The first-ever trade in the Premier Lacrosse League was fruitful for Redwoods just days after it was made.
The league announced last Monday the introduction of a trade window, allowing its six teams to swap players for a five-week period. The window began that day and ends July 22.
Hours later, Whipsnakes sent Jules Heningburg to Redwoods in exchange for defenseman Alec Tulett and a fourth-round pick in next year’s collegiate draft.
“I was a little surprised,” Heningburg said Saturday on NBC Sports Gold. “A little disappointed because we were 3-0 and had a good thing going. But I’m happy to be here and happy to be wanted by another team.”
Heningburg made the Redwood brass look like geniuses in his debut at Homewood Field on Saturday.
The former Rutgers standout scored five goals and added three assists, as Redwoods defeated Chrome 13-11, pushing Redwoods back to .500 and keeping Chrome winless on the season.
“They’re great guys to play with,” Heningburg said of fitting in with his new teammates. “They look for me when I’m off ball. I look for them when I have the ball in my stick. Very unselfish group of guys looking for one more pass.”
Old school matchup
Homewood Field was the perfect location for Atlas and Whipsnakes, a matchup between the team with the most Johns Hopkins alums with the team with the most Maryland alums. Players from both sides left their respective team buses clad in their former team colors.
The local fans who came out to see former Blue Jays left disappointed, as Maryland alum Matt Chanenchuk notched five points, while fellow former Terp Matt Rambo added four in the Whips’ 15-10 victory.
Ryan Drenner and Ben Reeves also had four points each, as Whipsnakes stayed undefeated through four games.
The marque matchup, which was also the first night game in the history of the league, brought a sellout crowd of 8,500 to the historic facility.