Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/11/08
The Philadelphia Barrage selected four Philly players Wednesday in the annual Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Supplemental Draft.
The picks included Drexel defender Adam Crystal (second round), Ursinus defender Eric Hoffman (third) out of Pennridge High, Villanova face-off specialist Chris Colliniates (sixth) and Drexel goalkeeper Bruce Bickford (seventh).
Also chosen from Philadelphia were Maryland attacker Max Ritz (Radnor) and Johns Hopkins midfielder George Castle (Penn Charter).
The San Francisco Dragons chose Ritz in the third round (23rd pick). The Dragons are coached by Tom Slate (Springfield-Delco), who last year took over as head coach after being a Barrage assistant and brought in a number of Philly players, including Ritz’s older brother, Xander Ritz (Radnor).
Castle, who helped Hopkins reach the NCAA Division I championship game last spring after playing a key role in the 2007 championship, was signed Wednesday by the Philadelphia Wings of the indoor National Lacrosse League. His signing comes 21 years after his father, J.R. Castle, played for the Wings in their first season as a member of the fledgling Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League – the forerunner to the NLL.
Crystal was Drexel’s first All-American pick ever in 2007 as a senior, earning Honorable mention status. Hoffman was a second-team All-Centennial Conference pick last spring as a senior at Ursinus.
Colliniates was sixth in the NCAA in face-off percentage as a senior in 2007 with a 62.1 mark, earning second-team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) honors. Bickford was the CAA Player of the Year last year for the Dragons.
The Barrage also selected Mike McClellan, an attacker from Mercyhurst, in the first round; Salisbury midfielder Bruce Richardson (third) and Denver defender William McKinney (fourth).
Beginning today at 12:00 PM ET, teams may claim players remaining in the Player Pool in order to bring their Pre-Season Active Roster count to thirty-five (35) players. MLL teams may also conduct one open tryout prior to April 12, 2009. The 2009 MLL season is set to begin on Saturday, May 16.
