Merchants Take Down the James Gang in OSL Season Opener

By Mark Stehlin

The defending Clare Levack Trophy winners started their 2026 Ontario Series Lacrosse (OSL) season successfully last night. The Merchants packed their gear for a 7:00 pm date at the Lakefield Arena with the Ennismore James Gang. By the time the final buzzer sounded, the Merchants had rounded up the James Gang by a final score of 15-4.

Earlier in the week, head coach Ryan Degerdon said that with this year’s OSL shortened season of 12 games, he expected a quick start from his squad and demanded they set the season tone early. Mission accomplished.

With the absence of Deacan Knott, goaltender duties will be handled by the Whitby Steelhawks duo of Ethan Harwood and Ryan Schuetzkowski. It was Harwood in net last night and he shut the hosts down with a flawless opening frame. In the other net stood Andrew Kidd, back-up goalie for the National Lacrosse League, Oshawa Firewolves.

In a pre-season deal, the Merchants sent long-time team member, Ed Renaud to the Hamilton Bengals in exchange for Shane Halliwell. Last night, Halliwell started his Merchants career with his first goal after just 20 seconds. The visitors cruised to a 5-0 lead after the opening frame.

The Merchants built a 10-0 lead through the middle frame. It was Bryce Dennis on the power play for the James Gang who was able to stem the tide in the last few minutes of the period. The scoreboard displayed a 10-1 lead for the visitors with one period of play remaining.

The home side played for pride in front of their fans and tried to salvage something from the game. After two periods of being outscored by large margins, the James Gang came out strong and notched three in that final period, being outscored 4-3 in a closer final frame.

Four members of the Merchants registered multi-goal performances. Newcomer Halliwell was good for three goals. He was matched by veterans Adam Perroni, Parker Pipher, and another addition to this year’s line-up, Landen Sinfield all of whom scored three times.

“It was great to see the fight in the guys out there, good to see the will to outwork the opponent. I was impressed with the level of play on loose balls, guys hustling on and off the floor and toughness in the corners”, said Degerdon.

“This organization will succeed with buy-in from all players. I can dress 18 runners and two goalies for each game, but we know it will take a larger group of names to be able to come in and out of the line-up. Hard work and dedication to details will provide players an opportunity to fight for spots on game nights,” added Degerdon.

Next up for the Merchants is their home opener on Friday May 8, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. when the new kids in the league, Belleville Kodiaks make an appearance at Iroquois Park Sports Centre. Season passes are available at the gate for only $50.00 (a $ 72.00 value).