Ugly is getting the job done for Serville
Rookie leads Green Gaels in scoring
May 13, 2008 - 03:00
By Brad Kelly
BOWMANVILLE -- A year ago, Ryan Serville failed to register a point with the Clarington Green Gaels.
But there is a catch. The Pickering resident was used for just one game, as a callup to help fill a hole.
This season he has vaulted from the bottom of the stats sheet to the top, leading the undefeated Green Gaels, who take their perfect 6-0-0 record into Barrie tonight to face the 5-0-0 Tornadoes. The same two teams complete a home-and-home Thursday in Bowmanville at 8 p.m.
The fact that Serville is leading the way offensively for the lacrosse club with 11-20-31 numbers, and is third overall in the OLA Jr. B league, comes as no surprise to head coach Jason Crosbie.
"Every team he has been on he has been in the top two or three in goals and points," he says, before poking a little fun at the 17-year-old rookie. "Me and (assistant coach) Jonas (Derks) call him the ugliest player to watch because he is very unorthodox in what he does, but he just gets it done."
Make no mistake. Crosbie and Derks will gladly take ugly when it produces the kind of results Serville has. Pretty sometimes doesn't get it done.
Coming into the season, Serville was of the mindset he just wanted to fit in. The fact he has emerged as the go to guy offensively has been a pleasant surprise to him.
"Coming in, I was expecting to be a role player," he says.
He alluded to last year's leading scorer, Mark Matthews, who put up 99 points in 19 games to lead the East Conference. Matthews is now playing Jr. A for the Whitby Warriors.
"I wasn't trying to fill his shoes, but I was trying to have a good season coming in so I can help this team win."
So far so good. Six games up and six in the win column.
"He knows when to go and when not to go," says Crosbie of Serville's knack for getting to the net. "He gets that step because he is so big and tall, and he can put the ball away.
"He is a very nice player with good hands and a very good mind for the game."
Latest News
Cops close in on cocaine suspect at train stationOSHAWA -- Durham cops closed in on a drug trafficking suspect as he awaited an eastbound train Thursday morning in Oshawa, seizing more than four ounces of cocaine.Members...
Police seek suspect in jewelry theftPICKERING -- Police are hoping the release of security camera images will help them nab a suspect in a theft from the Pickering Town Centre. The suspect snatched a valuable ...
Body of missing Whitby man foundWHITBY -- The body of a Whitby man reported missing earlier this week has been found in a wooded area in northern Clarington. Durham police issued an appeal Wednesday for ...
College classes set to go on TuesdayDURHAM -- Even if Durham College's support staff hit the picket lines on Tuesday, classes are set to start. The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) represents 6,500...
Zoom shutdown sends travel agencies scramblingDURHAM -- Travel agencies across the region are left up in the air after carrier Zoom Airlines suspended operations Thursday and filed for credit protection. Hundreds of ...
Students below average in Durham?DURHAM -- The Durham District School Board is one of 10 in the province with below-average student achievement, says a new report. The report, released by the C.D. Howe ...
Stanley Tippett audio now onlineCLARINGTON -- Clips of an audiotaped interview with accused kidnapper Stanley Tippett are now available on newsdurhamregion.com (See related media beneath the google map on ...
Great weekend for swimmingDURHAM -- The long weekend will be a great time to take a dip in local waters as only two of Durham's 15 public beaches are tagged as unfit for swimming. In the final set of ...
Perrin Beatty named university's chancellorDURHAM -- The University of Ontario Institute of Technology's new chancellor is Perrin Beatty, the "ultimate Canadian statesman." The weather was grey and windy ...
College staff strike loomsDURHAM -- College support staff are still at the bargaining table as a Sept. 1 strike date looms. There's not much information to be had on exactly how those negotiations are ...