BOX LACROSSE
Practice. Play. Perform.
About
The Connecticut Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CTCBLL), founded in 2019, is a designed to bring structure to the growth of box lacrosse in CT and the surrounding areas. Our aim is to create opportunities for Collegiate lacrosse players, teams, coaches and referees of all backgrounds to participate and advance the sport in the US. We look to bring organization to support and foster an environment of competition, sportsmanship, respect and development of the box lacrosse athlete in CT. This league is USBOXLA sanctioned which we consider to be the best standards today for safety, education, and organization of US Box Lacrosse.
FAQs
A style of lacrosse played in an enclosed area similar to a hockey rink surrounded by boards and plexiglass. Like ice hockey, each team can have 6 players on the floor at a time, typically 5 players and 1 goalie. The playing surface is typically cement or turf. Most teams consist of 15-20 players and 1-2 goalies on a team.
Box lacrosse is more physical than field lacrosse and requires more equipment due to the allowance of cross checking. In addition, the goals are smaller in dimension at 4’6” across by 4’ high vs the traditional 6’ by 6’ in field lacrosse.
The majority of US kids have not played real box lacrosse, a big reason why the US struggles to beat Canada in international indoor play. That is why coaching is critical. For the CT Collegiate Box Lacrosse League, this isn’t meant to be a fun summer activity per se. We are looking to improve the overall skills of field players and develop box players that have the potential to one day play pro in the NLL and have assembled former accomplished indoor players with successful coaching abilities.
Yes. Our goal is to help players develop their understanding of box lacrosse and improve their overall lacrosse skills. We believe this will help improve player's abilities in field lacrosse and provide them with an experience that gives them the knowledge and confidence to potentially play in the NLL. Currently there are limited opportunities for US Collegiate players to learn and play box lacrosse and, until other states begin offering similar programs, we will accept players from NY, NJ, MA, RI & CT.
“If I had my choice, I would have every player under the age of 12 play box lacrosse exclusively or at least a majority of the time. The number of touches of the ball and the ability to develop better stick skills in a game of box lacrosse far surpasses what happens on a field. Learning how to pass and catch in traffic, understanding how to shoot, and developing a sense of physicality are all positive traits developed by the box game.”
6X NCAA Championship Coach Bill Tierney, University of Denver
"I think all young kids should play box (lacrosse) first."
5X NCAA Championship Coach John Desko, Syracuse University
"When you watch Canadian kids score, when you see their skill level around the cage, you wonder to yourself, 'Jeez, are we teaching kids [in the U.S.] the wrong things?"
4X NCAA Championship Coach Dom Starsia, University of Virginia
“Box lacrosse (played normally in Canada) is played in thawed ice rinks over the summer. The smaller spaces and smaller goals lend to hyper advancement of skills and scoring ability. The results in our college game are not only undeniable, they are borderline astounding”
NCAA Championship Coach Andy Shay, Yale University"We are looking forward for our Denver (field) players to have an opportunity to play competitive box lacrosse during the off season in a safe and structured environment in the NCBS. I believe college athletes will get more out of a league like this then just playing summer field lacrosse" NCAA Championship, Matt Brown, University of Denver
Highly competitive. This is not meant to be a summer fun league. We have the highest caliber coaches for a reason – to teach the game of box lacrosse at the highest level, make field players better and open opportunities for players to potentially play in the NLL.
To be eligible, players must currently be high school seniors or enrolled in college. We anticipate that the majority of players will be collegiate players and high school students with college commitments. In general, ages will range from approximately 17 to 22. Collegiate players final eligible year is the summer after they graduate.
Box lacrosse is a physical sport and involves more contact and checking versus field lacrosse. Full box lacrosse equipment is required and includes a helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, arm pads, bicep pads, rib/back pads, mouth guard and lacrosse stick. There are no long pole sticks in box lacrosse. Please visit our Equipment Section to learn more.
Once a player is selected to a team and pays in full, there will be no cancelation refunds unless under certain circumstances such as injury. As a rule of thumb, if we can find a replacement player, we will refund cost on a pro-rata basis.
Yes. They will be posted to YouTube or the NCBS website.
Yes. The one main exception is that the Junior A box lacrosse league is a longer season with the Provincial Champions earning a place in the Canadian National Championship Minto Cup.
The CTCBLL season will be ~6 weeks, beginning with tryouts early June. There will be 1 practice and ~8-10 games with a regular season and playoffs. The winner of the Constitutional Cup (Playoff Champion) will then play for a National Championship in Buffalo, NY in August.
In general, practices and games will be 1-2 a week during the weekday, Monday to Friday, anywhere from 6:00pm to 10:00pm. Our aim is to avoid overlap for the players and coaches with their summer programs - we recognize that there are many field camps and tournaments which occur on weekends. In addition, many of the College athletes and coaches work/intern during the day so it was important to have practices/games start after business hours.
3 of the top 5 players with the highest average goals scored in a career in Men’s NCAA Division 1 Field lacrosse grew up playing Canadian box lacrosse.
