The team adds 3 coaches to its staff.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Knighthawks Academy has announced three major additions to the Jr. Knighthawks’ coaching staff for the upcoming season. Knighthawks Hall of Famer Tim Soudan and local lacrosse legends Jacques Monte and Cory Holbrough have signed on to coach the USBOXLA-sanctioned program.
“I’m extremely excited to add these three coaches to the staff,” said Knighthawks Academy Director Brad Gillies. “They have years of quality playing and coaching experience in lacrosse, from professional to high school. They all have strong box backgrounds as well, which is huge for our program. I can’t wait to coach alongside them.”
Soudan, who currently coaches lacrosse at Fairport High School, returns after coaching the Jr. Knighthawks during the 2017-18 winter session.
“I am thrilled to be involved with the Jr. Knighthawks again,” said Soudan, whose son, Tanner, plays for the Midget team. “It is a great program and great offseason training for field lacrosse players. It is fast, and players learn to play faster than ever before.”
The Fairport native is a western New York lacrosse icon, having played and coached at the highest levels of lacrosse. During his National Lacrosse League playing career, the UMass product spent 11 of his 15 seasons with the Knighthawks. “Soudo” was an original Knighthawk, playing for the inaugural team in 1995. The gritty forward helped the franchise win its first title in 1997, and still ranks in the Top 10 in goals, assists, and points in team history. In 2009, he was inducted into the Knighthawks Hall of Fame. Soudan also was enshrined in the Greater Rochester Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Monte, who coaches football and lacrosse at Fairport High School, will reunite with Soudan on the Jr. Knighthawks’ staff. The duo has spent the past 15 years coaching lacrosse at Fairport. Monte also worked on Soudan’s staff with the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse, as part of his 13-year coaching career in the MLL. A Fairport alum, Monte was a standout in football, wrestling, and lacrosse. He played his college lacrosse at Hobart College and was a member of three national championship teams. At the pro level, he played alongside Paul and Gary Gait on the Detroit Turbos, and won the 1991 Major Indoor Lacrosse League championship (MILL). In 2016, Monte was inducted into the Greater Rochester Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame. In 2018, he accepted the assistant coaching job with the MLL’s Dallas Rattlers.
Monte, who has been a longtime supporter of the Jr. Knighthawks, now gets to work behind the bench with the kids.
“I am excited and honored to be working with the Jr. Knighthawks,” said Jacques, whose sons Jackson and Mitchell play for the Jr. Knighthawks. “The Knighthawks organization is a Class A organization, and I can’t wait to start working with all the great talent that has been a part of this group. Since box lacrosse was such an integral part of my lacrosse development, I thought it would be fun to pass on my knowledge of the game to the next generation of lacrosse players.”
The Jr. Knighthawks are also proud to announce the signing of Brighton High School head coach Cory Holbrough. The Burlington, ONT., native has an extensive field and box lacrosse playing and coaching background. Holbrough played his Junior “A” lacrosse with the Burlington Chiefs and eventually competed at the professional level with the Boston Blazers in 1997.
During his collegiate career, Holbrough was a standout in both hockey and lacrosse at Union College. Upon graduation, he started a two-year stint coaching girls’ lacrosse at the prep school level (1996-97). In 1998, he had the opportunity of a lifetime and traveled to Australia to coach and play men’s lacrosse. In 1999, he returned stateside and began coaching high school lacrosse, which included stops at prep schools in Mass. and public schools in Boston. From 2006-10, Holbrough served as the hockey and lacrosse coach at Berkshire School in Sheffield, MA.
In 2011, he moved to western New York and was hired as the head coach of the Brighton Barons, a position he still holds today. Holbrough, who resides in Brighton with his wife and four kids, is very active in the local lacrosse community as he also coaches club teams with 3d Lacrosse and Flyers Lacrosse. He also volunteers his time to coach Brighton youth lacrosse.
Coming on board with the Jr. Knighthawks is a chance to get back to his box lacrosse roots.
“I am excited, especially as my two boys both got to play box in the winter with Brad (Gillies),” said Holbrough. “We had Brad come out to some of the Brighton practices in the spring, and it was great. My guys had such a good time doing it, more so my sixth grader because he is age appropriate.”
“I love watching the kids play a different game,” he added. “They learn how to keep their sticks in tight and all the intangibles Canadian wizards bring to the field game. You see the head of their sticks and you know they’re going to catch it. That’s what I teach my Brighton varsity team.”
The Jr. Knighthawks will participate in the inaugural Upstate Box Lacrosse Invitational at Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex from Aug. 17-18 and will play in the sixth annual Jr. NLL Tournament in Oakville, ONT., from Aug. 24-26.