Beauvais joins lacrosse seniors

Local sports aficionado Selena Kaniehtiiostha Beauvais joined the Boisbriand Bulls for a Quebec Senior C League season game, becoming the first Indigenous woman and second women to play in the league’s season games in the province.

“I’ve been itching to play all year,” said Beauvais, who briefly played offense.

“My co-worker was telling me they were telling the guys to watch me because I can shoot, ‘Don’t underestimate her, she can shoot.’ I had two shots on net, and one almost went in.”

At the Bulls’ final season game last week, the team lost against the Kanehsatake Eagles 12-3 and two Eagles players were suspended following a brawl after the game, which left Bulls player Andrew Simon’s lacrosse stick broken.

But to have Beauvais play with the Bulls was a highlight this season, said Simon.

“She fit in with our existing offense,” said Simon, Beauvais’ boyfriend.

“There was also her Kanesatake girls’ team in the crowd that she coaches that got to see her play.”

Kyle Atkwiroton Canatonquin, the Eagles’ team organizer, said Beauvais is a great player.

“I grew up playing lacrosse with Selena, so I knew she’s definitely capable of playing in this league,” said Canatonquin.

Executive director of the Quebec Lacrosse Federation Philip Dubeau Chicoine said Beauvais’ participation in the game is an encouragement to all young girls in lacrosse.

“It’s nice to see a young adult like Selena showing the way that it’s important that you keep being active, you keep playing, and especially in a boy-dominated sport in Quebec,” said Chicoine. “Selena’s a great player as well. I think she’s being a really good role model and inspiration for these young girls.”

About 30 girls and women play with the Quebec Lacrosse Federation at the moment, said Chicoine. He is hoping to increase that number in the next couple of years.

Promoting the game and creating a community that is welcoming to girls like Beauvais does will help to gain and retain more girl players, said Chicoine.

The Kanehsatake Warriors Jamboree last month, which Beauvais helped organize, featured an all-girls exhibition game with the Warriors against a Chambly team.

While the Chambly team won the match 3-0, Beauvais said the Warriors’ girls’ team performed very well. The Chambly girls regularly practice together, while the Warriors do not, she said, adding that the Kanesatake girls had a fun time holding down strong with solid defensive play.

Beauvais is a co-coordinator with the Kanehsatake Warriors and is working on adding a girls’ team to the minor league - a dream she is also working on for herself in the adult league.

Beauvais used to play for an all-girls team in Akwesasne, but the team folded for lack of participants in 2023.

She is now considering driving further away to compete in the Ontario Lacrosse Association, a lax league with more women’s teams, joining forces with the Kahnawake to make an all-girls team, or joining a Quebec majority men’s team.

“One day I’ll make a team,” said Beauvais. “I really want to play again.”

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Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter