Camaraderie takes centre stage at Percival Molson
Players from the U13 Kahnawake Snipers and Terrebonne Mustangs formed mixed teams to try and build camaraderie during an exhibition game played at half time of the McGill Redbirds versus Bishop’s Gaiters lacrosse game. Courtesy Al Jones
During half time of Saturday’s lacrosse game between the McGill Redbirds and the Bishop’s Gaiters, fans at Percival Molson Stadium had a chance to watch bonus lacrosse - this time, involving two youth teams, one of which was from Kahnawake.
Jones said he received an invitation from Redbird’s assistant coach and team manager Kevin Miao, who said it would be a good idea to have some youth players put on an exhibition game during halftime.
“I thought it was a great idea,” said Jones, who reached out to community members to build a team.
“They were thrilled, it was fairly easy to put that team together.”
The team, called the Kahnawake Snipers, had Al’s daughter Oriah Jones, as well as Mylah Cross-Curotte, Easton Dearhouse, Quintin Dearhouse, Kaia Dearhouse, Bruce Brown, Kalem Diabo, and Nigamowin Polson-Lahache.
Jones said his daughter and her friends came up with the Snipers’ name, which was adopted by voting among the players, and they also came up with a jersey design.
They played a 15-minute exhibition game with the Terrebonne Mustangs - with, not against, as players from both teams were mixed together to create two new teams.
Jones said they did that to give the players the chance to make new friends, while also getting used to playing with players they might not have played with before, a skill that will be useful as their paths in lacrosse continue.
“Also, sportsmanship. It just goes hand-in-hand when you’re actually playing on the same team as the opposition,” said Jones.
He said that the idea was very successful.
“It was nice to see them passionate, they were playing as a team,” said Jones.
McGill won the game 17-9, and getting to see the 7-2 Redbirds live was not just fun, but also a good learning experience in getting to see what high-level lacrosse looks like.
“They are a very talented team this year, so that was really cool for them,” said Jones.
Getting a chance to play in a big stadium in front of new fans was also a great experience, Jones said.
“The kids were thrilled, just walking into a huge stadium where the Alouettes play. They were just like, wow, we get to play here,” said Jones.
“You could hear them cheering the players on, and that was cool. You feel that Energy. It’s a great feeling as you play, makes you play a little harder, get you a little more pumped, and for me too, it was cool that the fans stuck around to cheer them on.”
Miao agreed that the exhibition was very successful, and is hoping they might be able to do something like this annually going forward.
He said that the idea came after doing a lacrosse clinic a few years ago with Kahnawake youth. Miao thought it would be a good idea to bring more youth to play a game this time.
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“For us, community outreach and giving back, that’s all in the spirit of the game,” said Miao.
He said that McGill has been making efforts to incorporate Indigeneity into their lacrosse program more and more, from holding the Legacy Game annually to having Indigenous players and coaches as part of their roster.
As such, Miao is hoping lacrosse can be a way to bring people together, no matter their origin, as it brings many Indigenous people together as the Creator’s game.
“Being a coach of the sport, being involved in the sport, I think that’s a proper way to use the sport as a vehicle to really bring together the French, the English, and Indigenous communities here that all play the Creator’s game,” said Miao.
