Knights Lacrosse Elite: June 2017

Friday 30 June 2017

Day 6 - Knights IV Tour 2017

Warming up outside the hotel outside the NY Islanders NHL stadium.

Looked tired first game

Lost 7-2

Goals

Dan Jones

Pat McGowan

Assists

Ed Loveland

Mike Pomfret

Saves

Ethan - 10

Lewis - 4

We played CT Charges Gold, coached by England Euro Championship winner Alex Majd. This was a game of pride, however unfortunately a mixture of over confidence and tiredness meant we came out sloppy and slow. I didn't want to over coach this game and wanted to see the boys take control and be accountable. We scored a great goal from our 2 man up play we had practicesed for a long time, they really worked out the defence and we got Dan jones open for a shot from the right wing, with him being a lefty it's a difficult skill but he didnt let us down and finished nicely. CT Chargers faceoff mana was very good with a very fast clamp and we struggled to gain possessions early in the game.

Ravi Sitlani from Stockport, Metros and England had made the trip by train from Manhatten to see us, he gave me my first opportunity with England U19s and he's a good friend. We grew up playing against each other and have a great respect for each other. He really knows everyone in the game but on both sides of the pond.

Ed Loveland really got into the groove in this tournament, he rides very well, wins back possessions, has great Vision and has developed a cannon of a shot!

The game finished 7-2 and I think the players felt disappointed with the loss and they way we had come out. I explained to a number of them how important rest really was and that in the future they can learn from this and that is really what this tour is about. We motivated ourselves by being scheduled to play in the huge main stadium

And getting a chance to finish the tournament with 3 wins from 5 games something really to be proud of.

We returned to the hotel and Julian and our roaring reporter (twitter Knights IV Scores) Andrea had gone to pick up sandwiches for the boys from Colesium Deli.

Won 6-5

Goals

Edward Hilditch

Will Prescott 2

Elliott Bickerton 2

Dan Jones

Assists

Elliott Bickerton

Ed Loveland

Mike Pomfret

Will Prescott

Edward Hilditch

Saves - 4

Face-Off - 4

This was the last game and we all knew it, we returned to the field and got ready, Marius had a bad ankle and got his boot taped, you could tell he was struggling but wanted to see the field! I always get emotional as I know it's the last game I will coach these guys, I told them that we where proud to be their coach and to go out to win the game with confidence and do it for no one else but themselves.

Lewis started in goal and was under pressure immediately, Twist had a great face off man some Atheltic players, we where a match for anyone and Mike Connor kept telling me we just needed a possession to get going and he was right. Ed Hilditch stepped in and shot off stickmside hip, an impossible shot to save for any goalie and was great to see him score after hitting the post 4 times and playing so well.

You could see Elliott 'Bick' Bickerton was getting impatient with the amount of possession and as always wanted the ball, we began to fight back and scored in bunches fighting back to 4-4.

It was the last 3 mins and the score was level we cleared the ball brilliantly with Cam Major and as Mike Connor was worried about them pushing out, trapping us and winning the ball back he called timeout! I gave him the look that I wasn't happy, but we had already discussed taking timeout. It was fine and we got our best offensive players in the game! We wanted to initiate with a middie and then play a big/little behind goal to try and get a short stick on Bick to let Bick do what he does best, he received a great pass from Ed Loveland, after a pick and roll and Elliott unleashed a beautiful low to high near side top corner goal, we reached for the stars and the sideline went crazy!

We knew the clock was against them. The Last face off was taken and they raced towards the goal, Kai unfortunately ran the opposite way (to almost cause me to cardiac arrest), Anyway they didn't get a shot off as our defence swarmed their players and put the ball on the carpet. We had won and I watched as they players showed some emotion and ran towards Ethan in the goal.

The parents stormed over the field to greet us, the game couldn't have ended in a better way, it was exciting for everyone and I thought about the parents at home watching the scores roll in on Twitter! I can't say that Twist dealt with the loss very well. they clearly didn't want to have their picture taken, but we had more fun because of it. To call a time out in the last few mins and for the team to execute what you have planned is amazing for any coach. I was proud of the team and what they had achieved, all you parents should be very proud of your sons in the way they have conducted themselves.

After the game the parents where fascinated by our coded calls like 'yellow', 'Axe' and 'Hammer' etc, I explained what they meant, Yellow is like a traffic light and we could also use green go to goal or red do not go to goal. Ask your sons if you would like to know the rest!

