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Field lacrosse is a game of instinct. It combines a player’s skill with their determination and ability to read situations and react to then. Box lacrosse is different, but not in the sense of determination or skill. There is no time to think, to read and react; there can be no hesitation. If there is, that split-second window of opportunity a player sees could either turn into a goal or a turnover. The different style of play and quicker pace make for a more interesting and physical game of lacrosse.

Going into the experience of playing box lacrosse for the first time, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had never seen a box game and rarely had I been able to catch the end of one on TV. The only knowledge I had were the stories my two Canadian teammates at Gordon would tell me.

Going from a football field and 6′ x 6′ goals to a hockey rink with a cement floor and 4′ x 4′ nets seemed like a bit of a challenge for me, but that is not the only difference. Canadian lacrosse adapted much of its style from hockey. The three period play, instead of four, the smaller goals and larger goalies remind me much of a hockey game, just without the ice. The confined area combined with a 30-second shot clock cause the speed of the game to be much much faster. This, in turn, produced a more physical style of play, much like, as I mentioned, hockey.

This style provides a sense of “grinding through” games, as players push to the final buzzer. The physicality can also bring out the intensity and passion which drives these players. One thing can lead to another and before you know it, you or one of your teammates could be getting “ready to dance”.

Although a fight in box lacrosse usually represents a player’s pride, respect and emotion he embodies for his team, for some, it is an art form. Certain players throughout Canada, from the Pros to Jr. ages, are known for fighting whether for their size, strength, toughess or even courage; they all have mastered this peculiar artform. For some, their strategy is different than another’s, but, for the most part, to put it simply, just don’t lose. I am writing about this certain flair a fight can add to a game because it was my first memorable experience in box lacrosse.

We were playing the Spruce Grove Slash at their place just outside Edmonton and with just a couple of lessons about the offensive X’s and O’s briefly slapped on a white board in front of me, I was about to step on the floor for the first time. Within the first of three 20-minute periods, things began to intensify between the two teams. After a play was blown dead, a small scuffle broke out between our captain, Casey MacIntyre, and one of the other team’s players. Three punches to the face and a broken ankle later, the KO-ed Slash player was being helped off the floor.

Box lacrosse is not a UFC match, but the fighting does make the game more intense. Before I knew it my coaches were yelling “One! One! One!” as both them and my teammates shoved me out on the floor for my first shift. This began my learning process and assimilation to the Canadian game known as box lacrosse.

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