Hunters get rings, awards

Right before Christmas, players from the Founder’s Cup-winning Kahnawake Junior B Hunters got to celebrate one final time as a team, where they were presented with custom-made championship rings.

Awards were also given to a few players: Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and “Glue Guy.”

Darris Jones was named Rookie of the Year. The defender played in 25 Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League (OJBLL) games, playoffs included, netting seven goals and adding 14 assists as a defender. He also played in three of five Founder’s Cup games.

Although the team did not have many true rookies this year, Jones still knew that if he did not play well enough to keep his spot, there were a lot of hungry young players that could have taken it, as he saw during tryouts.

“I made the team, and I ended up playing the season. There’s a lot of kids who could have taken my spot any day, but I guess my hard work paid off,” said Jones.

Jones was an affiliate player (AP) last year, where he appeared in nine total games, three in the playoffs. He was there to see the Hunters lose to Elora, setting them on the path they took last season to get their revenge on the Hawks and win the Founder’s.

“Even just going that far and witnessing that and being on that roster, just felt great. So doing that again as a true rookie, with my name on the roster, but two letters off of the game sheet, it was great,” said Jones.

He was unfortunately unable to make the celebration due to his participation in the Border Wars lacrosse tournament, but he received his award and his ring on Christmas Day.

He was very impressed by the ring, which features diamonds and a Hunters logo.

“When I opened it up, it was shining a little greater than I expected,” he said.

The Most Valuable Player award was given to goaltender Kasey Lahache, who effectively backstopped the Hunters in a vast majority of their games.

He made 28 out of a possible 34 starts during their OJBLL season, playoffs included, going 21-7 and amassing a 0.814 save percentage, a very good number in box lacrosse.

He, and the team, were perfect during the Founder’s, going 5-0 with an even better 0.850 save percentage.

Owen Rice and Kaymen Diabo were named co-offensive players of the year.

Rice had 58 goals and 94 assists for 152 points in 34 OJBLL games, adding 11 goals and nine assists during the five Founder’s Cup games.

Diabo, for his part, led the team in scoring with 67 goals and 95 assists for 162 points. He also had six goals and 15 assists at the Founder’s.

Sha’tekaiénthon Van Dommelen was named defensive player of the year for the Hunters, the key cog to the team’s very strong defense.

Van Dommelen scored one goal and added nine assists during the OJBLL season, and was held off the scoresheet at the Founder’s, but that did not limit his effectiveness in making the jobs of the goaltender and the rest of the defense easier.

The “Glue Guy” of the Year award was given to backup goaltender Tycen McComber, who returned to lacrosse after a one-year hiatus. Although he only made three starts, getting two wins, his contributions off the floor made him a valued teammate, according to the Hunters’ social media post announcing his award.

“His presence in the locker room, and on the bench were unmatched. He was a key piece of the puzzle that led us to a Founder’s Cup Championship,” it said.

With many veterans aging out, or potentially moving to Junior A, the 2026 Hunters may look a lot different. But, to Jones, he still believes the new version will be able to perform.

“Everybody, I hope, is going to work their ass off and try to get there again,” said Jones.

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