Thursday 29 June 2017

Day 5 - Knights IV Tour 2017

Won 9-5

Goals

Dan Jones

Pat McGowan

Will Prescott 2

Tom McArdle

Ed Loveland 2

Mike Pomfret

Elliott Bickerton

Assists

Joe Cheetham 2

Tom McArdle

Will Prescott

Elliott Bickerton

Dan Jones

Face offs - 8 wins

Saves 7

I knew this was going to be a quality tournament, well organised and a high standard of opposition, we would have to build through-out the tournament and learn a lot.

I saw the organiser after breaking and entering, Coach Bremeier from Darien High School is a legend of the sport and won the state championship this year undefeated, he's someone I admire and watch his team online. I tanked him for accommodating us and gave him a Knights cap whilst the boys made their way to field 4 for our game against Black Bears.

Before the game Mike Connor arrived, he was a member of Knights I and good friend of ET2, he played and now coaches in the US and is a huge supporter of the program. He had taken time away from his busy recruiting program to help us coach.

We had no idea what to expect from this team but the boys where glad to be in Strong Island and at an amazing tournament with beautiful fields in the shadow of a huge stadium. We awarded up and knew that we had to step up, cut out mistakes, manage the game and go out with confidence.

This plan came to fruition, the parents lined the side line and we had now been joined by the Robinson clan which was great to see. The boys came out and gave the most complete performance yet. Very like the game at the Gait Cup we came out strong and played fast and with confidence. This defence is the best yet and they play as unit, George Dunn is a great leader and had really started to take over leading the defence, with our best consisitant defensive performer Oli 'the decapitator' Chadwick doing his thing and Will 'Waaaabboottt' Abbott as the third starter we where solid. Backed by both Goalies Ethan 'the burg' Mockford and Lewis 'battered sausage' Moore making saves for fun gave the defense confidence. Jordon Hall had over achieved on this tour and complimented the SSDM Cam 'the beast' Major and Tom McArdle brilliantly. I think the opposition middies saw Cam as the match up and wasted time getting the ball around until they dodged on him, this went in our favour as he plays great position defence and lifts and guides the offensive player to bad areas, we/he calls it wrapping them up into a little box or putting them in his pocket.

Ethan made an amazing save in this game and from what I heard one of the best saves most people have ever seen!

LI Outlaws

Won 9-6

Goals

Ed Loveland 2

Dan Jones

Marius Robinson

Mike Pomfret 2

Will Prescott

Assists

Mike Pomfret 2

Ed Loveland

Dan Jones

Saves - 12

Faceoffs - 8

I arrived back just in time for the game, I was carrying a Nike box as I had to nip to Dicks with Mike Connor to purchase some cleats for George Dunn. He had forgotten to pack them and his turf shoes where not cutting it. He wanted Nike Huaraches and it had taken a couple of minutes to decide on all white or grey and dark grey! It's Knights so we went with the grey as they looked amazing. He looked pleased when he opened the box!

The Outlaws are one of the best teams in the nation, with 130 college commits since 2013.

This was a chippy game with Outlaws playing well, they have some athletic players but the English lads wouldn't back down after our amazing morning win.

You could see the play of Ed Loveland improving each game, he had come into his own this tournament and the team needed it, the combination of Ed, Elliott and Will Prescott had become potent and the offence had a good balance. With Nathan who is very dangerous off the dodge and shooting inside and Billy Stewart coming off the bench, it was working well. Will and Ed both scored twice in this game and Mike Pomfret had really began to finish he ball well, I think it was down to the change of stick!

Marius had really started to play well, he had learned to play within the confides of the offence and had made some big plays for us clearing the ball and picking up ground balls, we could see he was desperate for a goal and needed him to be a threat. He got what he deserved and the team realised this scoring in front of his parents and the players got behind him.

We had really started to honour the ball and get good shots at the end of possessions but for all the hard work of the offence we played amazing def - George Dunn in his new cleats made it hard off the dodge to feed or shoot, communicates well and really slides with good timing, Oli Chad our glue guy just hangs out and plays position D but then bursts into action and is aggressive, Will Abbott is another aggressive players who likes to takes people's wrists on ground balls and is always around to slide. Kai Shawcross played a mixture of midfield LSM and straight def and never let us down, once he develops and dedicates himself to this sport he can be a great, very athletic and always gets to the GB first. Harry Emuss is just a great back up rarely makes mistakes and because of his size has a great reach to knock down passes or turn the offensive player. I've mentioned Jordon Hall before our regular LSM he always there to put players on the carpet, win a GB and just generally harass his man!

