Canisius College head coach Randy Mearns and former Griff standout Matt Vinc are two members of the 2006 Canadian Men's Lacrosse Field Championship Team that will be inducted into the country's Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Mearns served as an assistant coach and Vinc was a defender for Team Canada, which claimed the gold medal at the 2006 World Championship.

The 2006 Canadian Team defeated the United States to win their first world lacrosse title in 28 years. Canada went through the round robin of the 2006 World Lacrosse Championships with just a single blemish, losing a buzzer-beater 13-12 to the United States. Canada defeated Japan, 18-7, Australia, 12-9, Iroquois Nationals, 12-8, England, 17-9, Finland, 27-2 and Iroquois Nationals, 16-6, in the semifinals. In the final game, the Canadians scored five-consecutive goals in the fourth quarter to defeat the United States, 15-10. It was Canada's first victory over the United States since the 1978 Canadian team took gold with a 17-16 overtime victory.

Mearns is in his 10th season as head coach of his alma mater. He has guided 12 Griffs to All-MAAC standing in addition to mentoring the 2006 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year and the 2007 MAAC Rookie of the Year. Under Mearns' guidance, the Griffs won the 2006 MAAC Regular Season Championship and have earned a spot in the MAAC Tournament four of the past five seasons.

A silver medalist at the 1988 World Championship, Mearns enjoyed a successful playing career at Canisius. He holds school records with 95 career assists, 94 single-season points and 49 single-season assists. He also ranks second in school history with 190 career points.

Vinc earned four letters with the Griffs from 2002 to 2005. He led the team in ground balls in three different seasons and ranks fifth all-time with 258 career ground balls. A 2004 and 2005 All-MAAC selection, Vinc played in all eight games at the 2006 World Championship, recording one goal and eight ground balls.

The team will be formally inducted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 in Burnaby, British Columbia.

2007-09-13