Hamilton Nationals
 | |
| Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2013 |
| League | MLL |
| Based in | Hamilton, Ontario |
| Stadium | Ron Joyce Stadium (2011-2013) Lamport Stadium (2010) BMO Field (2009) |
| Colours | Black, orange, white, purple |
| Owner | Arrow Express Sports[1] |
| Head coach | Dave Huntley |
| General manager | Stuart Brown[1] |
| Championships | 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, they 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, colors, 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. In 2009 their home field was BMO Field and for 2010 at Lamport Stadium.
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
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 was completed, much like the Rochester Rattlers did for the 2011 season, but failed to do so. No information on a return 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 | |
All-Time Head Coaches
| # | Name | Term | Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GC | W | L | W% | GC | W | L | W% | |||
| 1 | Dave Huntley | 2009–2010 | 24 | 10 | 14 | .417 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| 2 | Regy Thorpe | 2011–2012 | 26 | 11 | 15 | .423 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| 3 | Dave Huntley | 2013 | 14 | 9 | 5 | .643 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
2013 roster
| 2013 Hamilton Nationals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Player's Name | Nationality | Position | Height | Weight | College |
| 1 | Joe Walters |  |
Midfield | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lb | Maryland |
| 5 | Joe Resetarits | |
Attack | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lb | Albany |
| 8 | Kyle Rubisch |  |
Defense | 6 ft 3 in | 210 lb | Dowling |
| 11 | Roman Lao-Gosney | |
Midfield | 6 ft 1 in | 200 lb | Lehigh |
| 13 | Garrett Billings | |
Attack | 6 ft 0 in | 195 lb | Virginia |
| 14 | Cameron Lao-Gosney | |
Midfield | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lb | Lehigh |
| 16 | Michael Kiekebelt | |
Defense | 6 ft 3 in | 205 lb | RIT |
| 17 | Brodie Merrill | |
Defense | 6 ft 4 in | 205 lb | Georgetown |
| 19 | Matt Dolente | |
Midfield | 5 ft 7 in | 165 lb | Johns Hopkins |
| 20 | Jordan Hall | |
Midfield | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lb | Delaware |
| 21 | Kevin Crowley | |
Midfield | 6 ft 4 in | 200 lb | Stony Brook |
| 22 | Cody Jamieson |  |
Attack | 5 ft 9 in | 205 lb | Syracuse |
| 23 | Brett Queener | |
Goalie | 5 ft 10 in | 180 lb | Albany |
| 24 | Tyler Brown | |
Attack | 5 ft 4 in | 197 lb | Syracuse |
| 28 | Stephen Keogh | |
Attack | 5 ft 10 in | 188 lb | Syracuse |
| 33 | Solomon Bliss | |
Defense | 6 ft 3 in | 215 lb | Syracuse |
| 34 | Martin Cahill | |
Attack | 6 ft 0 in | 200 lb | Delaware |
| 40 | Matt Lovejoy | |
Defense | 5 ft 11 in | 200 lb | Virginia |
| 48 | Roy Lang | |
Midfield | 6 ft 3 in | 203 lb | Cornell |
| 51 | Tucker Durkin | |
Defense | 6 ft 2 in | 210 lb | Johns Hopkins |
| 74 | Jeremy Thompson | |
Midfield | 5 ft 11 in | 195 lb | Syracuse |
| 80 | Donny Moss | |
Defense | 6 ft 2 in | 200 lb | Adelphi |
| 81 | Dana Wilbur | |
Defense | 6 ft 0 in | 190 lb | Drexel |
| 91 | Shelton Hill | |
Attack | 5 ft 11 in | 169 lb | Albany |
| 92 | Brice Queener | |
Midfield | 5 ft 8 in | 200 lb | Georgetown |
| 95 | Layne Smith | |
Attack | 5 ft 9 in | 166 lb | Syracuse |
| 97 | Cecil Monture | |
Attack | 5 ft 11 in | 238 lb | Albany |
- updated 2013-04-20
References
- ^ a b c d "Nationals Announce Move to Hamilton". NationalsLacrosse.com press release. March 5, 2009. Archived from the original on March 7, 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
- ^ http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/news/pressreleases/index.html?article_id=1273
- ^ "Lamport Stadium". Toronto Nationals. Retrieved March 16, 2010.
- ^ a b "MLL Places Team in Florida". Major League Lacrosse. 2013-11-21. Archived from the original on 2013-11-26. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
- ^ a b Cuthbert, Glen (2013-11-21). "Lacrosse: Nationals moving south". Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
- ^ 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
- ^ "Florida Launch Set For 2014 MLL Debut; Hamilton Nationals Not Competing in '14". Inside Lacrosse. 2013-11-21. Retrieved 2013-11-27.