We had traded goals with the Outlaws throughout the game and it was very physical. I kept reminding the players that they only had the power to win and this came from within all of us, we needed to keep behind each other and be more physical than they where. It was great to see this change in the team they had learnt how to win which can't be coached, it's a self belief. As we went two up it was still tight we knew that they could come back with their talent, as they players ran off the field after another goal I thought I'd give the, some motivation and shouted 'If they are the Outlaws we are the Sheriff'!!! Which got a few laughs and lifted the spirits! It's a play on my 2015 pun 'if they are Venom, we are the antidote' line!

Olviver Beaumont and Dan Madeley had amazing games for us and absolutely won the game for us, the amount of possessions they won for us was scary, they where both playing at an Elite level.

After the game a guy came over to our team huddle dressed in a green Vermont polo, clipboard and carrying a fold up chair, I recognised him as Jake Bernhardt as he had played at Maryland and was followed by his two brothers, his younger brother Jared was a freshman at Maryland in 2017 and played for USA U19s. Coach Bernhardt also plays for the Ohio Machine in the MLL and He asksed us if we'd like to come to the locker room before tonight's game to meet the players, it was so kind of him to come over and to approach us, he didn't have to and it was a kind gesture!! The lads looked excited! I had already bought the team tickets to the MLL game anyway so it was a no brainier!

We had picked up some Injuries in today's physical contests, Jordon had taken a shot to the helmet, Dan Madeley had suffered a knee injury (contact), George was still suffering from a thigh injury and was walking like John Wayne and OB had a nasty slash mark on his thigh, Cam had also rolled his ankle. The trainer pictured below was a great guy and really looked after us, I think we over worked him but was always friendly and asked the boys to come back to check in with him before they played or was happy to give the, a bag of ice. Thanks Mr Trainer!

NJ Riot North

Lost 9-6

Goals

Joe Cheetham 2

Will Prescott

Dan Madeley

Mike Pomfret 2

Assists

Mike Pomfret

Saves - 8

Face offs 2

We knew about NJ Riot they are an amazing program. The day hadntake. It's toll on some players - Cam Major had hurt his ankle, Dan Madeley had a contact injury to his knee, OB Oliver Beaumont had a nasty slash mark on his thigh and George Dunn was struggling with a leg injury.

Joe Cheetham has played on the team on our previous tour in 2015 and contributed heavily as a rookie, he doesn't do losing and isn't afraid of anyone, he can score big outside rips or placed shots on the run and didn't lie down for Riot scoring two important goals.

Dan Madeley deserved a goal for his great work at the face off X, he sprinted down the field and unleashed a shot, it looked like the goalie had it covered but fluffed it and the ball trickled in!! Seriously one of my favourite goals as I knew how important it was for him and he deserved it, he came off the field beaming still hobbling slightly from his knee injury but just happy to play through it. They breed em tough in the Dale!

Hofstra stadium - Ohio Machine @ NY Lizards MLL

We managed to get to the stadium on time and as we walked up to the stadium we received a shout from a lady at the gate are you the English Knights? She ushered us through the gate and we where greeted by Coach Bernhardt, I had brought a red (Maryland colours) Knights cap as a gift. The boys went up to a barrier outside the locker room and the players came out to greet us. Jake Bernhardt, Connor Cannizzaro, Tom Shreiber, Marcus Holman, Dominique Alexander, Patrick Kelly and the behemoth Scott Rogers! We tried to get Mr Rogers to arm wrestle McArdle but he had the beats on and was warming up. It was a great experience for the team and we really appreciated them taking time out to speak to us!

The lads had a great time at the game and raised their game when the cheerleaders came out, as the game got more exciting towards the end they where all up chanting, dancing and making noise, the old couple sat behind us had a look on their face that was a mix of amazement and confusion! We do what we want!

Wednesday 28 June 2017

Day 4 - Knights IV Tour 2017

Won 6-5

Goals

Dan Jones

Elliott Bickerton 2

Joe Cheetham

Will Prescott

Mike Pomfret

Assists

Mike Pomfret

Dan Jones

Face offs - 5

Saves - 12

I again awoke before my alarm, it's a peaceful time of the day for me and a bit of calm before the storm.

