{"id":32895,"date":"2023-04-14T00:33:36","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T04:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=32895"},"modified":"2023-04-20T17:22:03","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T21:22:03","slug":"sacs-dynamic-duo-swap-hockey-sticks-for-field-lacrosse-sticks-to-usher-in-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/sacs-dynamic-duo-swap-hockey-sticks-for-field-lacrosse-sticks-to-usher-in-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"SAC\u2019s dynamic duo swap hockey sticks for field lacrosse sticks to usher in Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s been a seamless transition from Canada\u2019s national winter sport to Canada\u2019s national summer sport for Jonathan Castagna and Francesco Dell\u2019Elce this April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The St. Andrew\u2019s College (SAC) Seniors have put their hockey equipment in storage and switched their focus to field lacrosse for the Spring season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two Saints aren\u2019t alone in the move from hockey to lacrosse.  Fifteen<\/em> of their First Hockey teammates also play lacrosse for SAC. The varsity team is gearing up for its first home game on the turf of St. Andrew\u2019s on April 19. To prepare for the regular season, the Saints travelled to Buffalo to get in some exhibition games and came back with good results. Although the team is \u201cinexperienced at playing lacrosse,\u201d according to Dell\u2019Elce, \u201cwe won our first game of the season in overtime before the second game of the doubleheader was rained out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The native of Nobleton loves playing lacrosse for the Saints because \u201cit\u2019s a completely different environment compared to the long hockey season, it\u2019s a bit less competitive, and most of guys from the hockey team play lacrosse, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, Castagna enjoys this familiarity between teammates and believes it \u201cleads to a different kind of fun where the hockey players can decompress and create a kind of \u2018dog pound\u2019 mentality on the lacrosse pitch which is filled with grit and competition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there is a fun element to playing lacrosse in the Spring for these long-time teammates, their respective hockey options this Fall have comparatively serious long-term and bountiful possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 marked the eleventh consecutive year that Jonathan Castagna and Francesco Dell\u2019Elce have played on the same hockey team. From their days in tyke with the Duffield Devils for two seasons, to seven seasons with the Toronto Marlboros, to the last two seasons with the SAC Saints, Castagna and Dell\u2019Elce have established reputations as terrific student-athletes who play hockey at an elite level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, with promising pathways before each of them, they could diverge by going to Cornell and UMass, respectively. Or, they could end up playing a 12th<\/sup> season on the same squad\u2014this time in the BCHL on a rebuilding team in Penticton where playing time will be up for grabs with only 5 Bees returning for 2023-24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the duo does not end up skating for one of British Columbia\u2019s strongest junior teams, they have two pathways that are equally desirable. For SAC Captain Castagna, his US College hockey and prospective NHL options are clearly-delineated.  The SAC Scholar (Honor Roll) has committed to Cornell University for next season where he would like to study Economics.  However, Castagna is also ranked #135 in the NHL\u2019s Scouting Bureau\u2019s List so it is likely that he\u2019ll be drafted in the 4rd<\/sup> or 5th<\/sup> round in June.  The high-scoring centre would \u201cbe thrilled and honored to be drafted by an NHL team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, for SAC Assistant Captain Dell\u2019Elce, the steady and productive defenseman is ranked #106 in the NHL Scouting List so his draft prospects could be as high as the 3rd<\/sup> or 4th<\/sup> round.  Dell\u2019Elce stated frankly that being drafted by an NHL team would be a \u201chuge honor and a childhood dream come true.\u201d However, the SAC Scholar Honor Roll athlete is also committed to the University of Massachusetts for 2024 where he would like to major in Business. He is looking forward to playing at UMass because the \u201chockey culture is the same as it is here at SAC.\u201d Prior to going to UMass, the Nobleton native will compete in the British Columbia Hockey League and play for the Penticton Bees. Dell\u2019Elce is looking forward to \u201cseizing the Junior Hockey opportunity\u201d and \u201cplaying for a team in full rebuild.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether the long-time teammates end up in Penticton together in 2023-24 or go their separate ways, both Castagna and Dell\u2019Elce reflected on their final season at SAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked to consider their personal highlights from the Saints\u2019 2022-23 season, Captain Castagna selected the team\u2019s bronze medal win at the 39th<\/sup> MacPherson Tournament because \u201cwe were able to celebrate on the podium.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were able to rally and win after a devastating overtime loss on home ice the night before. We were able to overcome adversity and beat Victory Honda.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assistant Captain Dell\u2019Elce also chose the MacPherson tournament as his 2023 highlight because \u201cit was great to play with family and in front of family in a packed house with great atmosphere.  The Pipe Band\u2019s pre-game appearance on the ice made it an amazing playing experience.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A reflective Castagna echoed his teammate\u2019s remarks about his \u201cfamily\u201d at SAC as the best thing he experienced: \u201cI\u2019m most grateful for the family I have made here at SAC. I have lived away from my parents for two years so this school has matured me. I\u2019ll cherish these memories.  I will want to give back to this community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dell\u2019Elce was equally appreciative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI came here for development and I am grateful for the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He offered an aqueous metaphor to drive home his point: \u201cMy dad often said to me that \u2018You can lead a horse to water but you can\u2019t make it drink\u2019. This place has all the \u2018water\u2019 or opportunity to draw from it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s evident that both Castagna and Dell\u2019Elce have seized their opportunities at SAC, they acknowledged that their success on and off the ice would not have been possible without the leadership and mentorship of their Head Coach David Manning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dell\u2019Elce\u2014a four-year veteran at SAC\u2013 noted that, \u201cwe all love Coach Manning. He\u2019s given us every opportunity and he\u2019s taught us how to play the right way and to live our lives the right way, too.\u201d  Castagna succinctly assessed Coach Manning\u2019s impact on him over his two seasons at SAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCoach Manning taught us to be men, not showboats. He\u2019s not just a hockey coach; he\u2019s been a life coach and mentor for two years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023-24, SAC\u2019s Dynamic Duo could be going their separate ways for the first time in eleven years, but they carry with them a bevy of sound values to use for their next stage of life after high school graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Jim Stewart<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a seamless transition from Canada\u2019s national winter sport to Canada\u2019s national summer sport for Jonathan Castagna and Francesco Dell\u2019Elce this April. The St. Andrew\u2019s College (SAC) Seniors have put their hockey equipment in storage and switched their focus to field lacrosse for the Spring season. The two Saints aren\u2019t alone in the move […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":32898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[24,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-sports","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/2023-04-13-03.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3D2k4-8yz","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-16 17:45:34","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}