The vibe within the U.S. indoor national team program on Thursday wasn’t any different than the three days prior. The excitement was always there. The anticipation for this week had been building for the better part of two years.
The only difference was that, Thursday, Regy Thorpe and his team got to take the floor at Langley Events Centre for its World Indoor Lacrosse Championship debut. The moment had arrived, and players were ready to see just how much they’d improved since 2015.
“There’s no feeling like it,” said Blaze Riorden, who finished his PLL season last weekend but was excited to just the indoor team in Langley shortly thereafter. “To travel across the country to be with a group of men that all have the same mission. We’re wearing the greatest colors in the world.”
After a morning shootaround at McLeod Athletic Complex’s concrete open-air facility, it was game time. In front of the U.S. indoor team was the greatest challenge that could be posed — four-time defending gold medalist Canada, on their home turf, in primetime.
That excitement extended up to the first faceoff, and then the Canadians put forth an effort worthy of the reputation of the world’s best. Mark Matthews, Shayne Jackson and Robert Church combined for 19 points en route to a 16-6 Canada win in the first meeting between the two teams since Heritage Cup in 2017.
Blaze Riorden, who won PLL Goalie of the Year earlier in the night, and Kieran McArdle each recorded a hat trick to highlight the American offensive effort. Gowah Abrams stepped in to record 29 saves in the cage.
It wasn’t the result this team was hoping for, but it wasn’t difficult to understand how, if given the opportunity, the Canadians could take advantage.
“After that game, like I told the guys in the locker room, they set the bar,” defenseman Brett Manney said. “The way they played — they were impressive offensively, defensively and between the pipes. We knew it was going to be a tough first game, but when I look at it now, we’re going to have a lot of film to look at and ways to improve our game in all facets.”
Thorpe and his staff knew that this game, and tournament, provided a measuring stick for the progress of the U.S. program. The optimism shared throughout the U.S. camp remains, but there is room for improvement as it advances through round-robin play in the world championship.