I showered and set off to 7/11 to buy coffee, it's a beautiful walk through campus and gives me time to think

about the day ahead, any issues from the day before and to just do me for an hour or so!

My mind regressed to the first game against clams and how we should have won that game, I thought that the tournament for us would have been very different if we had started with a win. We let ourselves down in the secon game and made a poor team look good.

The lads deserved a win and had seen flashes of greatness from different players in different games, we had been close in every game and give away goals, missed opportunities or hitting posts and bars had been the difference.

We had constantly given the team the same message, the face off guys had given us possessions, goalies where playing great and we had created the shots to win the games twice over, we where not going to give up and needed to support each other off the field to hit our goal. A win today would put us in a great position going into the second tournament and regain our confidence.

We where to play Battlelax this morning, the boys ate breakfast and went back to the dorms to prepare for the game. No one forgot their meal card or key today they had got used to the life!

We met downstairs in the communal living room as always, the boys put their keys and valuables in the bag and we went through the key points to focus on for the day! Most of the, had packed the night before to make it easier to check out later and give us time to watch some of the final in the main stadium before our game!

The 4 games the day before and the excitement of the All- Star game had taken its toll and a few of the boys needed to see the trainer, it doesn't help that they are all 18 year old blond girls which makes seeing the trainer all the more attractive, no wonder we had so many injuries!

We warmed up for the game and the coaches concluded that we needed a complete performance and to get a lot more players involved and confident.

Dan Jones again stung the top corner - as the youngest player on the team he plays beyond his years and the boys all respect him, he's one of the best talents I have seen come through this program and I have seen a lot in my time! He can go as far as he wants and may be the first legit DI player I have had.

Mike Pomfret or Mick Pom, brother of Knights III James Pomfret is a one of our best players but had struggled to finish, this game was the turning point and he came away with a great goal and assist it was important for the team to get him going and the boys jumped on him when he came off the field.

We started the game very well but mistakes began to creep in we had to keep our nerve and not let this team come back!

The parents and players loved the experience of playing against English opposition and they all wanted to trade with us after the game and pay us compliments, they where very humble and nice people.

We took the boys to Subway in gettysburg to get them fed, to Tom McArdles dismay they dint do Chicken Tikka and did not look happy! I treated TJ and Ben to Tacos from Tania's and even found a Chinese and asked if they sold Salt and Pepper chicken to get for Billy (to feed his habit) unfortunately I got a blank look from the lady behind the counter so left!

The bus came on time and I bought a bottle of water for the driver, the boys packed the bags onto the bus for our three and half hour journey to Lomg Island, little did I realise that we would hit rush hour New Jersey and New York traffic so it turned into five and half hours. Tom Mac watched the motorcycles and cars, Kai pointed out thenToyota Prius's, some slept and some payed music to entertain themselves and Billy locked people in the toilet!!, the boys went a bit stir crazy later in the journey but Lewis kept them entertained and explained the

Definition of revetments, we all got an education. Driving past the NY skyline was something to behold and the first time a lot of the boys had seen the city!

nounnoun: revetment, plural noun: revetments

1.(especially in fortification) a retaining wall or facing of masonry or other material, supporting or protecting a rampart, wall, etc.

▪a barricade of earth or sandbags set up to provide protection from blast or to prevent planes from overrunning when landing.
The driver put his foot down on a road that didn't allow commercial vehicles and had us all ducking going under low bridges, he was a great guy and we had a picture with him in his Knights cap when we arrived at the hotel.
Treated outside by the Richard Major and the Robinsons it felt like home. We checked into the hotel after clogging the revolving doors and the lads checked in their comfortable plush rooms to then re-focus on their main priority what we where going to eat and what time the pool was open until!

Tuesday 27 June 2017

Day 3 - Knights IV 2017 Tour

By Ben Smith and TJ Burgess

Game 3- Knights -v- Cavaliers (5-10)

- We went into this game knowing that the Cavaliers were going to be a though team testing the lads defensively, but also goals wouldn't come easy without the attack pulling together.

- At the face off we struggled, the first three faces the lads outlined how quick and tactical the opponent was. In the first half of the game Bo and Dan between them won 4. Heading into the second half of the game this struggle at the face off x continued with the lads only winning 2 of the faces, Impacted the possession within the attacking third.

