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t h ty Nh w t t t h t t t t t h N t N t t i 4 44 t 18 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, January 9, 2008 By day, Nick Inch is a mildâ€"manâ€" nered salesman. On the weekend, he‘s a jetâ€"setâ€" ting rookie embarking on his first season in the continent‘s highestâ€" level lacrosse league. Inch, who played three years with the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Braves junior A lacrosse team, recently made the Minnesota Swarm, which plays in the east division of the National Lacrosse League. On most teams he‘s played for, Inch was considered a glue guy â€" a hard worker who might not shine bright, but does the work that needed to be done. Now he‘s hoping his team menâ€" tality fits in with the hive at the Swarm. "I don‘t usually make a splash on offence, but I‘ll be there to keep the ball out of the net," Inch said of his role on the Swarm. The defender was originally drafted by the Toronto Rock in 2005. He didn‘t make the team that year and was traded to the Swarm on the 2006 draft day. Now that he‘s hit the big league, Inch won‘t be giving up his day job as an account manager at RIS Docâ€" ument Solutions in Kitchener. t looked like the Waterloo ISiskins would start the new year the same way they ended the old one, trailing the Guelph Domiâ€" nators 3â€"0 heading into the third period Sunday night at the Sun Life Arena. Local lacrosse star inches his way to the big leagues But the Siskins shook off some of their holiday rust in the final frame and Steve Collins second goal of the period with just 4:23 left to play helped Waterloo claim their first point in their last five games. It was a tough month of December for the Siskins who only earned one point in nine games and tumbled from fifth place to the eighth for the final playoff spot in the Midâ€"Western Junior Hockey League. A combination of players u“ll';r;.sl(::g:l;lel‘alll.‘fi;‘;‘:é‘yuévery é(:mé tg be pr;tt;ae‘;uble;t;gl:t .i; WVTJh-e' season almost didn‘t hapâ€" égreement and the NLL season Continued on page 20 & e & & Siskins start new year on the right note against Guelph By Grec MAcDonaLp _Chronicle Staff By Bos VgBaNac Chronicle Staff â€" by joining the Minnesota Swarm of the National Lacrosse League. The NLL kicks off its season this weekend. GREG MACDONALD PHOTO weekend to wherever the Swarm is playing. €0 â€" _ "I‘m going to be flying in and out a fot," Inch said. "My job is going to be pretty flexible about it Nick Inch, who played three years with the Kâ€"W Braves lacrosse team, is making the leap to the professional ranks The Waterloo Siskins‘ Steve Collins drives towards the net in Sunday‘s 4â€"4 tie against the Guelph Dominators SPORTS and hopefully 1 won‘t have to miss too much, just the odd Friday here or there. All in all it‘s going to be a busy season." The season almost didn‘t hapâ€" pen at all In October, the league and the players‘ association couldn‘t come to terms on a collective bargaining agreement and the NLL season BO8 VRSANAC PHOTO was cancelled. "I was obviously excited when 1 first found out I made the team (in the fall), so the possibility of a canâ€" cellation had me a little worried," Inch said. And while he supported his peers in the union, he didn‘t get caught up in the salary debate. _ "I was a rookie and there‘s a standard rookie salary so it didn‘t really affect me," Inch said. "I tried to stay neutral." Almost missing his debut year gave Inch an appreciation for the opportunity before him, as well as a renewed love of the sport. The 23â€"yearâ€"old has played lacrosse at various levels for more than a decade. He called lacrosse a hybrid sport with aspects of hockâ€" ey and basketball mashed togethâ€" er. . _ "Lacrosse has always been my main area of interest," Inch said. â€"It‘s not only the sport that is special, so are the players, he added. . "I‘ve always been one for team sports and I love the team aspect of games. Lacrosse players come from a special breed, I think. I‘ve never met anyone like them and I enjoyâ€"being with them," Inch said. "It‘s a unique sport, it‘s growâ€" ing," Inch said. _ â€" missing games due to exams, as well as a couple of defections, including Eric Lekun who is now playing hockey with the Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders, left the Siskins with only 13 skaters to dress on some nights. That‘s why it was important that another highâ€"school hockey star like Collins step up for the Siskins. The former Grand River Renegade also added another even strength marker against Guelph to give him nine goals on the season. "We had a little bit of a slow start but we finally got it going in the third," said the 17â€"yearâ€"old Grade 12 student. "Coming off Christmas break it seems we still had some of that Christmas stuffâ€" ing left in us. "Once we wore that off we were Continued on page 21