Canadian Lacrosse League Commissioner Paul St. John met with St. Catharines
Mayor Brian McMullan today and officially announced that the Peel Avengers have relocated to the Niagara Region and the team will play the 2013 season at the Seymour Hannah Arena in St Catharines.
St. John is ecstatic that he could place a team in the area. “The Niagara region has seen a rebirth in lacrosse over the last few years and the calibre here is second to none,†said St. John. “Last year we had 15 players from Niagara playing in our league, now they will have a chance to play at home.â€
The soon to be named Niagara based team will be led by General Manager/Coach Jeff Dowling and cocoach Jeremy Tallevi. Dave Colbourne will serve as Vice President of Operations and Assistant GM. Dowling, a Brock University Alumni and former captain of 3 Brock championship lacrosse teams, feels the Niagara team can compete immediately for a CLAX title. “We are focused on being a Niagara area team, drawing the majority of our players from the organizations of Niagara on the Lake, Welland, Fort Erie and of course the lacrosse hotbed of St. Catharines,†said Dowling. “The talent in this area will allow us to compete for a title in our first year here in Niagara.â€
The Peel team had a number of Niagara players on the team and the management group are working to acquire other local players that played in the Canadian Lacrosse League last year. Colbourne, who also serves as GM of the St. Catharines Saints SR B lacrosse team, knows what players they need to acquire.
“We have had some good conversations with other teams and we are very close to acquiring the rights
to some local players,†said Colbourne. “We hope to announce a few deals in the next week or so.â€