- Throughout the first half Ethan pulled off 8 saves in total keeping us within reach of the cavaliers. The second half of the game Lewis took to the cage saving 4 shots. The Cavaliers continued to pummel our goalies with amazing shoots and plays, but each of the goal keepers stood tall and pulled off some amazing saves including Louise's outstanding final save. In total the keepers had an outstanding game between them both.

- Our first goal came from Cameron Major after going down 1-0 to an early goal, major intercepted a pass and broke up the field dodging past one defender and stinging the bottom corner with an under arm shot. Will Prescott then got our send goal making the scores 2-1. Cavaliers continued to keep the pressure on our defensive taking back the lead. Our second two goals came from Elliot B and Tom M, finishing the game 10-4 in favour of the Cavaliers.

- Elliot B had two assists, feeding Will P on the crease and Tom M on the run with a step down shot.

- None of the players had their shooting boots on, with us having 13 shots off target and 7 shots on target. Some of the shots that we had the lads knew that if they had finished them the game would have been a lot closer. This was an area that needed to be improved on if we were going to win the next game.

Game 4- knights -v- HOCO (4-11)

- After coming off a though game against the cavaliers, HOCO would be the next best chance for the lads to get their first win of the tour. Ever single lad was hyped up and went into the game with a winning mentality.

- At the face off x Bo and Dan had another fantastic game between them winning 10 out off 17 faces. This would mean that the attack had possession and meant we could control the game just like we intended to do from the start.

- In the cage the first half was Ethan, and second half was Lewis pulling off 7 saves between them. There wasn't many shots that tested our keepers with the defence standing strong as a unit and not allowing HOCO the time and room to get a good enough shot. Our defence made them work for the goals, withered single defensive player playing their heart out to keep the game alive.

- The lads played a physical game, with some big hits flying around shaking up HOCO. Tom M had an amazing take out coursing a turn over, which then led to us scored a goal.

- Our goals came from Elliot, Pres, Nathan and Jonsey, with Mike P hitting the post several times coming close to scored but it just wasn't happening. Assists came from Mike, Elliot x2 and Nathan. Overall the attack and midfield put out a solid performance, with the score line not reflecting how the lads played.

- The highlight player within this game was Jordan. Throughout the game he commanded the LSM position on the field, but also dominating the defence with numerous amounts of knocks downs and checks.

Game 5- Knights -v- Lax World (6-8)

- After loosing the two of the four games on the day so far, this time it was time to get a win!! We started the game off strong taking the lead early on, with Nathan coming from behind the goal and stinging the top corner putting us up 1-0. Again we took control of the face off x winning 50% of all faces.

- Again our defence showed an unreal game preventing lax world from getting any easy shots, which meant that either two of the goal keepers needed to pul off saves, with the chances not coming for lax world. In total the keepers only pulled off 6 saves throughout the whole game. These states just showed how the team has developed through out each of tournament.

- The goals coming from: Will P, Nathan, Tom M and Elliot x2. Each of the goals came down to team work, not one of the goals came easy, we had to work, fight and us our plays to score them.

- In total the attack racked up 16 shots on target, with us hitting the post several times. The keeper on lax world pulled out some amazing saves keeping them in the game.

- The highlight player of the game was Elliot B scoring 2 goals and also 2 assists, this was by far the best performance on the pitch leading to a tough lose, but overall the best performance by the team so far! Elliott had a NIFTY (and with that I win the race to Nifty! Shout to Booker Corrigan) late in the game receiving a pass inside to then produce a brilliant back hand scoop shot low, however the large Laxworld goalie made a brilliant save! Great creativity by Elliottt and deserved a goal!

Halfway through the game Elliott Bickerton wanted the ball and stared to get frustrated with me, telling me I was asking the midfield to initiate, he wanted the ball and wanted to make an impact!

I loved his attitude and he had a lot of balls stepping up and telling me that, I told him he was absolutely right and if he wanted it then to take his man on. He's a very tough player for his size he out muscles most defenders, has great vision and is a fantastic dodger. He's definitely one of my favourite Knights players ever. Anyway he went to work and proved himself right, taking the team on his shoulders and producing!

Thanks to Graham Larkin for coming down to watch and take some brilliant pictures. Graham works in the on campus cafe and is from the UK. Great guy and nice to see you again.

