Hamilton Nationals
| Hamilton Nationals | |
|---|---|
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| Founded | 2009 |
| Home Stadium | Ron Joyce Stadium |
| City | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Colours | Black, orange, white, purple |
| Owner(s) | Arrow Express Sports[1] |
| General Manager | Jody Gage[2] |
| Head Coach | Regy Thorpe[3] |
| Steinfeld Cups | 2009 |
| Website | NationalsLacrosse.com |
The Hamilton Nationals are a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They began play in the 2009 season from 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[4] but moved to the smaller Lamport Stadium for the 2010 season.[5] 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.[6]
The Hamilton Nationals' identity represents both the Canadian and Iroquois communities. The team's logo incorporates the Canadian maple leaf and the Iroquois Five Nations belt pattern taken from each respective flag. Additionally, the Nationals continuously sign Iroquois players.[7]
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[edit] Franchise history
The Nationals have 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 are staying behind in Rochester to be potentially used by a future MLL team.[8] In November of 2010, it was reported that the Chicago Machine had moved to Rochester, NY and resumed operation of the Rattlers franchise. [9]
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.[10] 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.[11] Jody Gage was announced as the new general manager for the team, while Regy Thorpe was named the new head coach.[12]
[edit] Season-by-season
| Hamilton Nationals | ||||
| Year | W | L | Regular season finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7 | 5 | 2nd in League | Won semifinal 14-13 over Lizards Won championship 10-9 Over Outlaws |
| 2010 | 3 | 9 | 6th in League | Did not qualify |
| 2011 | 7 | 5 | 3rd in League | Won semifinal 11-9 over Denver Outlaws Lost championship 10-9 to Boston Cannons |
| Totals | 17 | 19 | Regular Season Win % = .472 | Total Playoff Record 3 - 1 Playoff Win % = .750 |
[edit] Current roster
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Hamilton Nationals roster
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Goaltenders
Defensemen
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Midfielders
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Attack
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Practice
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Head Coach Assistant Coaches Roster updated 2011-08-03 |
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[edit] References
- ^ "Nationals Announce Move to Hamilton". NationalsLacrosse.com press release. March 5, 2009. http://nationalslacrosse.com/press-release/2057/nationals-announce-move-to-hamilton/. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Nationals Announce Move to Hamilton". NationalsLacrosse.com press release. March 5, 2009. http://nationalslacrosse.com/press-release/2057/nationals-announce-move-to-hamilton/. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Nationals Announce Move to Hamilton". NationalsLacrosse.com press release. March 5, 2009. http://nationalslacrosse.com/press-release/2057/nationals-announce-move-to-hamilton/. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/news/pressreleases/index.html?article_id=1273
- ^ "Lamport Stadium". Toronto Nationals. http://nationalslacrosse.com/tickets/lamport/. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ "Nationals Announce Move to Hamilton". NationalsLacrosse.com press release. March 5, 2009. http://nationalslacrosse.com/press-release/2057/nationals-announce-move-to-hamilton/. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ http://nationalslacrosse.com/history/
- ^ http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20090220/SPORTS04/902200323/1007/SPORTS
- ^ http://www.rochesterrattlers.com/game-highlight/1770/rattlers-returning-to-rochester
- ^ "Nationals Announce Move to Hamilton". NationalsLacrosse.com press release. March 5, 2009. http://nationalslacrosse.com/press-release/2057/nationals-announce-move-to-hamilton/. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Nationals Announce Move to Hamilton". NationalsLacrosse.com press release. March 5, 2009. http://nationalslacrosse.com/press-release/2057/nationals-announce-move-to-hamilton/. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ "Nationals Announce Move to Hamilton". NationalsLacrosse.com press release. March 5, 2009. http://nationalslacrosse.com/press-release/2057/nationals-announce-move-to-hamilton/. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
[edit] External links
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