HOULTON, Maine — It has been a busy spring for the Northern Maine Moose boys and girls lacrosse squads.
Running with the ball is Jayon Xavier of the Northern Maine Moose during a May 20 game in Houlton.
(Joseph Cyr)
On Saturday, May 20, the Moose hosted the first-ever lacrosse round-robin tournament in Houlton at the Houlton Band of Maliseets’ Athletic Complex located off Pine Drive.
“The games were fun and exciting to watch and the game environment was awesome,” said Ken Ervin, coach of the Moose. “Families and fans from all three clubs — Bangor, Newport and Houlton — cheered on their teams and the players gave it their all.”
The Moose split their squads into four teams — separate boys and girls third and fourth grade squads and fifth and sixth grade teams.
“It is amazing to see the development of our players in just two short months,” Ervin said. “We played against established clubs that have been around for five to eight years — players that have been on teams for years. Our skill level, awareness of the rules, and strategies made all of the games very competitive.”
Ervin added that the day was both successful and memorable because of the help from Brian Reynolds, the Maliseet tribal administrator; Houlton High School student volunteers; and coaches Chris Bossie and Ritchie Lynds.
Ken Ervin, left, met with New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, on May 11 when Ervin attended an awards ceremony for the Belichick Foundation grants. The Northern Maine Moose lacrosse club was one of several groups to receive grants from the Foundation.
(Contributed photo)
On May 11, Ervin attended a ceremony at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where he and other grant winners were presented with their awards from the Bill Belichick Foundation. The Belichick Foundation gave equipment worth more than $7,000 for 24 players with the Northern Maine Lacrosse Club.
Ervin even had an opportunity to meet Belichick, the head coach of the New England Patriots football team.
“What an amazing day,” Ervin said. “I couldn’t sit any closer to the podium. Bill was just fantastic. He spent over a half-hour talking at the podium. He featured everything from life lessons you can gain from sports, to how in awe he was of the challenges the grant and scholarship recipients face. [He] also gave a bit of insight into the Patriots draft and how important a player’s character is to him and the organization.”
More than 30 college student athletes were in attendance and each was awarded a $5,000 scholarship.
Ervin said one of the highlights was presenting Belichick with a Northern Maine Moose pin that was created by Blaine Jackett of JEI Sports.
“He loved the button Blaine made and thanked me for thinking of him and giving him one,” Ervin said. “He called out every recipient, shook hands with everyone, took photos, his wife also jumped in for the group photos, and thanked each and every one of us.”
The Northern Maine Moose will host another home event on June 17-18.
