Quick: What is the national sport of Canada?

If you answered hockey, you’re only half correct. Hockey is the national winter sport of Canada, but in the summertime, that designation goes to the sport of lacrosse. In fact, until the National Sports of Canada Act was passed in 1994, lacrosse had the title all to itself.

So, when two Cornell lacrosse players are invited to try out for the Canadian National team with the opportunity of representing their own country at the 2010 Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships, it’s a pretty big deal.Great white north: Junior midfielder Jon Thomson (35) and senior longstick midfielder Michael Howe tried out for spots on the Canadian National Team.

For the first time since its heartbreaking 10-9 overtime loss to Syracuse in the NCAA national championship, the men’s lacrosse team returned to the field, hosting Penn State and Bucknell in the 2009 Fall Ball Tournament this past Saturday. It marked the first time during head coach Jeff Tambroni’s 12-year tenure with the team that Cornell hosted the round-robin tournament.

M. Basketball Names Tri-Captains

Three seniors will step up to share the captain title for the men’s basketball team in 2009-10, head coach Steve Donahue announced on Tuesday: center Jeff Foote and forwards Alex Tyler and Jon Jacques, who serves on the Sun’s editorial writing board. Foote and Tyler are two of the five returning starters from last year, and Jacques has been a vocal leader on the team and played in 13 games last season.

Foote is the reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year after posting 7.2 rebounds per game and 2.1 blocks per game, both Ivy League-leading figures. He also bulked up in offseason while playing in the Howard Pulley Summer Pro League in St. Paul, Minn. — up to 265 from 245.

Senior goalie Jake Myers and Red defenders look on in horror as Syracuse's Cody Jamieson finds the back of the net for the game-winning goal to hand the Orange the national championship and end the Red's 2009 season.

When freshman midfielder Roy Lang scored to put the men's lacrosse team up 9-6 with 5:37 left in the NCAA finals, it seemed like things were going too smoothly against defending national champion Orange. It had been a close, hard-fought game, but the Red was getting all the breaks — Syracuse attackman Stephen Keogh's goal in the fourth quarter was waved off because of a nearly imperceptible crease violation, Cornell was drawing penalties to keep possessions going and the team's senior goalie Jake Myers was at the top of his game, holding Orange attackmen Kenny Nims and Keogh to just one score in four shots on goal.

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Cornell had the lead from beginning to end until Syracuse senior attackman Kenny Nims scored at the end of a circus play with four seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game at 9. The Red was attempting a clear but the Syracuse ride forced the turnover and several looping passes later, Nims fired a low shot past Cornell senior goalie Jake Myers from point-blank range to force overtime.

Cornell won the face-off in overtime but a quick turnover led to a goal by Syracuse's Cody Jamieson, who was academically ineligible for most of the season but made a huge impact in his few games with the team. Jamieson's goal handed Syracuse the 10-9 overtime win.

Ivy League Rookie of the Year Rob Pannell must take advantage of Cornell's depth on offense to keep up with a loaded Syracuse team.

The men’s lacrosse team’s 2009 season came full circle when it upset top seed Virginia for a chance to play in the national championship game against No. 2 seed Syracuse. The Red shocked the Cavaliers, 15-6, by playing intelligent team defense and, above all, controlling possession and showing discipline on offense. Those talents, however, weren’t always in the 2009 team’s repertoire — they appeared out of necessity after the Red’s 15-10 loss to the same Orange squad that will take the field on Monday looking for its second consecutive (11th overall) national title.