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Local National Lacrosse League players Dan Dawson (pictured left, in grey jersey) and brother Paul (bottom photo) are now members of the Rochester Knighthawks, following a recent trade from the Philadelphia Wings. PHOTOS BY WARD LAFORME JR. / COURTESY OF ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS Strict diet, breathing techniques enabled Gilmour's return to ice Continued from page 32 33 · Friday, January 11, 2013 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Dawson brothers dealt to Rochester By now, you would think Dan Dawson had seen it all. A well-travelled 11-year veteran of the National Lacrosse League, Dawson has played on five different teams in almost every corner of the United States. The one thing he had never experienced was being traded, until his phone rang one night last month. "Honestly, I never saw it coming," said Dawson of the six-player trade that sent him from the Philadelphia Wings to the Rochester Knighthawks. "I'm very excited, though. They're one of the elite teams. It's definitely an amazing ownership group and they're doing great things." All of Dawson's previous moves were the result of franchise relocations or dispersal drafts. Heading to Rochester with him was his brother Paul, for whom being traded was nothing new. Since breaking into the league as a goalie in 2007 with San Jose, Paul has been traded three times. That might explain his reaction to the latest deal. "I slept through all of it," said the 27-year-old, who has played defence since his second season in the league. "I got up at five the next morning and I had all these texts and messages but nobody was awake yet, so I had to wait a couple of hours." Rochester is the third stop where the brothers have played together after previous stints in Boston and Philadelphia. Though they've never insisted on being on the same team, they were happy to move on together. "That's one thing I'll always cherish is being able to play with my brother. He's my best friend." Dan said. "And it makes it a lot easier on our family." Playing on the same team means no divided loyalties, like the 2007 season where Dan's Arizona Sting met Paul's San Jose Stealth in the semifinals. Dan's team won and moved on to the final where it lost, coincidentally, to Rochester. Now, winning that elusive NLL title is one of the few things missing from the 2009 NLL MVP's lacrosse resume, which includes five Mann Cups, two World Indoor Lacrosse Championships and a Major Lacrosse League title. "It haunts me," he said. "It's the one thing that has eluded me. All the stats and accolades mean nothing. You're remembered for one thing and that's championships." Paul, who has three Mann Cups to his credit, believes Rochester has set itself up well to make another run at a title. Six-time all-star Casey Powell returns to the Knighthawks. He put up six straight 80-point seasons before taking last year off. "They bolstered the roster even before they added us," said Paul. "It makes it pretty exciting to be a part of team defending a championship. (Dan and I) did it with Brampton. You play with a bit of a chip on your shoulder because everyone is coming for you. I feel really good about our chances, but nothing is going to be given to us." Perhaps the only downside to the trade was that the Dawson brothers were set to play an exhibition game in Oakville last month, as Philadelphia faced the Toronto Rock at the Rock's new practice facility. However, the trade meant the Dawsons missed out on the chance to play in their hometown. "I grew up here, I live here, we're both products of the Oakville Minor Lacrosse Association and both Paul and I are proud of that," Dan said. "Representing Oakville would have been a great chance to showcase the NLL and the local program." "Maybe I'll have to write (an Oakville exhibition game) into my contract next year." The Dawsons made their Rochester regular-season debuts Saturday in Washington. Dan had four assists and Paul scooped up a loose ball, but the Knighthawks dropped their season opener 13-12 to the Stealth. Rochester's next game will be Saturday, Jan. 19, when the Knighthawks host the Buffalo Bandits. -- Herb Garbutt wrapped. "I immediately tear up and start crying," Gilmour said. "Then I looked up and both my parents are crying. It was amazing." The framed invitation still sits atop her trophy shelf. Training camp was a series of fitness tests all day, every day. Benchpresses, chin-ups, "just crazy, crazy amounts of testing," Gilmour said. And then came the frightening setback and heartache. At the May camp, she collapsed on the ice. Unable to finish the camp, she was sent home. Doctors thought it was overexertion, but she spent the summer in and out of hospital when the fainting spells continued. "I had two MRIs, an EEG, all this testing to figure out what was wrong because I kept fainting," Gilmour said. "I fainted about four times and no "I was devastated... The one knew why." next day, I got on the At the end of August, she was at the Hornets' training camp when she faint- ice, you just push yourself that much harder. I ed again and went into convulsions. In the midst of her health scare, was so close; I wasn't Gilmour received another e-mail, this going to give up. I practime official notification she had been tised harder, worked out cut from the Canadian team. "I was devastated," she said. "I cried harder." all night long. It was horrible. The next day, I got on the ice, you just push Kristin Gilmour, reflecting on yourself that much harder. I was so being cut from the national close; I wasn't going to give up. I prac- under-18 team due to a medical condition tised harder, worked out harder." In her youthful exuberance, she phoned Hockey Canada officials to find out why she didn't make the team. Was she not working hard enough, she wanted to know? No, they responded, it was her health. After weekly visits to the doctor, Gilmour finally got a diagnosis: neurocardiogenic presyncope. "Basically, when I push myself too hard, oxygen doesn't go to my brain and I pass out," Gilmour said. With a strict diet and breathing techniques, she can control what doctors have told her is not an uncommon ailment among athletes, she said. Meanwhile, Hockey Canada continued to monitor her progress with the Hornets. After consultation with and clearance from her doctors, Gilmour was offered a spot on the Canadian team in November. Gilmour, who will attend the University of Maine next year, was determined to make the most of her second chance, but she was in for a bit of a surprise. Facing Hungary, which was making its debut at worlds, Gilmour was not expecting such a high level of play. "I felt like I underestimated them," she said. "I had to get used to the speed and physicality. They were better than the best PW(HL) team." Gilmour would make the necessary adjustments, though. On New Year's Day, she picked up her first point, assisting on a goal in a win over Germany. In the semifinal, she took a pass from her defensive partner, Halli Krzyzaniak, and fired a wrist shot past the Swedish goalie to open the scoring in a 7-2 Canada win. Twenty-four hours later, the Canadian squad was watching precious seconds tick away but Gilmour knew her team could pull out a win. "Honestly, you play games where you doubt you're going to win," she said. "But I never had a single doubt that we were going to win that game." Arriving home Sunday, Gilmour didn't even have time to add her gold medal to her trophy shelf. When the team's plane touched down at 12:30 p.m. after a trans-Atlantic flight, she grabbed her hockey bag, ran through the airport and went directly to a Brampton arena. Arriving just before warm-ups, she joined the Hornets and picked up an assist in a 3-3 tie. Reuniting with her teammates was one more opportunity she just didn't want to miss.