The Ottawa Rebel

By Ted Montour

After a 1-and-13 inaugural season in the Corel Centre, the last thing the Rebel expected was to have their roster trimmed by the expansion draft.

    

However, beginning with the selection of Joe Finstad by New Jersey in the fifth round, and followed by Shawn Zettel (Montreal), hold-out Nick Hartofolis (Vancouver) and home boy Jason Tassé (Montreal), not to mention Paul Talmo (New Jersey by way of Buffalo), this was more than "just a little off the top".

With an average attendance of over 8,000, fourth-best in the NLL, Ottawa fans showed admirable patience and enthusiasm in 2000-01, but major changes were clearly required. The first came right at the top, with the appointment of Johnny Mouradian as General Manager and Governor. Mouradian, from St. Catharines, Ontario, and architect of the MILL champion Buffalo Bandits, and the Toronto Rock, spent the summer consolidating fan and sponsor support in Ottawa (becoming instantly familiar with every charity golf event in the National Capital), and scoping talent north and south of the 49th parallel.




Johnny signed Marty Cooper, another St. Catharines native, and honcho of the expansion Columbus Landsharks last season, as Head Coach. He returned John Fay and D.J. Serr to the protected fold in the expansion draft, and watched his old pal Les Bartley help coach their hometown Athletics to the Minto Cup Canadian Junior championship over the visiting Burnaby (British Columbia) Lakers. Immediately thereafter, Johnny drove East on the Queen Elizabeth Way to Buffalo, for the 2001 NLL entry draft.

Mouradian reclaimed Craig Gelsvik, the economy-size defender he had originally brought from B.C. to the Rock, from Columbus in exchange for a first-round draft pick.


Jason Tasse

Bruce Alexander and a fourth-round selection were dealt to Montreal for (former Landshark) veteran attacker Mike Benedict from nearby Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, and once and future Rebel forward Jason Tassé. With their remaining first-round selection, the Rebel took defender Andrew Guindon from the Burnaby Junior Lakers. The second round brought defender Sam Cook (Coquitlam Junior Adanacs).



In the run-up to training camp, (held this year at a new multi-purpose domed facility operated by the Kanata Minor Soccer organization in suburban Ottawa), Mouradian acquired a third-round 2002 entry draft pick and a player to be named later from Columbus in exchange for forward Kris Bryde, and Landshark defender and face-off specialist Rory Graham (another original Mouradian draft selection) for a first-round 2002 entry draft pick. Johnny added a first-round selection in the 2002 entry draft to his stockpile when he sent Del Halladay to the Washington Power, and then obtained forward Jamie Raffan in a three-way trade involving Calgary and Washington, sending a third-round 2002 entry draft selection to Washington.



The Corel Centre

Resident lacrosse legend Bob Allen, and fellow Peterborough-er Bobby Keast return to the coaching staff, along with Keith McLeod. Matt Disher returns to Ottawa after his late-season heroics last winter, with a lock on the starting goalie's job. Andrew Leyshon (Burnaby Lakers), a 2000 entry draft pick, will be the back-up, with returnee Mike Thompson of Akwesasne Mohawk Territory starting the season on the practice roster.


Jamie McKeracher

Veterans Graham and Gelsvik will lead a young and aggressive defence, with second-year returnees Jamie McKeracher and Kyle Laverty joined by newcomers Guindon and Cook. On the attacking end, Benedict, playing a short hour's drive from home, will give Corel Centre denizens some scoring highlights. B.C. natives Chris Konopliff and D.J. Serr opted to stay in the East this past summer, and had productive seasons with the OLA Senior Major Peterborough Lakers.


From last year's rookie forward crop, Jake Lawson, Steven Evans, Jamie Roy and Jon Tarbell will be expected to produce full seasons, along with Tassé and Matt McLean. Newcomers Ryan Painter (BCLA Victoria Junior Shamrocks), Doug Noganosh , and lone American Dan Marohl (Baltimore) will look to crack the starting line-up.


Jake Lawson
Outside the Northern Division, Ottawa will face Rochester, Columbus, Albany, Montreal (twice), Washington, Philadelphia, New Jersey (twice) and New York. Including two with the Rock, this looks like a relatively light six games against play-off contenders, four of them at home. With a full season of strong goal-tending from Disher, a demonstrably stronger defence, and more consistent and diverse offensive production, the Rebel are bound to improve substantially from their 1-and-13 debut. Although it would not likely be enough to make the play-offs, a .500 season is not out of reach.




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11/22/01

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