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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, August 7, 2015 | 26 Jon Kuiperij Sports Editor sports@oakvillebeaver.com Sports "Connected to your Community" Whitecaps make return trip to Little League junior nationals by Jon Kuiperij Beaver Sports Editor Pictured left to right, Oakville's Chris Corbeil, Paul Dawson and Dan Dawson will play for Canada at next month's indoor lacrosse world championships. Dan Dawson is the team captain and Corbeil is one of the assistant captains. | photo by Graham Paine -- Oakville Beaver -- @Halton_Photog Local players to lead Canada at lacrosse worlds by Neil Stevens Special To The Beaver A pair of Oakville residents has been designated to lead the way for Canada at this year's world indoor lacrosse championship. Oakville Minor Lacrosse Association product Dan Dawson will captain the national team and fellow Oakville resident Chris Corbeill will be one of Canada's assistant captains in the tournament, slated for Sept. 1827 near Syracuse, N.Y. Paul Dawson, Dan's brother and a former defenceman with the Oakville Blades junior A hockey club, and Stephan Leblanc, who plays for Major Series Lacrosse's Oakville Rock, are other local connections to the squad. The Canadian team's captain and assistant captains were announced Friday at Oakville's Toronto Rock Athletic Centre, prior to the Oakville Buzz's junior B playoff game against the Akwesasne Indians. "It's humbling, it's truly an honour," Dan Dawson says of being named captain. "I'm going to do everything in my power to wear the Canadian jersey with the greatest respect for everything it stands for." Canada unbeaten in tournament history Canada has never lost a game (17-0) in Federation of International Lacrosse world box lacrosse tournaments. This year's 13-country competition will be held at Onondaga Nation, making it the first international sporting event taking place on indig- enous lands. The Iroquois Nationals won silver at the three previous tournaments and will be pumped to finally take gold on their own turf. "It's definitely going to be tough," says Dawson. "The growth of lacrosse worldwide has been enormous. Every country is stronger. With the Iroquois being on home soil, it will be that much more special for them. With the culture and history that they have and then having that home presence, we're going to be in tough." There are but eight returnees from Canada's 2011 squad: Dawson, Brodie Merrill, Matt Vinc, Kyle Rubisch, Brett Mydske, Shawn Evans, Leblanc and Corbeil. Vinc gave a thumbs up on the selection of Dawson, who is his teammate with the National Lacrosse League's Rochester Knighthawks. "Dan epitomizes the term captain," says Vinc, the St. Catharines resident who was the winning goalie in the 2011 game for gold and who is eager to do it again. "Everything he does is about being a professional. "He's a good teammate on and off the floor. He leads by example. He's a hard-working player. The guys look up to him and listen to him. He's been successful at every level he's played at. It's only fitting that he'll be the guy leading the charge in Syracuse." Corbeil, also a former member of the Oakville Blades, captained Edmonton to the NLL title last spring. His aim now is to win two major lacrosse championships within four months. "It's an incredible honour," he says of being named an assistant captain for Canada. "Anytime you get to represent your country it's fantastic and to be chosen to be part of the leadership group for that is amazing. "I'm very thankful and appreciate them bestowing that responsibility on me. It's something I don't take lightly. I'm hoping to prove I deserve it and not let anybody down." Players embracing the challenge Corbeil understands the challenge ahead. "We'll be coming into the tournament with a target on our backs. We know that. That's exactly what we want. We want to play teams at their best. We'll be facing teams that will be fired up to face us so we'll look forward to the challenge but with the group of guys we've got we'll be up for it." That 17-0 legacy is not an impediment, says Leblanc. "People will be coming to watch the best players in the world perform and we want to put on a show. We want to show what skill level this game can be played at." Adds Comeau: "Everyone knows what's at stake, especially with this to be played in Haudenosaunee territory. This is really big for their community and for their culture and we know that not only the Iroquois but the U.S., the Czech Republic -- everyone wants to knock us off. We know we have to bring our best from Day 1. We think we've picked a good team with character players. We'll be ready." Oakville Whitecaps head coach Nick Rigato did not expect his team to be intimidated when it took to the field yesterday (Thursday) for its first game at the Canadian Little League junior (14-under) baseball championships in Lethbridge, Alta. Oakville is making its second straight appearance at the junior nationals, following a 5-0 showing at the Ontario championships last week in Ottawa. Two members of this year's team helped the Whitecaps to a fourth-place finish in Lethbridge last year, and the majority of players on Oakville's roster were part of the Whitecaps squad that finished second at the 2014 Canadian intermediate (13U) championships in Calgary. "There's certainly a lot more calm this time on both parts, the coaches and the players," Rigato said. "(Last year), we came here and our jaws were on the ground (thinking) this is amazing, what an experience." Oakville's first game at junior nationals was slated for yesterday against British Columbia's Whalley Little League, the team that defeated the Whitecaps 8-2 in last year's Canadian intermediate final. Rigato said the Whitecaps have been eager for a chance to avenge that loss. "A lot of them have kept in touch over the winter," Rigato said of the two teams. "It's probably a friendly rivalry." Oakville will continue the tournament today (Friday) against Quebec's Rouyn-Noranda. The Whitecaps' other round-robin opponents over the next week will include Medicine Hat (Alberta), Regina (Saskatchewan), Glace Bay (Nova Scotia) and the host Lethbridge Giants. Semifinals will be contested Wednesday, followed by the championship game next Thursday. The winner will represent Canada at the Junior Little League World Series Aug. 16-23 in Taylor, Mich. Oakville clinched its second straight Ontario junior title last Friday with a dramatic 4-3 win over the East Nepean Eagles. Dylan Whittaker tripled home Brian Bowman to snap a 3-3 deadlock in the bottom of the sixth inning, then struck out the side in the top of the seventh and final frame. The Whitecaps won their three round-robin games at provincials by a combined score of 60-6, and routed the Carleton-Russell Aces 16-1 in the semis. Other members of the team are Jack Swanson, Nick Jaeggin, Nathan Shute, Owen Coleman, Mike Cummings, Emily Baxter, Graham Hamel, Steven Hospital, Jibran Qureshi, Bernn Tabuyog and James St. Louis. Anthony Rigato, Jonathan Del Pozo, Stephen McPhaden and Mike Lunder also coach the Whitecaps.