St. Catharines – The City of St. Catharines, in partnership with the St. Catharines Junior Athletics Club, and the Las Vegas Desert Dogs and Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League (NLL), are excited to bring professional lacrosse to the Meridian Centre for the first-time ever.

On Saturday, November 16, at 7:00 p.m., the Bandits will begin the process of defending their 2024 NLL Championship with a pre-season game right in their backyard, in downtown St. Catharines. Proceeds from the event will support the 2025 Minto Cup Organizing Committee for the hosting of the Junior ‘A’ National Championship taking place at the Meridian Centre in August of 2025.

“Lacrosse has been woven into the very fabric of our community, and we are thrilled to host a professional game here for the first time in the history of both the venue and the city.” said Brian York, Director of Economic Development and Government Relations for the City of St. Catharines.

Those sentiments were echoed by the President of the St. Catharines Junior Athletics program, and the Chair of the 2025 Minto Cup Organizing Committee, Paul Coates.

“We’re truly thankful for the partnership between Las Vegas and Buffalo that has allowed this to take place, and we trust we can get the best of all worlds on the 16th – a great lacrosse game, with local players, and a full arena to kick-start the process of hosting the 2025 Minto Cup here in St. Catharines.”

Tickets are available here. All proceeds from ticket sales will go towards the hosting committee for the 2025 Minto Cup.

In addition to the game, lacrosse camps will take place on the day of the game – free of charge – run by players from both the Buffalo Bandits and Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Details for sign up will be coming forward in the days to come, provided directly to the minor lacrosse associations in Niagara.

There are a number of local connections, with former Athletics dotting each roster – including Steve Priolo, Matt Vinc, Tom Whitty and Jackson Webster. Behind the bench, Vegas Head Coach and GM Shawn Williams is a member of the Brock Badgers Hall of Fame, with current and former Athletics coaches Ken Millin and Eric Vinc behind the bench for Vegas and Buffalo as well.