Game 6- Knights -v- Haymakers (3-4)

- This was our final game of the day, we had set the lads a target of achieving two wins from four games, even tho go this target wouldn't be met, as coaches we could not fault any of their performances in any of the games. Going into this game we knew this was going to be one the toughest game of the day, and everything that the lads had left in the tank had to be thrown into this game if we were to come out with a win.

- Again at the face off x we dominated winning 5 out of the 7 faces. This was another fantastic game from the two face off players.

- Throughout the tournament each one of the goalkeepers have had fantastic games, and this was another one of them with them pulling off 9 saves in total between them. By far within the tournament this was the best performance of our defence. In the second half of the game we had to play D for 5 minutes, and didn't concede a goal. Ever single one of the defence players played out of their socks and kept us in reach of winning the game.

- Goals came from: Jones, Elliot and Billy

- The highlight players in this game was Dunny standing up to the plate in defence, sliding when needed, leading the defence and running even though he had an injury. Another player who had a fantastic game was Lewis saving some shots that would for definite have been certain goals if Lewis hadn't saved them.

A funny incident happened during this game, one of our players got angry and called an opposition player a W***KER! The player looked confused and as the referee was stood next to the incident he was worried that he missed something and looked perplexed by what had just happened, as he didn't understand the English Slang! He came over to the bench to ask if he should be offended, as I remember it we just laughed but someone may have said you are one!!! Always good to keep this slang in the back pocket another good one is B***end as no one has a clue what we are saying, the boys take great pride in teaching anyone that will listen what 'you're West' means and the other things already mentioned!

All-Star Game

Tom McArdle had the last game off tonight his leg was in a bad way and had given everything for the team His hustle is unmatched and he has played offence, defence and off the wing at face offs. Just before the last game of the day the coaches knew that someone would have been selected to the All Star game so we made our way over to the main tent to find out, we had had a little bet on the plane on the way over of who we thought would make it! Once the Organisers had posted the team on the wooden board in the main tent, the exact same place as I have seen Ryan Huns, Scott Dagnanleach and Joe Baythorpes name posted in past years! It is an amazingly proud moment for me to see one of the Knights name listed. We scoured the list and found Tom McArdles name appearing we all had a grin ear to ear as as we all agreed that he deserved it. We decided not to tell the team or Tom until we met for the pre game team talk in the team room. When the coaches had gone up to the rooms we noticed Tom walk out of the block hobbling, we had already decided to get him to the trainer to get a sports massage and to see if we could get him through the All Star game. What happened outside is one of my favourite memories of any Knights tour, Tom had walked down to the main stadium, past the board where his name had been posted and had began to walk back, I asked him if he was ok and he said to me he didn't know if he'd be able to play in the last game as he'd been struggling all day, I told him I understood but asked him if he'd looked at the board he had just passed, I said you'll have to play again tonight and he looked concerned I said Tommy you've been selected to the All Star game!!! He looked at me with disbelief and just kept saying Nah!! nah!!! I told him there was no one more deserving and thanked him for his efforts, he still didn't look like he believed me and just said I didn't expect that! I could tell he was proud and surprised and was just an amazing moment to see someone work so hard for two years, pushing through injuries during the training process and just being a great leader to suddenly and surprisingly to him be rewarded for it! Just shows what you get when you work at something!

The team walked down to the stadium after the final game (after showers) the game had just started and we sat in the bleachers with college coaches sat on the sideline watching and scouting the game. No Knight has ever scored in the All Star game and when Tom got on the field the team went crazy in the stand for T Mac! He received the ball on the top left, split one defender, side stepped the next and shot into the top left corner, I looked around at the lads and they where already celebrating, Dunny had his shirt off as us usual, swinging it around his head.

As in the first All Star game in 2011 and beyond the team did the Poznan in the stand as the line of coaches looked around open mouthed and the rest of the bleachers sat there in shock! An amazing moment!

We took the usual pictures with the All Star afterwards with the coaches and then the team! If you can find the team picture with Tom - you won't notice it at first................but when you do!!!

Night-

- Tom M got picked for the All Star game and scored, the lads went crazy!

- Visited the famous pizza house on campus, where we found out that the building was up for sale!

