Walk into most lacrosse shops and the branded merch on the wall belongs to a manufacturer — Warrior, Maverik, STX. Walk into ours at 56 Broadway in Orangeville and you'll also find gear that belongs to the town itself: hats, hoodies, tees, and even a lacrosse shaft carrying the Northmen name.
Here's where that name comes from, and what's actually in the lineup right now.
Who Are the Orangeville Northmen?
The Orangeville Northmen are the town's Junior box lacrosse program, and the lineage goes back further than most people realize. The franchise took the floor in 1975 as the Orangeville Stingers, then rebranded as the Orangeville Northmen in 1982 — a name that's stuck for more than four decades since. Today the Junior "A" Northmen play in the OLA Junior A Lacrosse League, one of the top development leagues in the province.
The Junior "B" Northmen followed in 2001 as the club's official farm team, playing out of Alder Street Recreation Centre in the OLA Junior B Lacrosse League. That Jr. B program has had real success of its own: back-to-back league championships in 2016 and 2017, a Founders' Cup national title on home floor in 2016, and a repeat national championship in Saskatoon in 2017.
The Orangeville lacrosse pipeline has also produced a notable list of National Lacrosse League talent over the years, including Brodie Merrill, Josh Sanderson, and goaltender Dillon Ward, among others who came up through the local system before turning pro. That track record is part of why box lacrosse carries real weight in this town — it's not just a rec league, it's produced players who went on to play at the highest level of the indoor game.
Beyond the Junior program, Orangeville also runs Rep box lacrosse, field lacrosse, and women's field lacrosse streams through its minor lacrosse association — which is a big part of why box lacrosse dominates the local sports calendar every spring and summer. If you're trying to figure out where a young player fits into that picture, our guide to box lacrosse leagues in Ontario breaks down the minor associations across the region, including Orangeville's.
That history is the reason "Northmen" means something on a hat or a hoodie in this town — it's not a generic team name, it's the club generations of local kids have grown up playing for or cheering on.
How Sanderson's Northmen Line Fits In
Sanderson Lacrosse is a specialty lacrosse and hockey retailer, not the Junior club itself, and our Northmen apparel is an in-house line inspired by the town's box lacrosse identity rather than official team-issued gear. Think of it as local pride merchandise, the same way a hometown coffee shop might sell a shirt with the town's name on it — except ours is built for people who live and breathe box lacrosse.
It sits alongside the third-party brands we carry — Gait, Warrior, STX, ECD, Maverik, StringKing, and TRUE among them — as a smaller, locally flavoured part of the catalogue. For more on how we stock both categories, our post on where to buy lacrosse gear in Orangeville and the GTA covers the full picture of what makes a specialty shop different from a big-box sporting goods aisle.
What's Actually in the Northmen Lineup
The Northmen collection spans more than you'd expect from a single-town fan line — apparel, headwear, bags, socks, and even a performance shaft. Here's a snapshot of the categories currently stocked.
| Category | What's In It | Who It's For |
|---|---|---|
| Headwear | Bucket hats, snapbacks | Fans and players, game day and everyday |
| Adult apparel | T-shirts, hoodies, golf shirts, shorts | Parents, alumni, adult rec players |
| Youth & kids apparel | T-shirts, golf shirts, shorts | Minor lacrosse players and younger siblings |
| Accessories | Socks, leather patches, travel and duffle bags | Anyone building out a gear bag or gift |
| Performance gear | Loading Northmen lacrosse shaft | Players who want the name on the stick itself |
A few specific pieces worth knowing about if you're shopping the line right now:
The Orangeville Northmen bucket hat is one of the simplest entry points into the line — sun protection and team pride in one piece, without needing to commit to a full outfit.
For something more understated day to day, the Northmen leather patch is a small, low-cost way to add the crest to a bag, jacket, or hat you already own, and it's currently one of the best-stocked items in the whole line.
