Hunters on the hunt

The Kahnawake Hunters Junior B team is out for blood this season, with a 20-4 win against the Akwesasne Thunder on Wednesday night showing just how determined they are to be this year’s champions.

“I always like playing against Akwe because they’re another Native team, so it’s always a good, tough game,” said Hunters player Deeland Martin, who scored four goals in Wednesday’s game in Akwesasne.

He said the team is playing fluidly this year, standing second in the conference as of publishing time with 11 wins and two losses, only one point behind the Nepean Knights.

“It feels awesome to play with the team again this year, we’re off to a really good start, so that’s good, we just have to stick to our game and keep rolling,” Martin said.

The team is on a seven-game winning streak, with another game scheduled on Thursday evening against the Nepean Knights, after The Eastern Door’s publishing deadline.

They’d celebrated that series of wins, including a 14-9 win against the Gloucester Griffins last Sunday, and a 12-8 win against Akwesasne last Saturday, both at the Kahnawake Sports Complex.

Their Wednesday night triumph proves that the team isn’t afraid to take on teams on their home turf. They came out strong, with nine goals in the first period, to Akwesasne’s two, maintaining the lead in the second period with three more, only letting in one more from Akwesasne.

The third period was where the Hunters really showed their hunger to win, netting eight goals to Akwesasne’s one by the final buzzer.

“Heading into these games I feel confident in our team. We’ve been playing really well, we’ve been playing like a team,” Martin said. “You know, I think if we stick to our game plan, we come home happy.”

Hunters’ defenceman Crayton Cree said that last weekend’s games were an excellent demonstration of how well-oiled the team is. Their 14-9 win against the Griffins was passionate, he said, after having suffered a 12-8 loss to them earlier in the season.

“We got the big one against them, we really wanted to get back at them,” Cree said. “Getting that win back was great for us.”

Playing the Akwesasne Thunder is particularly exciting for Cree, who hails from Akwesasne.

“It was one I had circled on my calendar for a long time now,” he said. “The rest of the boys all know the rivalry going on, it’s highly-anticipated, and all of the boys are feeling that energy for sure.”

As well as a sparkling offence, the Hunters’ defence was also impressive on Wednesday night - Akwesasne tried 24 shots in the second period, where they only scored one goal, a stunning performance from goaltender Kasey Lahache.

Lahache was well supported by Junior C goaltender Bryce Montour, who played the final 12 minutes of the third period. Montour staved off 10 shots from the Thunder in the remarkable eight-point period.

“We just want to keep bringing the energy we’ve had the last couple of weeks now, we’re getting on a roll and we’re playing very well, and we know there’s always another step we can take,” Cree said. “We all want to do that for the rest of the year moving forward.”

The team has their eyes on the prize, Cree said.

“We want to give Kahnawake what they want,” Cree said. “Bringing home the championship to Kahnawake would be awesome.”

As well as last night’s game, which was played against the Nepean Knights after The Eastern Door’s publishing deadline, the Hunters will have another away game against the Brampton Excelsiors on Saturday, followed by another against the Mountaineers on Sunday.

Next Wednesday, June 11, the Hunters will face the Akwesasne Thunder once again.

[email protected]