- We also took the daily trip to 7 11 where the lads have had the chance to stock up drinks, sweets and any other foods with numerous amounts of E numbers

Monday 26 June 2017

Day 2 - Knights IV 2017 Tour

The day began early for some and late for others in the King of Prussia Holiday Inn. Still full from Pizza the night before I managed to wallop a few warm Cinnamon rolls which could be the start of a hardcore addiction, anyway it was a good job we where leaving to start our tournament in Gettysburg at the Gait Cup.

The Air conditioned Bus turned up early and a few late stragglers wandered down after cleaning their teeth, doing their hair and just generally being teenage lads, all to be expected. We boarded the luxury bus that had wifi after ensuring all the lads had their passports, wallets and phones!

The two hour journey was pretty chilled with Cheetham only awakening once we had arrived at the Pizza House on campus, he knows his food that one! McCardle and Kai sat up front with the coaches and Sarah Allsop and entertained us. TJ chipped in to confessing he had a Chick-Fil-a problem, the blog today will include lots of food issues as our topic of the day! We found out later that Billy also has a Diet Coke and Chinese food problem that we haven't discussed in our ever growing self help group! Ethan likes to build next level ice cream and cake combos and Harry or Harold loves a rainbow slushy.

We arrived at campus after a 2 hour drive, checked in and gave out the room keys (to be lost later), dinner cards and wrist bands, losing things which is another topic we will explore!

BAD NEWS for all past Knights we got the hook up and ended up with the amazing air conditioned halls near the main stadium, sorry fellas these boys are getting the 5 Star treatment!

Game 1 - Top Gun Clams loss 7-5

We had a quick turn around to get ready for the game the boys looked amazing in the new uniforms gloves and improved helmets complete with feather decals from Laxwraps a little surprise for the boys! We warmed up next to the field joined by Chip, cam Majors uncle who I grew up playing lacrosse with, it was great to see him and the rest of our travelling fans Mr & Mrs Jones, Mr Beaumont and Sarah Allsop! As is tradition we have the team talk before going out to play and told the players they had no pressure, we had worked hard for this and no team here knew what to expect! We played Top Gun fighting Clams who are in the top 6 programs in the country and we tried to keep the lads relaxed, we could tell that they where nervous and excited!

Unfortunately Captain George Dunn came down with an illness and as his mum mentioned later his nickname is sicknote sid!

We started the game very well and went 4-0

up and it could have been more, Nathan Edwards had a great chance early from

inside with a low fake but his shot ricochet off the bar! Elliot scored from a quick break with the dangerous Dan Jones drawing a slide and passing inside to team mate Elliott Bickerton with a clever low finish! 2015 hero Joe Cheetham stung the bottom corner off an alley dodge to put us 2 up! The whole team looked surprised but also overjoyed! Dan Madeley had won us possession after possession for us and at one point laid a big hit on a Clams midfielder, the sideline erupted! Ed Loveland then scored coming around the cage to finish high over the goalkeepers stick. Cheets then scored his second with a trademark Cheets high to high!

The defence without George played very well and where very stingy in the first half with Will Abbott having a great game, Jordan Hall as LSM playing hard and doing a great job and Oli Chadwick is a rock for us. Kai Shawcross stepped in for Dunn and we didn't miss a beat. Ethan our number 2 made some important saves and led the defence with his communication.

Tom 'The Enforcer' McCardle is our engine and plays all over the field riffing up the opposition! Cam Major left it all on the field and was exhausted after he game playing great Short Stick Def and is not beaten often! He worked so hard!

We changed things around at halftime and JD Bulmer could and should have scored with an underhand step down!

Clams are a great team and fought back in the second half and put pressure on Lewis Moore but he made a fantastic save late in the game. We became too eager in defence which resulted in not being organised.

Dan Jones is a fantastic player, it seems easy to him and one of the youngest players on the team, he finished with a cannon to the top corner, Billy then almost scored splitting through three defenders but unfortunately the Goalie made a nice save. Clams proved too strong for us and closed the game out 7-5.

The lads seemed disappointed but this really was one of the best opening performances of any Knights team at the Gait Cup we have played Clams in the opening game in 2 previous tours and wasn't close. We told them so after the game after having to find two single left gloves! Water bottles and stray sticks, the boys grouped together to find them.

It's amazing how fast the lads become close being forced into this environment I try to tell them they are family before we come over here but it only happens when they experience the same things! It was a great start and think they surprised themselves!

