HOULTON, Maine — What a difference a year makes. Like many youth sports, the Northern Maine Lacrosse Club “Moose” teams had no season in 2020, and this year was doubtful.
“Not every lacrosse program in Maine survived the pandemic,” stated Ken Ervin, club director. “Clubs we used to play against did not have teams. We were very lucky to gather our players, get approval from our board, and start our season in April, two months behind our normal start dates. We were waiting for decisions to be made by Maine Youth Lacrosse and several stakeholders to see if we had teams to play against.”
COVID safety protocols were in check as the club started their season practicing outside in April, fielding five teams with 60 players.
Ella Suitter fights for the ball for the Northern Maine Moose.
(Courtesy of Joe Fagnant)
The Moose teams played a combined 25 games on the road and will host their final games of the season against the Eastern Maine club in Houlton Saturday, June 12 at the Maliseet Sports Complex.
Games on Saturday are free and open to the public and kick off at 10 a.m. NMLC will have four club teams playing. Grades 7-9 girls coached by Chris Bossie will play at 10 a.m. and noon; grades 4-6 girls, coached by Joe Fagnant, will play at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; grades 3-6 boys, coached by Ken Ervin, play at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m; and the 7-8th grade boys, coached by Adam Simoes, play at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
NMLC is the “Most Northeastern Lacrosse program in the USA” and was established in 2017 by Ervin. As players gained more experience over the years, the club now fielded high school level teams.
“Our high school boys team played two games against Hampden Academy and saw the first ever program win at that level” confirmed Ervin. “Our girls program did not have enough players to field their own high school club team, but our 9th grade girls joined our 7th and 8th grade players and won their first high school game in program history against Hampden Academy. With the success and growth of all our teams our board will continue supporting our youth teams while seeking more high school playing opportunities in 2022,” said Ervin.
For more information about the NMLC club, visit northernmainelax.com or the team’s Facebook page at Northern Maine Moose Lacrosse.
