Each Wednesday for a six-week period from June 4 to July 2, one of the six newly-minted inductees to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame will be profiled. In our final installment for the Class of 2025, read about the 2015 men's lacrosse team.
An unblemished league and playoff schedule, championship glory, and a legacy of leadership both on and off the field have earned the 2015 men's lacrosse team a spot in the McGill Sports Hall of Fame.
Under the steady hand of head coach
Tim Murdoch, the team etched its name in the history books by posting a rare perfect season in Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association history, finishing with a 12-0 mark in the CUFLA East Division, outscoring their opponents by a remarkable 157-66 margin.
The momentum carried into the post-season, where McGill swept through three playoff games with authority, extending the win streak to an unprecedented 15.
A 16-5 quarter-final win over Ottawa was followed by a gritty 7-5 triumph over perennial powerhouse Brock in the semifinal. The championship game proved a fitting finale to a dream season, as McGill defeated Western 15-11 to capture the Baggataway Cup and claim a second national title in program history.
Though the team finished 15-2 overall — dropping two early non-conference games to NCAA opponents Boston University and Merrimack — it was their dominance in CUFLA play and unshakable team chemistry that defined the season.
For their accomplishments, the program was awarded the Harry Griffiths Trophy as McGill's top varsity program competing in a non-U SPORTS league. The roster featured a well-balanced blend of experience and youthful talent, with 15 seniors, five juniors, six sophomores and eight freshmen. Notably, all 15 seniors were part of McGill's first national championship team in 2012, book-ending their careers with another title. The team's international make-up included 19 Americans and 15 Canadians, representing a truly cross-border collaboration.
Leadership came from a quartet of co-captains:
Connor Goodwin,
Anders Bjella,
Paul Rakoczy and
Rufus Frost. Also serving in a similar capacity was
Alexander Roussos, who was the team's rookie captain.
Bjella, a senior midfielder, shone brightest in the gold-medal game, exploding for seven goals to earn McGill's player-of-the-game honours in the final.
Five players were named CUFLA East Division all-stars: Goodwin, Rakoczy,
William Waesche,
Quinton Bradley and
Bohe Hosking. Eleven players also earned spots on the McGill Principal's Student-athlete Honour Roll, exemplifying the team's commitment to academic excellence.
Head coach
Tim Murdoch was aided by assistant coaches
Simon Hudson,
Nicolas Soubry,
Scott Bailey (strength & conditioning) and
Sean Steinwald (scouting) — a tight-knit unit that helped mold a team that was as cohesive off the field as it was lethal on it.
"I'm so honoured and grateful that I had an opportunity to coach that special group," said Murdoch, who revealed that the team motto that season was "As One", which symbolized its unity and ultimate success. The phrase was chanted at practices, in-game huddles and featured on specially-designed T-shirts. "We were well-prepared mentally to win because of a great job done by my support staff, notably Coach Steinwald."
Beyond their athletic prowess, the 2015 squad left an imprint on the community. The team actively participated in McGill's annual Pow-Wow and Indigenous Awareness Week, volunteered as coaches with the Westmount Lynx youth lacrosse program, and supported the McGill Students' Right to Play movement, showcasing their belief in sport's power to foster social good.
As the 2015 men's lacrosse team joins the McGill Sports Hall of Fame this fall, they will be remembered not just for their historic perfection on the field, but for the way they represented the University with integrity, humility and heart.
The complete team roster, in alphabetical order, included: Durham
Abric, Alex
Beckes, Anders
Bjella (co-captain), Goose
Bolton, Matthew
Bouzianis, Quinton
Bradley, Spencer
Bromley, Rhys
Burnell, Shawn
Fontaine, Rufus
Frost (co-captain), Louis-Charles
Genereux, Connor
Goodwin (co-captain), Jake
Gutman, Bradley
Hofmann, Bohe
Hosking, Drew
Laird, Alexander
Lekacz, Alexander
Linton, Conor
Manahan, Kevin
Miao, Brendan
Mullen, Maxime
Murdoch, Hayden
Nix, Paul
Rakoczy (co-captain), Paul
Rougeau, Alexander
Roussos, Emile
Sassone-Lawless, Matthew
Tse, Eric
Van Hees, James
Vickery, William
Waesche, Cyrus
Wickersham, Dan
Williams and Ben
Wilson. Joining bench boss Tim
Murdoch on the coaching staff was Nic
Soubry and Simon
Hudson.
The support staff included Simon
Pelletier (treasurer), Zach
Nickle (statistics) and Phé
Racine (head therapist), along with student therapists Amy
Pang, Marianne
Cossette-Levasseur and Filip
Myszak.
Other laureates accompanying the 2015 men's lacrosse squad in the McGill induction class of 2025 include football's
Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of St. Hilaire, Que., and
Dr. Donald Taylor (DDS '66) of Lachine, Que., and hockey's
Katia Clément-Heydra (BA '14), from St. Bruno de Montarville, Que. Selected in the builder category is
Dr. Philip Hedrei (MDCM '00), a rowing coach from Town of Mt. Royal, Que., and
Abigail Tannebaum Sharon (BA '00), a trailblazing founder of the McGill women's lacrosse program.
The McGill pantheon now has 186 honoured members, 31 of them Olympians. Founded in 1996, it will be celebrating its 30th induction class this year and is located inside Tomlinson Hall at the Sir Arthur Currie Gymnasium at 475 Pine Avenue West. This year's induction luncheon is slated for
Friday, Oct. 24, as part of
McGill Homecoming 2025, and will be held at 1909 Taverne Moderne, next to the Bell Centre on Avenue des Canadiens. Ticket information will be announced in early September and posted on the
McGill Athletics and
Homecoming 2025 websites.
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (cell)
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
