NLL Insider

There are considerable odds stacked against almost anyone who wants to make a go of it in the National Lacrosse League — Merrills and Zywickis and Sniders aside. So why not give an American field player a chance at a transition spot? Especially one who just won an NLL championship with the Rochester Rattlers. As the goaltender.

Ladies and gentlemen, Brett Queener.

“I’ve wanted to play indoor since I was a young kid. I used to have season tickets to the Rochester Knighthawks in their first year,” he says. “I like to say I’ve played American indoor. My hometown has box lacrosse and I grew up playing it but the style of game is obviously not the same. I think I have a high lacrosse IQ and I think I’m going to be able to pick it up.”

After being told there was no room for him in Philly, Queener made the decision to drive the three and a half hours to the Boston Blazers’ free agent camp, taking place this weekend.

“The city of Boston, that’s where we played our outdoor championship this last summer and the fans there seemed to take to me. I thought it would be a great fit for me and hopefully I can just learn the game, make a few cuts here and there, you never know. It’ll be a great experience.”

Though this may be his first foray into Canadian-style indoor lacrosse, Queener knows what he needs to do prepare.

“I have a friend who’s a football player and he’s going to play lacrosse for Albany this spring, just a big strong athlete and I go one-on-one against him and tell him to wind up and hit me as hard as he can with a cross-check. Kind of getting used to the big D guys I’m going to have to face in the league. It’s good preparation, I think.”

In addition to getting walloped by a football player, Queener spends his time playing wall ball, throwing over his head backwards and learning to catch without looking, and practicing pick and rolls with fellow Albany alumni and Philadelphia Wing Merrick Thomson. Along with Thomson, Queener has the support of some of the NLL’s finest thanks to his spot on the Rochester Rattlers.

“I’ve only kind of mentioned it to the guys and all of them have been extremely supportive,” he says. “John Grant Jr., Jeff Zywicki, Colin Doyle, Brodie Merrill, all those guys are great about encouraging what I need to do but I haven’t really gotten too in-depth with conversation yet. I think once I start playing the game I’ll start to realize what I need to work on.”

In the MLL championship game, Queener stopped 10 of 11 shots and added an assist in 30 minutes of play to earn the win for himself and the Rattlers. While he’s certainly good at what he does, making the move from not only outdoor to indoor but also in the net to out of it won’t be easy, but Queener was able to play both positions in college and sees the challenge as motivation.

“[Playing two positions] really inspired me as far as playing goes,” he says. “To be able to do a bunch of different stuff is something that keeps me wanting to get better every single day. Gives me something new to look forward to I guess, so I’m excited about the opportunity. Hopefully with the right people around me I can learn and achieve.”

And it’s not like he hasn’t scored a goal while playing goalie anyway. In his first game ever with Albany. Against the defending national champions. Charging all the way up the field to sink an overhand shot and then running by the Johns Hopkins bench with a big smile on his face.

All the best to you, Brett Queener.

For a little more insight into the life of Brett Queener, check out the Queener Cam on Inside Lacrosse.

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