Erik Tinti was just sifting through his email when one of the messages caught his eye. It was an invitation from his club lacrosse coach at the University of Buffalo, Ryan Crawford. The team was going to get together for an exhibition game north of the border. And by the way, the opponent was going to be the Italian National Team.
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Erik Tinti, a 2005 graduate of Auburn High School, battles for the ball in an exhibition lacrosse game against the Italian National Lacrosse Team Tuesday in Welland, Ontario.
Erik Tinti, a 2005 graduate of Auburn High School, battles for the ball in an exhibition lacrosse game against the Italian National Lacrosse Team Tuesday in Welland, Ontario.
“I couldn't believe that they wanted just a regular club team to play them,” Tinti said.
The Italian Team might be wishing it hadn't chosen UB.
Tinti, a 2005 graduate of Auburn High School, scored once and added an assist and the boys from Buffalo topped the Italians, 14-13, in a double-overtime thriller Tuesday in Welland, Ontario.
“It's just an amazing experience playing against a national team like that, knowing that they're going to play in the World Games,” said Tinti, who plays midfield. “It is a confidence booster. It's the top guys for the country and we could keep up with them and hold our own.”
The game came about by happenstance. The Italian Team was training in Welland - about 40 minutes across the border from Buffalo - and was looking for a tune up before the World Games, in London, Ontario. Frank Mete, one of the lacrosse players for Buffalo and a native of Welland, asked Crawford if he'd be interested in a little scrimmage. Crawford, who graduated from Le Moyne College in 2001, said it sounded like a great idea, and things began to materialize.
“I was a little surprised,” said Crawford, who is in his first year as head coach after three years as an assistant. “I wasn't quite sure how to approach it, but I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for my players to play against top-notch talent.”
The very top, at that.
Two of the players on the opposing team were professionals from the Major Lacrosse League, and others were from professional indoor leagues.
“It gives me a lot to look forward to next season, to see how many contributed to the win,” Crawford said. “That gives me a lot of confidence.”
Not all the players were on his club team, though.
He made about 10 additions from around Western New York to fill out his roster after some of his regular players couldn't make it.
But still, he didn't have a single professional on the squad.
That didn't slow them down one bit. They hung tight the entire way, trading goals back and forth for much of the game, and the score was knotted at 11 after regulation.
International rules call for two overtime periods, each four minutes in length, before going into a sudden-death period.
The Italians took a 13-11 lead after the first overtime period, but Buffalo came back with two in the second to force the sudden-death frame.
“I was expecting it to be a hard, close-fought game, which it turned out to be,” Tinti said. “I was just hoping they wouldn't blow us away and we would have a chance.”
The Italian Team might be wishing it hadn't chosen UB.
Tinti, a 2005 graduate of Auburn High School, scored once and added an assist and the boys from Buffalo topped the Italians, 14-13, in a double-overtime thriller Tuesday in Welland, Ontario.
“It's just an amazing experience playing against a national team like that, knowing that they're going to play in the World Games,” said Tinti, who plays midfield. “It is a confidence booster. It's the top guys for the country and we could keep up with them and hold our own.”
The game came about by happenstance. The Italian Team was training in Welland - about 40 minutes across the border from Buffalo - and was looking for a tune up before the World Games, in London, Ontario. Frank Mete, one of the lacrosse players for Buffalo and a native of Welland, asked Crawford if he'd be interested in a little scrimmage. Crawford, who graduated from Le Moyne College in 2001, said it sounded like a great idea, and things began to materialize.
“I was a little surprised,” said Crawford, who is in his first year as head coach after three years as an assistant. “I wasn't quite sure how to approach it, but I thought it would be an excellent opportunity for my players to play against top-notch talent.”
The very top, at that.
Two of the players on the opposing team were professionals from the Major Lacrosse League, and others were from professional indoor leagues.
“It gives me a lot to look forward to next season, to see how many contributed to the win,” Crawford said. “That gives me a lot of confidence.”
Not all the players were on his club team, though.
He made about 10 additions from around Western New York to fill out his roster after some of his regular players couldn't make it.
But still, he didn't have a single professional on the squad.
That didn't slow them down one bit. They hung tight the entire way, trading goals back and forth for much of the game, and the score was knotted at 11 after regulation.
International rules call for two overtime periods, each four minutes in length, before going into a sudden-death period.
The Italians took a 13-11 lead after the first overtime period, but Buffalo came back with two in the second to force the sudden-death frame.
“I was expecting it to be a hard, close-fought game, which it turned out to be,” Tinti said. “I was just hoping they wouldn't blow us away and we would have a chance.”
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