When Moose Jaw Lacrosse Association president Bridget Andrews first heard that the Sask Rush and the National Lacrosse League were coming to Canada’s Most Notorious City for an exhibition game, it naturally came with plenty of excitement.
It isn’t often you get a chance to see the sport of box lacrosse at its highest level right in your own back yard, and the chance to get exposure for the sport was off the charts.
Now that the game is only a couple of days away, that anticipation has only increased exponentially -- and it all promises to be a fun night right from when the doors open at the Moose Jaw Events Centre at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
“Even when we first heard about it we couldn’t wait for it to get here,” Andrews said. “There are a lot people in the south country who travel to the Rush games in Saskatoon, so for them to come down to the southern part of the province is really exciting for all of the associations in southern Saskatchewan.”
Just based on word of mouth, Andrews expects a host of teams from all over southern Sask to make the trip to Moose Jaw on Saturday, offering a sign of just how much this opportunity means to anyone interested in lacrosse.
“I’m sure our kids are going to see a lot of players from teams they play against or even play with through Team Sask and things like that,” Andrew said. “There will be a lot of people from out of town coming in to see the game and it should be an exciting night,”
All that interest has led to a remarkable response -- as of Thursday afternoon, only around 200 or tickets remained and Corey Nyhagen from the Moose Jaw Events Centre expected things to be down to limited standing room by the time the doors open.
“It’s awesome for our community,” Andrews said of the close to 4,600 people who will be in the building for the contest. “Lacrosse is one thing, but to support our community by selling out, that’s more people coming to our city and spending money in our city and that’s an economic push, too. So it’s really important for us and for other organizations in the south, it just really builds and supports our program in Moose Jaw.”
Fans will be seeing a version of the sport that’s almost foreign compared to the box lacrosse they’re used to. From the game atmosphere to the ridiculously high calibre of play and absolute non-stop action, the whole evening promises to be a treat.
“It’s different that other sports, that’s for sure,” Andrews said. “There’s going to be music playing the entire game, there’s lots of cheering, people in the crowd really get into the games. I think for people who have never attended a game, it’s going to be a huge eye-opener and a very positive experience.”
And that means nothing but good for the Moose Jaw Mustangs going forward -- something that MJLAX is more than aware of.
“I think for the Moose Jaw Lacrosse Association, it definitely opens a lot of doors,” Andrews said. “We’re going to have people who actually know lacrosse go, but there are also going to be spectators and kids who have never seen the game played.
“So for us as an organization, that’s huge for us for exposure and we’re anticipating we’re going to see an increase in registrations just from kids seeing it.”
To that end, MJLAX plans to open registrations not long after the game in order to take advantage of the momentum, with the goal of signing on youngsters who might have seen the game and can’t wait to try it themselves.
Be sure to keep an eye on their website at www.moosejawmustangslacrosse.ca and check out their Facebook page for more information on registration and what they all have to offer.
To take a crack and the last few tickets for the game, visit www.sasktix.ca.
