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(Submitted photo/Bryan Swystun)
donning the maple leaf

Local lacrosse star named to U20 Team Canada

Jul 29, 2022 | 12:12 PM

A Prince Albert lacrosse star has been selected to represent Team Canada at the U20 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championship in early August.

Bauer Swystun will head to Winnipeg as a part of a 23-man roster that will be looking to defend the World Championship that Canada East won last year.

Although Swystun tried out for the national team a few years ago, he never got the call saying he made the team. But on this go-around, he got the email he was hoping for.

“It was very surreal,” he said. “Getting that email saying that I made the 23-man roster, that was just, it was a huge honour.”

Swystun has competed in national tournaments in the past, but this is his first rodeo in international play, something he said he’s looking forward to.

“It’ll be quite a bit different from what I played in the past,” he said. “Obviously it’s a higher level of lacrosse so it’s going to be a quicker game and a more competitive game.”

Five other nations will make the trip to the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, including Haudenosaunee, Poland, and Israel, with Canada set to faceoff against the United States and Australia.

When asked about the upcoming contests, Swystun said he’s going into these games with little knowledge about the competition, but he does know one thing.

“I’m kind of going in there unaware of what to expect from those countries,” he said. “But one thing I do know is that there’s going to be a little bit more on the line when it comes to our first game against the U.S.”

The tournament gets underway on Aug. 9 and a champion will be crowned on Aug. 14.

logan.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @lloganlehmann

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