Brogden Cup 2014 Hosts Top Players From USA and Canada

 

Baltimore, MD, Dec. 19, 2013 – Early next month, top lacrosse players from the US and Canada will unite in Ontario for the Brogden Cup 2014, a historical three-day lacrosse series organized by Level 2 Sports that promotes international fellowship between the two countries.  The Brogden Cup will be held on January 3-5 at the Oshawa Civic Field House at 99 Thornton Road in Oshawa.

Brogden Cup 2014

Last year, the American team from Rochester, NY won the Brogden Cup for the second time in three years, sweeping a Canadian team from Ontario in the first two games of this best-of-three-game series.  Rochester qualified to represent the US by winning the 2012 Brine National Lacrosse Classic, and as defending champions, currently has possession of the highly esteemed trophy.  Coaches and brothers Andrew (Pittsford High School) and Craig Whipple (Irondequoit High School), who have coached the highly successful Rochester team for the past six years, will serve as Brogden Cup 2014 ambassadors.

This year’s US team is represented by the winner of the 2013 Brine National Lacrosse Classic held this summer in Boyds, Maryland – New Jersey – with nine out of the 10 players already committed to NCAA Division I schools.  To secure roster spots in this national lacrosse forum, student athletes participated in local tryouts held across the country throughout the year, including Brine National Pride Games held in Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New England  that signified an additional tier of qualification.

Representing Canada in the Brogden Cup is Team Ontario, a provincial team featuring the top 23 players selected from more than 100 area athletes over a two-weekend tryout.  Team Ontario won the First Nations U19 Canadian Championships on Labour Day weekend in Montreal.

This is the first time in six years that the Brogden Cup will be held on Canadian soil, having been hosted in Florida since 2009. It is naturally a much-anticipated event for Canadian lacrosse enthusiasts.  “Any time the US and Canada play lacrosse, the games are competitive,” said Terry Lloyd, a Canadian Hall of Fame inductee and one of the finest athletes and builders of both box and field lacrosse in Oshawa.  “I would not expect anything different for the 2014 Brogden Cup.”

The History of the Brogden Cup

Named for H. McCullough Brogden, a member of the 1932 Olympic team and 1932 and 1933 Johns Hopkins University teams, the Brogden Cup was created in the late 30s to determine the top region in North America for lacrosse.  Originally played between the top post-collegiate lacrosse players in the US and Canada, it showcased such greats as Dave Pietramala, Tom Marechek, Sid Smith and Gary and Paul Gait.

In 1990, Haswell Franklin Jr. – a member of Johns Hopkins men’s lacrosse team during the early 1980s, co-founder of the Wolfpack Lacrosse Club and distant relative of H. McCullough Brogden – was asked by Federation of International Lacrosse president and three-time first-team All-American Stan Cockerton to help coach the Canadian National Team.

“The Brogden Cup generates interest in the two best countries in the game to produce the most skilled lacrosse players,” explained Haswell Franklin.  “It’s an opportunity to play international lacrosse in a highly competitive arena while meeting new people and making friends.”

The Brogden Cup took a four-year hiatus after Major League Lacrosse began play in 2001.  In 2005, Haswell tapped Joel Franklin – president of Level 2 Sports and no relation – to host and revitalize the US-Canada competition.  Joel brought down the age group, and made the Brogden Cup the premier lacrosse event for pre-collegiate teams and players in North America.

“Before the return of the Brogden Cup eight years ago, the only international forum for lacrosse was the World Lacrosse Championships, which were held every four years,” explained Joel Franklin.  “This time interval precluded many highly qualified and talented players from taking part, either due to unfortunate birthdays or ineligibility for other reasons.

“By making the Brogden Cup an annual event, we provide the top qualifying U19 players in North America with an opportunity each year to experience international lacrosse and fellowship.”

Follow the 2014 Brogden Cup event at htt://www.nationallacrosseclassic.com

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