Alex Pace's life is about to become exponentially busier.
Enrolled in the four-year medical sciences undergraduate program at Brock University is taxing enough for the Halifax native.
He'll stretch himself even further when, on weekends, he moonlights as a professional lacrosse player with the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League.
"It's pretty crazy right now," Pace said in a phone interview earlier this week from St. Catharines, Ont., where he's in his fourth year at Brock.
"I'm still trying to figure it out because I just started (with the Wings). I'll just have to be on top of everything and get ahead when I can so that my weeks aren't too overwhelming when I'm here (at Brock).
"The best-case scenario would be school through the week and lacrosse on the weekend. Finish on Thursday, fly out on Friday and just focus on lacrosse for the weekend because you
really don't have time for anything else when you're there. It's a grind for sure."
Pace, who played junior A box lacrosse with St. Catharines Athletics and Canadian university field lacrosse with the Brock Badgers, was drafted 20th overall by Philadelphia in September's NLL Entry Draft.
The past couple weekends of training camp has given him a taste of life in pro lacrosse. On Sunday, he played in his first exhibition game against the New York Riptide.
"It's been pretty awesome ever since the draft, just preparing for camp," said the six-foot, 185-pound Pace, whose university season concluded on Nov. 9.
"Playing at Brock University, I was practising three or four times a week so it was good to keep a stick in my hand and keep me in shape.
"Once November hit and we were in Philly for the first weekend, it's been a sort of crazy. My weeks are now cut down to four days at school and on the road for the weekend. It's been crazy but it's been awesome to learn from all the guys on the team and being around a bunch of pro athletes. It's definitely been eye-opening to see what it takes to be at that level and to stay at that level."
Pace mostly plays transition, a key position in which the player moves the ball from the defensive zone to the offensive side.
"I felt pretty good and comfortable out there," he said of his first exhibition tilt. "The guys are so skilled on offence and big and strong. They're grown men. They're all things that you'd expect but until you get out on the floor, you can't really gauge it.
"Even the practices and playing against the guys on our team is super fast. The ball moves so quick, side-to-side. If you turn your head for a second, they'll throw it back to the other side before you can look back. It's notably faster and I just have to get used to playing at that speed."
The majority of NLL rosters - Toronto Rock, Buffalo Bandits and Vancouver Warriors excluded - consist of players who don't reside in or near the city they play for. For the most part, those players reside in Ontario or B.C., have full-time jobs and are flown in the day before a game and return home the day after.
Last weekend, Pace caught a flight to Philadelphia on Friday morning, practised that evening, had another practice Saturday along with media obligations, played in the exhibition game on Sunday before returning home that night.
"We have 17 Canadians on the team so there's a ton of us that fly in for the weekend," Pace said.
"The money isn't good enough to be a full-time position for most guys so you have to allow people to work Monday to Friday.
"I'm pretty lucky with where I'm at. I can fly out of Buffalo and it's only an hour flight so it's not bad."
Pace's roommate in St. Catharines - Colorado Mammoth forward Jake McNabb - has a much longer commute.
"He has a four-hour flight with a layover," Pace said. "It's definitely a grind for guys who are further away."
The Wings open their 2019-20 regular season on Dec. 14 against the Georgia Swarm in Duluth, Ga. Each of the NLL's 13 clubs play an 18-game schedule.
It's Philadelphia's regular-season finale in which Pace has circled on his calendar.
"It's going to be pretty cool," Pace said of the Wings' road game Saturday, April 18 at Scotiabank Centre against his hometown Halifax Thunderbirds.
"Just to see all of my family and to play in front of all the people that I know who have supported me through this journey over the last four years. To see it all come to fruition in Halifax is going to be pretty surreal."
Pace has more than a vested interest in the expansion Thunderbirds.
NLL veteran Chet Koneczny - a defenceman out of Truro who spent four years as Lacrosse Nova Scotia technical director and helped persuade Pace to play junior A in Ontario - signed with Halifax in October after playing last season with Philadelphia.
Halifax's Brian Huyghue, a former teammate of Pace's during his minor lacrosse days, was signed by the Thunderbirds last week.
"Chet was the guy who convinced me to go to Ontario and chase the pro dream. He's done a lot for lacrosse in Nova Scotia," Pace said. "And to see Brian get signed by Halifax is awesome. He's a great player.
"I'm really happy for the kids back home and the sport of lacrosse in Nova Scotia. I think there will be more guys willing to chase the dream of playing professionally a little harder with a team in their backyard.
"When we were growing up, it wasn't really done by anyone. I had to move away after high school and sacrifice a lot to be in Ontario. I got lucky with the opportunity to play for St. Catharines. It's a great organization with tons of NLL players who come out of there.
"Hopefully now guys will be able to stay at home and the opportunities will be a lot greater."
Lacrosse fans will get their first look at Koneczny, Huyghue and the rest of the Thunderbirds' inaugural-season roster this Friday night, Nov. 22. The team will play a pre-season intrasquad game, billed as Purple vs. Orange, at Scotiabank Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.
