Mason Robertson is riding quite the wave of positive momentum.

A goaltender with the Sudbury Rockhounds box lacrosse team for the past several years, the 20 year-old continues to venture beyond the confines of Northern Ontario, his latest summer exploits leading to an appearance at the 2026 Minto Cup in Calgary in August.

“All of my hard work is starting to pay off,” said Robertson, who suited up with the West Durham Ironheads Junior “B” team for most of the summer, picked up by the Ontario Junior “A” gold medal winning St Catharines Athletics once his first team was eliminated from the playoffs.

“All of those years grinding with Mike (Sudbury coach and stepfather Mike Miron), all of those years added up,” continued Robertson.

Preparing for his final season of junior lacrosse, the local product found much of his hometown experience as he trekked around the province, settling into settings that only served to help his game. “I never thought I would play for another team that was built around family as much as our Sudbury teams,” said Robertson.

“But St Catharines was like walking into the same dressing room I had for the past four years. I get a lot of juice when we play as a team, when everyone is tightknit and it’s nobody’s fault but the team’s fault, when everyone is playing for everyone else.”

“That’s the feeling that gets me pumped up.”

With every jump in level of play comes opportunities for improvement, with Robertson noting a few areas where he simply feels a little further ahead. “I felt like I got a lot faster this summer, just from having more reps. All we did was practice twice a week and played three times a week.”

“I had time for lacrosse and that’s all we did.”

Moving forward, the reality for Robertson and those who share his dream is that a balancing act must exist, wit part-time employment required to supplement any income they might derive from a sport that they love.

“I work hard,” he stressed. “The last four years of playing lacrosse in Sudbury, I’ve worked a construction job as well. My schedule has been full since grade 11 when I started playing Huntsville Junior C. It’s always been like this for me.”

And with any luck, it will continue to be so.

“I don’t think my story has ended yet, not even close.”