Hunters’ season at stake
Owen Rice’s leaping goal in game two against the Akwesasne Thunder just might have been the goal of the year for the Hunters. Courtesy Kahnawake Hunters
The Kahnawake Junior B Hunters have their backs against the wall once more in the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League Playoffs (OJBLL) as they face elimination against the Akwesasne Thunder in the East finals.
Game four is tonight (Friday) at 8 p.m. at the Sports Complex - site of the Thunder’s first loss of the season on July 19 for game two, a game the Hunters were in control of almost the whole way through en route to a 16-6 win.
“It felt great to give them their first loss, and we showed everyone that we’re here to win,” said Hunters player Jackson Norton, who has an assist in the series so far.
“I think we are the two best teams going at it right now, and we proved to them and everyone else that we can play with them as we blew them out in game two.”
Games one and three, Hunters losses, were far from blowouts. Indeed, the Hunters were ahead more than halfway through each contest, before the Thunder eventually came back to win - they did so with two minutes left in game one to win 10-9, and with 10 minutes left in the second in game two, only allowing one more Hunters’ goal to win 9-6.
Norton said the Hunters have put the Thunder in situations they have not faced all year, having to come back multiple times as well as putting immense pressure on them and causing turnovers.
It has been a duel at the top for the ages so far, living up to the expectations of a series between two strong rivals.
The end of game three also showed that rivalry, with each team receiving multiple major penalties from some late-game scrums.
Game four promises energy in spades, with the home crowd behind the Hunters with their season on the line.
“I think the atmosphere is going to be great,” said Norton.
“We need to trust the process and believe that we will win for the next two games.”
Owen and Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis lead on offense
The Hunters’ offense continues to be buoyed by the two-man wrecking crew that is Owen and Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis Rice.
Owen has 14 points in three games against the Thunder, nine of which are goals.
His creativity on offense is a big part of his success, with successful dives, leaps, and dekes populating the highlight reels of each game he has been in with the Hunters this season.
One in particular made the rounds this week online.
On a breakaway, he jumped high and to the right of Thunder goaltender Xavier Delormier, while he held his stick in his left hand.
That stick handling was a feint; while in the air, he grabbed the stick with his other hand, wound back, and shot the ball right over Delormier’s left shoulder and into the net.
“It was awesome to see,” said Norton.
Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis has been no slouch, either; he has 12 points in the series so far, eight of which are goals.
To stay in the series, the Hunters will need all the offense they can get. That will include their top two scorers, but also the rest of the offense, which accounts for 14 goals combined - less than half of the Hunters’ total output against Akwesasne.
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They will need to avoid another stretch like in game three, where they scored just once in the last two periods.
If the Hunters can keep playing as good as they have so far, they have shown they can not just stay with the Thunder, they can beat them.
Whether they will in game four and game five on Sunday in Akwesasne will come down to execution and goal scoring, two things the Hunters have done all season.
