb Drexel
91 Shelton Hill Iroquois Attack 5 ft 11 in 169 lb Albany
92 Brice Queener United States Midfield 5 ft 8 in 200 lb Georgetown
95 Layne Smith Iroquois Attack 5 ft 9 in 166 lb Syracuse
97 Cecil Monture Iroquois Attack 5 ft 11 in 238 lb Albany

References

External links

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