Game 2 - Velocity loss 4-3

We ate in the cafeteria and the lads seemed relaxed and happy, we needed to get back to the halls to get to the main stadium to play Velocity from Virginia. We thought if we eradicated the mistakes, had less penalties and cleaned up our play a little we could blow this team away. It proved a more difficult task in the end.

George Dunn had been rushed in his room by all the players after our first game and had began to feel better and decided to play in this game!

Billy scored our first goal from a great look back feed by Ed Loveland and clever cut by Billy from behind the goal.

We began to be over confident and turned the ball over a number of times even when riding very well to win the ball back. Velocity went 2-1 up afte a number of chances for us by Mike Pomfret, Joe Cheetham, Ed Hilditch Jordan Hall and Jonesy. We tried to re group after a time out but continued in this vein with more chances from Patrick McGowan inside on a low shot, Will Prescott and Marius 'Max' Robinson. Even George Dunn had a shot from the outside which went well wide!

We also had 3 man ups which we over complicated after a lot of practice time which disappointed me.

Jonesy weighed in with another crank to the top corner which helped with a mini fight back and then Ed Loveland scored soon after with a low bouncer on a fast break and assist from Oli Beaumont, the crowd and parents really got behind us but we failed to equalise.

We tried to force the defence out to put pressure on them at the end and the Enforcer MCCardle did a great job of stripping the ball, Harry Emuss had a great game also stripping the ball on our 'Axe' play.

We had the chances to win the game 5 times over and man ups on top of this. We made the opposition look good and was disappointed with our finishing and understanding of our offence.

We talked about if after the game outside the stadium, TJ and Ben have done a great job of coaching and we are looking for the players to take responsibility on the field and be accountable. As always we want them to lift each other and get behind each other.

Cam Major was the recipient of a bad slash to the forearm and was struggling and Joe Cheetham has a calf strain

The lads showered except Dunny who is allergic to water and we took them to the 7-11 to stock up on bad foods such as rainbow slushies, water, Gatorade and Swedish Fish! They also went to the pizza house! These boys can eat! We had a great evening and tried to spend time talking and laughing with them all. McCardle had a classic moment with a stop sign on the way home stopping some kids on the side walk and Kai finding Scotty the Scarecrow! Weird but so funny and had the lads English and American in stitches! They are all becoming a solid family!

Up tomorrow for an early game with the Cavs at 9pm we will earn a win and it will be a great feeling!

4-3 loss

Sunday 25 June 2017

Day 1 - Knights IV 2017 Tour

Well the day finally came- Travel Day! after two years of Solid hard work by the parents, sponsors kit manufacturers etc, it is truly a co-operative and wouldn't work without every part working together!

Unfortunately Chris Peacock couldn't make the trip after doing a great job of preparing the team and will be sorely missed, TJ Burgess and Ben Smith both players form past tours have stepped up to take the journey with me as Coaches! It's amazing that people like this want to give up their time and pay their own way to take on this challenge, just for the love of the game! Also we have a travelling Parent Sarah Allsop (Ethan's mother) with us which is great and will be a witness in hand to ensure everything runs smoothly!

We met at Manchester airport to take a short flight to Iceland with Geordie Shore star Gary (I use this term lightly). I start to discover more about the lads away from the practice environment and we try to support each other! Dunney came up with a couple of classics on the way with his idea of Pencil diving out of a plane at 30k feet and surviving also giving us review of the Smiths who he disliked although it turned out to be a tribute band! You can tell the players who are used to and are comfortable with travelling but I think the Millennials struggle with sitting and letting time pass them buy but in general they handled the second leg of the journey to Philadelphia very well!

After meeting Otto and his yellow school bus we travelled to the Holiday Inn at King of Prussia for the night! Some made themselves at home and totally unpacked their bag! Only to have to re pack in the morning!!

The kit had arrived for us from Graph Tex who again make it so simple for us and do an amazing job, they truly are the best in the USA!

As usual the empty stomach of 15-17 year olds over ride any other thought process and we had to order $200 worth of pizza before the coaches would experience any peace!

Fed, content with having their kit and tired everyone retired to get some well earned sleep before we start the tournament proper tomorrow in Gettysburg (The Gait Cup), this tournament has been a staple since day one and will give the guys a focus and purpose!

I think some of the lads haven't got their head round what we are here for but we will guide them to the best of our ability, prepare them to play and improve.

We want to play as hard as we can and give 100%, reduce mistakes and turnovers. We will have to earn our wins!