Approximately 80% of players currently in the National Lacrosse League are Canadian
Yes, you will need insurance provided as part of your USBOXLA Membership for tryouts and, if you make a team, for the season. The cost is normally ~$45 but will be waived. You will also have to provide a signed waiver which will be provided. Lacrosse is a physical sport. Our focus will always be on the safety of the athlete. However, players may be hurt and therefore are required to maintain insurance.
The CTCBLL follows the National Collegiate Box Series rules (essentially NLL rules with some small differences).
THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BOX SERIES
Connecticut Collegiate Box Lacrosse League
Established: 2020
Teams: Copperheads, Coyotes, Generals and Revolution
Arenas: Winter Garden in Ridgefield
Founding Club: Superstar Box Lacrosse
Commissioner: Oliver Marti
Director of Operations: Oliver Marti
Colorado Collegiate Box Lacrosse League
Established: 2017
Teams: Bighorns, Blizzard, Fighting Bison, Gold Miners, Red Hawks and Stoneflies
Arena: Foothills Fieldhouse in Lakewood
Founding Club: LXTC
Commissioner: Niko Blankenship
Director of Operations: Jessie Gallant
California Collegiate Box Lacrosse League
Established: 2021
Teams: Dragons, Royals
Arenas: Pechanga Arena, Bladium Alameda
Founding Club: San Diego Seals, Cali*Lax ALL_STARS
Commissioner: Shaydon Santos
Director of Operations: Cam Holding
Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League
Established: 2020
Teams: TBA
Arenas: TBA
Founding Club: Buffalo Bandits & Rochester Knighthawks
Commissioner: TBA
Director of Operations: TBA
Ohio Collegiate Box Lacrosse League
Established: 2018
Teams: Aviators, Guardians, Rivermen, Stags and Walleyes
Arenas: Resolute Athletic Center in Columbus and the Gilmour Academy in Cleveland
Founding Club: Resolute Lacrosse
Commissioner: Greg Bice
Director of Operations: Anthony Kelly
CT Collegiate Box Lacrosse League
The CTCBLL began its inaugural season June 3rd, 2019 featuring some of the top box and field HS & Collegiate players in CT and the surrounding areas. These elite athletes are coached by an incredible staff who are determined to bring U.S. box players to the next level.
The CTCBLL is part of the National Collegiate Box Series of the USBOXLA. The winner of the Constitutional Cup (the CTCBLL Playoff Champions) will play for the National Championship in Buffalo, NY in August.
The Summer 2023 CTCBLL regular season and playoffs will be held in June and July.
Meet Our CTCBLL Coaches
Roy is currently the assistant coach for the 2024 Men's Indoor Team. He attended Yorktown HS in New York from 1988 to 1991 where was a 2x All-American and helped the Huskers to 2 State Championships in 1989 and 1991. Roy carried his abilities to Syracuse University where he was a 4x All-American, 2x National Champion in 1993 and 1995 and named the 1995 NCAA Midfielder of the Year. Roy began playing indoor lacrosse in 1996 as a member of the NLL’s New York Saints professional team. Roy went on to play 11 years in the NLL with the Rochester Nighthawks, Buffalo Bandits, New Jersey Storm, New York Titans and Anaheim Storm. He is one of only two American born players to be named to the NLL’s First Team All-Pro. In addition, Roy played professional field lacrosse in the Major Lacrosse League from 2001 to 2008 playing with the Bridgeport Barrage, and Philadelphia Barrage and was a 3x World Champion 2004, 2006 and 2007 and 4x MLL All-Star. Roy still holds the Major League Lacrosse record for game-winning goals with 15 and was inducted into the Professional HOF. Roy has represented his country as a member of the 1992 U-19 USA World Field Lacrosse Team and the US Men’s National Field Lacrosse Team and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2012. Roy retired from professional lacrosse in 2008, and began coaching as the Head Coach for the Ridgefield HS men’s field lacrosse team from 2009 to present, winning an FCIAC Championship in 2009 and State Championships in 2011 & 2018. In addition, in 2004, Roy founded, developed and coached the Superstar Club lacrosse program, today focusing solely on box lacrosse player development. Roy was the Head Coach of the 2019 Bronze Medal U20 USA Junior Indoor Team which competed in the 2019 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship in Ontario, Canada. Roy currently resides in Ridgefield, CT with his wife Chrissy and three boys, Ryan (18), Kyle (16) and Chris (13).
