Sudbury U9 Division "D" Rockhounds' head coach Thomas Kingston knows that when his talented young team eventually celebrates an OLA (Ontario Lacrosse Association) championship, the heart-breaking losses will help them appreciate the moment even more.
The setbacks do not come in a much more heart-breaking manner than the recent 7-6 semi-final overtime loss the Rockhounds suffered at the hands of the Melancthon Vets, a hamlet crew located some 30 kilometres north of Orangeville.
It likely stings a little more given that Melancthon would then drop a 7-5 decision in the championship final to the Kahnawà:ke Mohawks - a team that the Sudbury lads trimmed 6-5 in pool play on route to securing first place in Group 4 of the 16-team field.
The Rockhounds opened play with a 5-5 draw with the Gloucester Griffins before slipping past the Mohawks and securing top seed with a 7-2 triumph over the Peterborough Lakers.
An 8-4 quarter-final outclassing of the Halton Hills Bulldogs pushed the U9 Rockhounds safely through to the final four, with their matchup with the Vets tied 1-1 after one and the scoreboard reading 4-3 Sudbury after two.
Though the U9 Rockhounds were also eliminated in semi-final action in 2025, coach Kingston noted that there is far more that is different than similar between the two squads.
"Last year, we had three horses and our success was largely attributable to those three players who were at a whole other level," said Kingston. "This year, we have a much more well-balanced attack and a group that works together much better."
"We didn't have that elite skill that we may have before - but we had 18 kids who could contribute."
Nowhere was that more evident than in the loss to Melancthon as five different players accounting for the six Sudbury tallies, with Tyson Kuruliak (2 goals) joined on the scoresheet by Henri Bernier, Bodhi Poitras, Owen Campbell and Dean Gunner.
In fact, no less than ten different players found the back of the net over the course of the tournament for Sudbury, with Paul Gunthorpe (7) and Tyson Kuruliak (6) leading the charge. Throw in the standout as the last wall of defense that is goaltender Colby Kingston, who played every minute of every game and you have the making of an extremely competitive outfit.
With 15 of the players on the roster making the jump to the U11 ranks next summer, Kingston is already envisioning those facets of their game that will need to elevate as the Rockhounds continue to make some noise on a provincial scale.
"It's the quality of the ball movement," said Kingston. "As you move up the ranks, you can't do it as an individual - so we are trying to further develop our game. We have a winter ahead of us and a lot of hungry kids, so we will spend the winter working on some individual skill stuff."
Others who were part of the final four U9 Division "D" Rockhounds were Brady Rowlandson, Sam Duval, Asterix Pilon, Joseph Lazarus, Noah Lazarus, Logan Hudson, Marvel Peltier, Remi Weimer, Bennett Conrad, Nixon Oliphant-McPhee, Nolan Todd and Sullivan McDonald.
