Payton Cormier’s persistence and dedication in becoming a record-setting NCAA goal scorer is paying off early in his professional career.
He found the back of the net twice in the Vancouver Warriors’ 14-10 win over the Calgary Roughnecks, showcasing his ability to finish in tight spaces.
Cormier has been trusting the process through training camp, pre-season play and the first few games of the regular season. Since training camp, he’s talked about how important the support of the coaching staff and his teammates has been in his development. That, coupled with his determination to get better has been key so far in his rookie season.
“Compared to game one, game three felt a lot better. Just feeling more comfortable within the offence and progressing the way I have been feels really good,” Cormier said. “Finally getting one is pretty cool, and I’ve got great teammates that are looking for me and they want me to be successful.”
Number 42 would have had a hat trick had he not stepped in the crease on his third goal. His first goal was the opening goal of the game, it was an off-ball cut, fed by Kevin Crowley.
The coaching staff emphasizes the importance for him to get to the middle of the floor and Cormier’s taken that to heart.
For his encore, Keegan Bal made a swift pass, and Cormier was able to capitalize on the play.
“It was just [like] the scramble drills that I was able to find the back of the net on those. The free-flowing opportunities is where I was thriving a little bit last game, making a little chaos happen,” Cormier said.
General Manager and Head Coach Curt Malawsky says Cormier came to the Warriors with top notch stick skills and was happy to see the 24-year-old have success.
“He’s got elite hands,” Malawsky said. “He can score inside; he just has to get to the middle of the floor and we’re trying to put him in a spot where he gets there without the ball because he’s very good without it. He plays with an edge; he draws a lot of penalties too because he plays inside.”
Cormier is a player who takes pride in contributing to team success and has had some great conversations with Malawsky. Vancouver’s bench boss says the left-handed forward has made adjustments in his game and his workout regimen that have made a difference.
“He’s been working really hard off the floor. He’s watching his nutrition, he’s training hard with Matt Holtzmann (Warriors Strength and Conditioning Coach), he’s making sacrifices off the floor that are translating on the floor. I think he’s realized you can’t really take your foot off the gas on any shift in the National Lacrosse League,” Malawsky said.
As the most prolific scorer in NCAA lacrosse history – 224 goals through a five-year career at the University of Virginia – not netting a goal in the first couple of regular season games was slightly frustrating, but he knows there’s a learning curve and he put his faith in the process.
Cormier’s confidence has never wavered and said he learned a lot through their 11-7 loss to the Colorado Mammoth in Week 1. He dug into the film with the coaching staff to see what wasn’t working and learned how to correct it. He had two shots on goal against Colorado and has felt better about his positioning with each game.
“Against Rochester, I think I played a much better game getting to the spots I wanted,” Cormier said. “That Calgary game, I felt pretty good, was able to get a couple more shots on net, find the back of the net a couple of times and then hoping for this upcoming weekend that I’m able to progress again and get better every single game.”
While Cormier’s natural scoring touch was evident in his goals, his effort on both ends of the floor has earned praise from the coaching staff. Malawsky was impressed by a defensive play the young forward made against the Roughnecks. With Roughnecks’ defender Eli Salama on a breakaway, Cormier chased him down keeping Salama to the outside and recovering a loose ball.
“I thought that hustle play was exceptional,” Malawsky said. “That was really big for us to see that he’s just not just coming out the front door concerned about putting the ball in the net – that he’ll do whatever he needs to do to help the team.”
Cormier is tough on himself and says he should have got back quicker before Salama got a shot off, but he’s happy to see results from his hard work. Cormier says it’s part of the game and he expects nothing less from himself and his teammates.
“If I do find myself in positions where those things happen, I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure I put our team in the right position to be successful,” he said.
“Scoring goals is something I felt pretty comfortable with throughout my path, and currently, so getting these shots on net is one step and then finding the back of the net is the second step. So, one step at a time. I have a great coaching staff that wants me to take these steps every single game and hopefully I keep trending in the right direction.”
Cormier’s early contributions have been about more than just goals – they’ve highlighted his willingness to adapt and grow at the professional level. With his work ethic and attention to detail, he’s looking to be a reliable presence on both ends of the floor.
