The Toronto Rock and Rochester Knighthawks will face each other on Saturday, December 15th at 7:30pm at Montreal’s Bell Centre in an exhibition contest. The game will have an interesting twist as two free agent players were selected from the Quebec Lacrosse Showcase that took place on November 17 at the Club West Island in Beaconsfield, PQ to play in the game.
Thirty-five players, all members of the Quebec Lacrosse Federation playing in Québec, Eastern Ontario or the USA, had gathered and competed for the opportunity to play with the Rock and Knighthawks in exhibition action. After the evaluation sessions and lengthy discussions, the Toronto Rock selected Mark Kirby of Kahnawake and the Rochester Knighthawks, Patrick Hargreaves of Montreal.
“My family was encouraging me to go to the camp,” said an excited Kirby. “I didn’t really want to go initially, but the camp was a great experience. Every time I was out there, I went as hard as I could and left it all out there.”
The 25-year old forward spent his entire Junior playing career with Akwesasne, suiting up for three seasons with their Junior B club and then playing his final two years with the Junior A team. From there, he’s played the past four seasons with the Kahnawake Mohawks of the Quebec Senior B Lacrosse League (QSLL).
In 2010, Kirby finished second in QSLL goal scoring and third in the league in total points after posting 53 goals, 51 assists and 104 points in 22 games.
“I felt pretty good after the camp,” explained Kirby who measures in at 5-foot-7 and 195 pounds. “I hoped it would be Toronto who picked me up and I really thought there was a chance it could happen. When I found out it was Toronto that was going to pick me up, I was pretty happy to say the least.”
The December 15th game between Rochester and Toronto at the Bell Centre, will be a great opportunity for lacrosse fans to see some of the best lacrosse players in the world and also to cheer on Quebec’s favourite sons, Mark Kirby and Patrick Hargreaves.
Tickets for the exhibition game can be purchased online at www.evenko.ca.
