Four former Golden Griffin men's lacrosse standouts are set
to represent Canada against the United States National Team at the "Duel in
Denver", an international exhibition pitting the top two countries in the sport on Sept. 8.
The 23-man Canadian roster includes former Griffs Angus Dineley '07, Adam Jones '11, Kevin Ross
'07 and Matt Vinc '05. In
addition, current Canisius head coach Randy
Mearns is the head coach of the Canadian team.
The "Duel in Denver" serves
as a prelude to the 2014 FIL World Championship, which will be held in Denver
from July 10-19, 2014. Canada and the United States have split the last two
world championships with Canada taking the 2006 title and Team USA winning in
2010.
"This game is part of our preparation
for the 2014 Championships in Denver," Mearns said. "We are excited to see how
some of our younger guys compete at this high level."
Dineley played for the Griffs from 2004 to 2007. He appeared
in 39 games with 28 starting assignments and ranks sixth in school history with
306 career saves, fourth with a .528 career save percentage and second with a
9.63 goals against average. During the 2005 campaign, Dineley recorded a save
percentage of .595, the ninth-best mark in the NCAA.
The program's first All-American in 2008, Jones helped the
Griffs to their first MAAC title the same season. A three-time All-MAAC First
Team selection, he ranks 10th in the school's record book with 129 career
points and sixth with 98 career goals. A 2011 first-round selection of the
Colorado Mammoth, Jones shined in his first season in the NLL. Named the NLL
Rookie of the Year, Jones accumulated 84 points, 33 goals and 51 assists while
helping Colorado to an 11-5 record.
A 2007 NLL first-round draft pick, Ross spent the 2011-12
season with the Minnesota Swarm, totaling 59 points, 28 goals and 31 assists.
He graduated from Canisius ranked fourth in school history with 185 points,
second with 126 goals and eighth with 59 assists. A three-time first-team
All-MAAC selection, Ross was named the conference's Offensive Player of the
Year in 2006.
Vinc, a member of the 2006 gold medal-winning team and the
2010 squad that took silver, led the Griffs in ground balls in three different
seasons and ranks fifth all-time with 258 career ground balls. A 2004 and 2005
All-MAAC selection, Vinc was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2005
NLL Draft as a goalkeeper and is currently a member of the Rochester Knighthawks.
This past season, he helped the Knighthawks win the NLL Championship.