Oliver began playing box lacrosse at the age of 5 in British Columbia, Canada. He was a member of 4 Provincial Championship teams and two Canadian Junior A Minto Cup box lacrosse finalist teams with the Richmond Outlaws ('90, '91) before being drafted to play Senior A (Canada’s professional league) with the storied New Westminster Salmonbellies in '92, reaching the Canadian Championship Mann Cup finals in that year. Oliver played for the Brown University Bear’s field lacrosse team for 3 years from '91-'93. Despite never playing field lacrosse until attending Brown, Oliver led the Ivy league in goals each of his three years and continues to hold several Brown as well as NCAA Division 1 men's lacrosse records including most goals scored in a NCAA tournament game (9), most goals in a regular season game (11), most points in a regular season game (13) and currently ranks fifth all time in NCAA history in avg goals per game in a career. He was a 2x All-American, All-Ivy, All-New England and Academic All-American and helped the Bear’s win an Ivy League Championship in '91. He was selected to the USILA North/South All-Star team and, as a part of the Bear's '91 team, is a member of the Brown Hall of Fame. Oliver was a member of Team Canada's Field Lacrosse team that participated in the '94 World Lacrosse Championships in England and was named MVP of the Bronze Medal game. Marti was drafted and played two seasons ('94, '95) for the New York Saints of the pro indoor National Lacrosse League (NLL) before focusing on a career as a hedge fund manager. He has been a youth volunteer field lacrosse coach for nearly two decades and is partnered with Roy Colsey's Superstar Box Lacrosse program, one of the largest such development programs in the country. Oliver was Head Coach of the 2022, and Offensive Coach of the 2019, Bronze Medal U21 USA Junior Indoor Teams that competed in the IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship in Canada. Oliver is an owner and CEO of the NLL's Albany FireWolves, an as well as an investor in the PLL and EPOCH Lacrosse and founder of the CTCBLL. He is a board member for the Brown University Sports Foundation. Oliver lives in New Canaan, CT with wife Michelle, and kids Anna (23), Kailey (17), Max (14) and Nick (14).
Mike is considered one of the top midfielders to play lacrosse over that past 20 years. Mike played in the 2002 and 2004 Team USA Indoor Lacrosse Heritage Cup Championships, winning in 2002. He played 6 seasons in the indoor professional National Lacrosse League and 5 seasons in the outdoor professional Major League Lacrosse. Mike held the record in the MLL for most two-point goals scored in a career when he retired. While playing in the MLL, Mike was offensive MVP for the Boston Cannons and 4-time all-star. He is considered one of the best pure shooters in lacrosse history. In 2002, he helped the Albany Attack win the pro indoor NLL Championship. Mike was a star three sport athlete growing up in Upstate New York. He was captain of the Varsity Lacrosse, Football, and Wrestling teams at Christian Brothers Academy. In lacrosse he was team captain 3x (94', 95', 96'), Team MVP (96'), All-American (96'). Upon graduation, he set all new team records for goals, points, and ground balls. In college Mike was a 2x All-American at Butler and 2x team captain. In 2000, he was team MVP and awarded the Great Western Lacrosse League Player of the Year. For the past nine years, Mike has been a volunteer coach in the New Canaan Youth Lacrosse Association and a Coach/Director for the CT based Eclipse Club program. Mike lives in New Canaan, CT with wife Kate, and has three boys, Thomas (10), Liam (8), Jack (5).
Andrew Kirkaldy is originally from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. He played in the Red Deer Minor lacrosse program before joining the Calgary Jr. A Raiders 2002-2005, culminating in a 2005 Provincial Championship and a Canadian National Championship Minto Cup finals appearance. Andrew was drafted by the Calgary Roughnecks in 2005. He played his Collegiate field lacrosse for the Gordon College Fighting Scots from 2006-2010, earning the TCCC Rookie of the Year in 2006. A prolific goal scorer, Andrew was the 2x leading scorer for the Fighting Scots, Captained the team in his senior year and was a 3x First Team All-Conference. Andrew played his Canadian professional box lacrosse for the Senior A Nanaimo Timberman of the WLA and was the Keith Mann award winner in 2009. Andrew began coaching in 2012 for the Haverhill High School boys field lacrosse team where, in only his first year, he was selected Head Coach of the Year in the Merrimack Valley Conference and, in 2013, as the assistant coach at Fairfield Prep, help the team win a Class L State Championship. Andrew joined 3d Lacrosse to help coach youth and HS boys and girls, both on the field and in the box from 2014-2018. After coaching with 3d Lacrosse in New England, he started the 3d Tri-State office with Dave Dobbins, former associate head coach at Ohio State. Currently, Andrew is the Head Coach and Assistant Director of Admissions at Trinity-Pawling School. Andrew resides in Pawling, NY with his wife Erin and three boys, Liam (5), Connor and Hudson (3)
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Play Hard. Be Safe. Be Protected
Box lacrosse is played in a tighter area than field lacrosse, has more defensive sets and cross checking is allowed. Box lacrosse equipment is required not only to protect the players, but to allow them to play at their best knowing they can absorb hits. There are several companies that offer equipment. We suggest EPOCH box equipment given its dedicated focus on innovation, technologically advanced materials and player driven development. All players that register will receive a code to receive a discount on purchases. Please note that those players selected to compete in the CTCBLL will receive custom EPOCH gloves. Play Hard. Be Safe. Be Protected
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