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Hockey Players Switching Sticks for Spring Season

06/03/2016, 2:15pm CDT
By Peter Odney

Lacrosse Popularity Grows Among High School Skaters

Eden Prairie's Nicky Leivermann is one of many Minnesota high school hockey players who play lacrosse after the outdoor ice melts. Credit: Peter Odney.

Eden Prairie's Nicky Leivermann is one of many Minnesota high school hockey players who play lacrosse after the outdoor ice melts. Credit: Peter Odney.

Nicky Leivermann doesn’t mind being battered physically, whether his bruises come from toiling on the ice or the field.

Just weeks after helping lead Eden Prairie to a runner-up finish at the 2016 Class 2A boys’ state hockey tournament in March, Leivermann traded his skates for a lacrosse stick, to lead the Eagle lacrosse team’s offense. It's a different playing field, but with a similar intensity.

“I play attack, so I have a player consistently whacking me with a six-foot pole, and because of hockey, I'm more or less used to this,” Leivermann said via email.

Leivermann, who leads the Eagles with 25 goals, is one of numerous Minnesota high school hockey players who are incorporating lacrosse into their spring sport regimen, enticed by the similarity between the two sports and the large amount of skills that cross over from one to the other.

“I think footwork is the most important aspect that is used both in hockey and lacrosse. Leivermann said. "I believe playing lacrosse for so long has made me quicker in hockey."

Minnesota’s pre-occupation with hockey could be triggering an uptick in lacrosse participation.

In a June, 2015 article published by laxmagazine.com, Minnesota recorded a 73 percent* growth at the high school level -- tops in the nation.

Bloomington Jefferson senior Weiland Parrish finished third in points for the Jaguars this hockey season, and said that he carries a familiarity with teammates from the winter to spring sports seasons.

“Probably the biggest (asset) is chemistry,” Parrish said after scoring five goals, as his Jaguars defeated Leivermann’s Eagles 8-3 on May 21.

Parrish and fellow senior (and Harvard lacrosse commit) Ryan Graff have been teammates in both sports for several years, and Graff says that going from hockey to lacrosse is a benefit to their overall health.

“Me and (Parrish) play on the same (hockey) line, going out almost every other shift, we’re in the best cardiovascular health possible,” Graff explained. “So when you come out (to lacrosse) and have to play the entire game, it’s no biggie.”

Bloomington Jefferson's Ryan Graff. Credit: Peter Odney.

Bloomington Jefferson's Ryan Graff. Credit: Peter Odney.

Leivermann concurs on the health benefits, saying that each sport helps him stay in shape for the other.

“Physically its not that difficult because I'm already in shape and getting stronger every year from hockey,” he said.

The trend of picking lacrosse over baseball is in full effect on the other side of the metro area.

Woodbury senior Marshall Tschida, a mainstay on the Royals’ blue line, says that he was encouraged to pick up a pole by friends already on the lacrosse team.

“The guys kind of recruited me into it,” Tschida said.

Tschida added that he enjoys the team aspect of lacrosse.

“All the lacrosse guys are really good, and there’s a good family atmosphere here,” he said.

Woodbury’s lacrosse team is currently undefeated, and claimed its first Suburban East Conference title in May.

Bloomington Jefferson coach Scott Cater appreciates the versatility that his hockey-playing athletes bring to the lacrosse field.

“(Weiland) and Ryan are very creative with their sticks, they’re not the lumbering lacrosse player,” Cater said. “They’ve got the hands, so we work to exemplify that in our program.”

*According to the National Federation of State High School Associations

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