“Shall we lax, gentlemen?”
The question was almost quaint in its formality. But how it was asked—by a young man sweating under pounds of padding and a thick helmet with a protective facemask, accompanied by a knowing, almost sinister smirk—made it far less innocuous.
The “lax” in question is lacrosse, the centuries-old sport that combines the movement and strategy of soccer and polo with the physical aggression of ice hockey. And the version of lacrosse that Michael Phillips—one of the goalies for the Portland Voodoo, the semi-pro team set to kick off its second season this month—was asking to play on this sweltering July morning is fiercer than most.
Called “box lacrosse,” this indoor variant of the sport has much looser restrictions for physical contact. So loose that there are Reddit threads and YouTube channels dedicated to videos of box lacrosse’s best hard checks and fights. And when I spend a little time with Phillips and Matt Mohr, general manager of the Voodoo, the talk naturally turns to scraps the pair got into during their inaugural season in 2018.
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“It’s only a four-minute major [penalty],” Mohr says with a shrug. “Everyone loves that physical side of the game. It gets everyone really fired up.”
Mohr is a lifelong lacrosse player and enthusiast who has long been advocating for the sport—especially since 2009, the year that the Portland LumberJax, the local team that played in the National Lacrosse League, folded after four seasons. Mohr wasn’t alone: When he founded the Voodoo and signed up the team to be part of the International Box Lacrosse Association (IBLA), he had players from all over the Northwest converging on Portland to be part of the action.
“We had two guys from Boise,” Mohr says. “A guy from Spokane. One from Kamloops, BC. Last year, we had Austin Olson, who plays for the University of Oregon and was one of the top scorers in the league. He really helped improve everyone’s game.”
What brought this rough-and-tumble crew to an outdoor roller hockey court in Beaverton for practice last month, and will continue to bring them to the upcoming games in their short season, is a simple love of lacrosse. None of the players get paid to participate, and most are using secondhand gear or pads they’ve had since high school.
The appeal, though, is immediate. Their practice is fast and loud, with the goalie shouting out the location of the ball to the defenders and plenty of shit-talking among the players. Even in this friendly scrimmage, the game is a rough one, with lots of jostling for any advantage in popping the solid rubber ball into the net. For men seeking some exercise and camaraderie in one fell swoop, there’s nothing better.
Playing for the IBLA also connects these men with a fairly widespread network of fellow lacrosse players. The Voodoo and the Everett Express—the only two teams currently in the Regional Box Lacrosse League’s Pacific Northwest Division—have a friendly rivalry, with the teams knocking back beers together after each game. And they stay in touch with other teams around North America, sharing inside jokes and getting energized by their exploits.
“It’s been inspiring watching other programs,” Mohr says. “It just makes us want to continue to grow and make this our own. Build the brand, and hopefully inspire younger players to keep up with the sport. No matter what, though, this has been nothing but exciting.”
(Portland Voodoo versus Everett Express, Sat Aug 3 & Sun Aug 4, 2:30 pm, Indoor Goals, 16340 NW Bethany Ct, Beaverton)