With the 2023-2024 Lakers ice hockey season coming to an end, a majority of players will start their lacrosse season for Antioch Community High School. It is no surprise that many hockey players decide to play lacrosse because there are so many similarities between the two sports. However, there are also some major differences between the sports.
These two sports go hand-in-hand with each other in terms of physicality, speed and skill. Junior Keith Watkins and Carter Gras both played on last year’s team and weighed in on the transition between the two sports. Although hockey and lacrosse have their differences, such as the surface the game is played on and the type of sticks the players use, the two sports have a lot in common.
“The games [hockey and lacrosse] are played very similarly, as it’s very fast-paced with lots of movement between players, pucks and balls,” Gras said.
Although the two games are alike, there are still many differences in the speed and play that can also be compared to some aspects of basketball.
“The game is played at a fast pace, and you have to always be moving around. You set screens and have people cut like in basketball, tons of running around to get an open shot,” Gras said.
Another stark difference between the sports is the equipment and padding involved. Hockey requires full body padding that covers almost the entire body — except for small areas on the sides. Lacrosse, however, involves very little equipment protecting the body despite having the same task of blocking the ball, similar to hockey, where players block the puck.
“There isn’t any padding besides a helmet and a chest protector, while with hockey you basically have all the padding you want,” Watkins said.
The two sports also differ in terms of both in-game speed and difficulty. When it comes to hockey, it can be more challenging with the amount of control and movement needed.
“I’d say hockey is more challenging as you have to do all these movements and control the puck while skating at the same time,” Gras said.
Being new to lacrosse but having a background in hockey can help a player adjust to similar gameplay. With a good chunk of lacrosse players having some background in hockey skills, they are able to easily transfer over from hockey into lacrosse season.
“I’d say the puck skills transfer. Hockey players tend to be able to cradle well and they tend to also have hard shots because the shooting can be similar,” Gras said.
As the hockey season winds down, players are starting to shift their focus to their spring sports. With the beginning of lacrosse season right around the corner, shifting gears into a different sport can be difficult. However, with the skills players acquire from hockey, they aim to easily tackle the lacrosse season.
