By Bruce Huff - The Telegram Gazette - 3/2/1992
If you thought there was a definite Ontario flavor to the rosters of the Detroit Turbos and the new Buffalo Bandits, you are correct.
Twenty-nine of the 48 players on the teams’ combined Major Indoor Lacrosse League lineups for a pre-season test tonight in Rochester, have played for Ontario major and junior teams. In many cases they were teammates. All which should make just a dandy rivalry this season.
It also begs the thought-provoking question: “Why not an Ontario team in the MILL?” Certainly, MILL president Chris Fritz would welcome such a team, providing a suitable financial arrangement with a major facility, such as Maple Leaf Gardens, or the proposed arena at the CNE, could be arranged.
The MILL operators are slick, professional and wise to the ways of promotion, thanks to a background in staging truck pulls, motor sports and the like in major arenas across the continent.
Fritz included a Toronto team in his expansion plans last spring, knowing full well that Ontario is the hotbed of box lacrosse. A way of life in some centres. But interest in the game isn’t the problem. Getting fans to pay major league prices (top ticket for MILL games is around $16 U.S.) could be.
MILL teams play a short schedule of 10 games plus playoffs and exhibitions, perhaps five or six home dates. An interesting idea and one the National Lacrosse League, now in the throes of a one-year hiatus, hopes stays south of the border.
Returning to the defending champion Turbos are twins Gary and Paul Gait, the Air Gait superstars who rewrote the MILL record book last year. Other Canadians include goalkeeper Ted Sawicki and Mike Sammut and shooters Pete Parke, Brian Nikula, Dave Succamore, Neil Doddridge, Terry and Ron Martinello, Brian Lemon, Pat Lea, Paul Brock and Armando Rodrigues. Coach Medo Martinello is from Windsor and his new assistant is Blane Harrison of Brooklin.
The Bandits have goalies Ross Cowie and Bill Gerrie along with Derek Keenan, Gerry Hiltz, John Tavares (obtained in a trade with Detroit for Nikula), Brian Hall, Kevin Alexander, Barry Powless, Bob Hamley, Darren Mutch, Mike Mooradian, Paul Day and the Kilgour brothers, Darris and Rich. GM John Mouradian hails from St. Catharines and head coach Bob (Buff) McCready and assistant Pete Crawford are well known locally.
Tonight’s game is more than just a tuneup for the regular season which began last night when the Boston Blazers played at the Baltimore Thunder. There are jobs on the line because Canadian players face an import restriction, not unlike the Canadian Football League’s U.S. player quota, only in reverse.
MILL regulations allow only 11 Canadians per roster and only eight are allowed to dress per game. Both the Bandits, who will play their games at the Buffalo Aud, and the Turbos who make their home at Joe Louis Arena, open at home next Saturday.
The Turbos play Baltimore, the Bandits face New York Saints.
The Thunder have a score to settle with the Turbos who beat them 14-12 in the final last year and 21-20 in a Dec. 14 exhibition on Parke’s overtime goal. Both the Turbos and Bandits draw heavily on border-area Ontario fans. They should be out in full force for games between the teams on Jan. 25 in Buffalo and on March 7 in Detroit.
The games are also part of a 10-game television schedule of MILL games broadcast by Prime Network and shown on Mondays following the games. The Bandits appear in five games, the Turbos three times. Empire Sports Network is Prime’s Buffalo affiliate. In Detroit it is Pro-Am Sports.
