New-look lax co-op settling in

The Cranston East-Johnston boys lacrosse co-op is searching for its first win as it gets settled into the 2024 spring season.

The Thundercat roster has undergone significant change from last year as North Providence left town to form its own team, and this year’s bunch is almost entirely new. With only two players that have logged real varsity minutes, the coaching staff is simply looking for progress and for players to step up to fill roles.

“It’s a new roster, a small roster and most of them have never played. Guys have stepped up, Alex Fedorchuk has stepped up in goal and has been unbelievable,” said East-Johnston coach Matt Davis.

Leading the way on offense so far has been Jayden Chagnon, who scored the team’s lone two goals against Rogers on Monday. Chagnon also registered four goals against North Providence while Wilson Chavez Chingo found the back of the cage. Fedorchuk finished with 14 saves that game and has saved over 50 percent of shots on net.

Considering the circumstances, Davis and his staff are not concerned about the wins and losses as much as they’re looking for the team to take a step forward. Davis has been proud of the players for giving the sport a shot, especially considering how challenging lacrosse is for novices.

“I’m proud of these kids for stepping up and trying a new sport, it takes a lot of guts and a lot of courage. Lacrosse is a tough, contact varsity sport, but they wanted to try it and they have been showing up every day,” Davis said. “Every day there’s been improvement. We just want to teach them the basics, the rules of the game.”

The co-op will next be taking on Scituate on the road on Thursday, then will turn around and host Tiverton the following Monday.