Arthur’s Carter Coffey makes National Lacrosse League debut

ARTHUR – It all started with the Arthur Aces minor lacrosse.  

Carter Coffey was about 10 years old when friends convinced him to give lacrosse a shot, and the Arthur kid never turned back. 

He quickly fell in love with the fast, engaging and intense game that keeps players on their toes, Coffey told the Advertiser, adding, “I love to run.” 

Last week, the 22-year-old made his national debut playing defence for the Buffalo Bandits, facing off against the Toronto Rock in Hamilton.

Coffey said lots of his family and friends came along to show support, and he was excited and full of emotion as he stepped onto what was “definitely the biggest stage I’ve ever played on.” 

But he said the veterans on the team helped him adjust, and after the first few shifts his nerves subsided. 

His team brought home a 14-9 win.  

The life-long Arthur resident flew to San Diego for his second game on March 21. 

This one was a closer game. With five minutes on the clock, the Bandits were down by four goals, but they managed to tie it up, and then win 9-8 in overtime. 

Coffey has since played against Saskatchewan on March 28 – another close game, with the Bandits securing an 8-7 victory – and is set to play Vancouver on April 4, Rochester on April 11 and Oshawa on April 18.

Coffey played all of his minor lacrosse with the Arthur Aces, and said coach Cole Rooney, who used to play for the Elora Hawks, motivated him to “keep playing and move on to the next level. 

“He cared a lot for the game, and all the players, and really put a lot of effort in to help everyone improve in the game, and made it a lot more fun,” Coffey said.  

Rooney said Coffey has a clear love for the sport, and his competitive drive pushed him to “work at everything until he became good at it.”

He described Coffey as a quiet kid who always got things done – “If I gave him some feedback or asked him to try something, he’d just kind of give me a nod and go do it.” 

Rooney said he always knew the young player would make it in the big leagues: “you could just tell.”  

“I couldn’t say enough nice things about him,” Rooney said. “He’s always been a good kid and deserves everything he’s got and everything he worked for.” 

Coffey was drafted by the Buffalo Bandits in September, which was followed by tryouts and training camp, and was signed to the Bandits at the end of November. 

Relief washed over him when he got the call about being signed to the team, and friends and family surrounded him in the following days to congratulate him.

“They’re super proud and super interested to see, especially someone from a small town,” make it to the big leagues with televised games, he said. 

His dreams for the future are simple: to “become as good a player as I can,  make a name for myself in the league, have a long career and be successful in the game.”