The Loading Northmen Shaft: Merch That Actually Plays
Most Northmen gear is built for the stands, but the Loading Northmen lacrosse shaft is built for the floor. It's a Loading-manufactured shaft finished with Northmen branding, available with either a rubber grip or sandpaper grip depending on how you like to hold your stick. For a player who already reps the town on game day, it's a way to carry that identity into the box itself rather than just onto the bench.
If you're still working out how a branded shaft like this compares to the rest of the shaft market, our Best Box Lacrosse Stick 2026 guide goes deeper on shaft material, flex, and setup by position.
Gearing Up the Whole Family
Because Orangeville's minor lacrosse program covers everything from house league kids to Rep-level teenagers, the Northmen line is built with more than just adult sizing in mind. The kids and youth apparel range currently includes youth golf shirts, sports tees, and shorts, so a younger player — or a sibling who just wants to match — has options beyond an adult small that swallows them.
Women's sizing gets real attention too, rather than being an afterthought squeezed into a unisex cut. The line includes women's-specific golf shirts, loose shorts, bike shorts, and a drawstring kilt, which matters for the growing number of girls and women playing field lacrosse through Orangeville's minor association and beyond. It's a small detail, but it's the difference between fan gear that actually fits and fan gear that just happens to come in smaller sizes.
On the practical side, the Northmen duffle bag doubles as an easy way to keep a season's worth of gear organized, whether it's headed to Alder Street Recreation Centre for a Junior B game or across town to a minor box practice. It's built the same way as any lacrosse duffle on the market — the Northmen branding is a bonus, not a compromise on function.
If you're outfitting a first-time player and want the bigger picture beyond fan gear, our box lacrosse cost breakdown walks through what a full starter kit runs before you start layering on merch, and our complete gear checklist covers sizing across a full kit if you're shopping for a growing player.
Game Day vs. Everyday
Most of the Northmen line splits naturally into two uses. Game day pieces — the bucket hat, snapbacks, and the shaft — are built to be worn or used courtside or on the floor. Everyday pieces, like the golf shirts, cotton tees, and the women's loose shorts, are casual enough to wear around Orangeville without looking like you just left a game, which is really the point of a good local fan line: it works whether or not there's a whistle about to blow.
Our box vs. field lacrosse rules breakdown is a good companion read if you're newer to the sport and still getting familiar with what "game day" even looks like for a box lacrosse family in Ontario.
Caring for Northmen Apparel
Most of the line is standard cotton or performance-blend apparel, so it holds up fine with normal care: wash cold, skip the high-heat dryer setting on anything with a printed or embroidered crest, and let leather patches and embroidered hats air dry rather than tumbling them. The shaft needs no special care beyond what any lacrosse shaft gets — a wipe-down after a sweaty practice and normal storage away from extreme heat.
FAQ
Is Sanderson's Northmen gear the official Orangeville Northmen team merchandise?
No. It's an in-house Sanderson Lacrosse line inspired by the town's box lacrosse identity, sold alongside the third-party brands we carry — not gear issued directly by the Junior A or Junior B clubs.
Do you carry Northmen gear for kids, not just adults?
Yes. The line includes youth and kids sizing across several apparel categories, in addition to the adult range.
Is the Loading Northmen shaft the same as a standard Loading shaft?
It's built on Loading's shaft construction with Northmen branding applied, available in rubber grip or sandpaper grip versions.
Can I buy Northmen gear online, or do I need to visit the Orangeville store?
Both. The full line is available through our online store with shipping across Canada and into the US, or you can shop it in person at 56 Broadway in Orangeville.
How old is the Orangeville Northmen box lacrosse program?
The franchise dates back to 1975 as the Orangeville Stingers, rebranding as the Orangeville Northmen in 1982. The Junior B farm team followed in 2001. Orangeville's minor lacrosse association runs additional Rep box, field, and women's field programs.
Shop the Northmen Line
Shop Northmen Apparel & Fan Gear →
Not sure what to grab first? Our staff in Orangeville can walk you through the full lineup in person, or you can reach out through our contact page with any sizing questions.
— Sanderson Lacrosse Gear Team
