Hunters’ seasons rolling on
The Kahnawake Junior C Hunters got their second win of the season, their second in a row, against the Nepean Knights on May 24 at the Sports Complex. Courtesy Lucas Diabo
The Junior C Hunters can check off a few more firsts from their list this year, getting their first win and their first winning streak ever last week.
Head coach Eric Jacobs said all aspects of the team were clicking for the 11-7 win against the Cornwall Celtics last Wednesday and the 7-4 win against the Nepean Knights last Saturday.
“Offense, defense, transition, goaltending, discipline, those are all big parts of the whole game,” said Jacobs.
Unfortunately for the Junior C Hunters, their win streak ended at two, as they suffered another loss against the North Shore Kodiaks on Sunday, this time by a score of 10-4.
Jacobs said the difference in age, size, and experience have been the biggest factors in their losses generally, but especially against the Kodiaks.
“We were going forward, but we took a step back,” said Jacobs.
He said there are still a lot of aspects of the game the players need to work on to achieve consistent success.
“We got two wins, and it’s nice, but there’s still so much room for growth overall,” said Jacobs.
“If our offense is doing well, our defense can’t be falling behind and vice versa. Everything needs to be at the same level.”
Their next game is Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Sports Complex against the Akwesasne Lightning, the first meeting between the two teams.
Jacobs said the sporting rivalry between the two communities should make for an interesting matchup.
“They have a young team, and we have a young team, and they have played against each other a lot throughout their minor careers and then in tournaments, and they’re on the same team sometimes. It should be a good game,” said Jacobs
If Akwesasne falls to Cornwall on May 30, they will no doubt be looking to get their first win against the 2-5-0 C Hunters.
Logan Gabriel leads the team in goals (9), assists (13), and points (22).
The Junior B Hunters, meanwhile, continue their hot start to the season as they continue on the road to the Founders Cup.
They have won four straight games, giving the Nepean Knights their first loss of the season by winning 9-8 on Thursday evening and beating the Halton Hills Bulldogs 16-4 on Saturday.
That brings their record to 8-2-0 at the midway point of the season, a complete reversal to the start of last year, where they found themselves 2-8-0 after 10 games – before winning six straight, finishing 8-12-0, and having the playoff success everyone remembers.
Four players have made up the bulk of the goal scoring for the B Hunters so far this season: Kaymen Diabo (22 goals), Deeland Martin (19), Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis Rice (18), and Owen Rice (18); no other player has more than eight goals to their name.
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Tehahente Albany is the team leader in assists with 24, with Owen Rice (22), Kaymen Diabo (20), and Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis Rice (19) not far behind.
The Junior B team sits six points behind the first-place Knights in the Far East Division, although Nepean has played three more games than Kahnawake.
They will conclude their six-game homestand at the Sports Complex with back-to-back games, on Saturday, May 31, at 7 p.m. against the Akwesasne Thunder and on Sunday at 4 p.m. against the Gloucester Griffins.
They’ll then be on the road for four games, starting with a rematch on June 4 at 8 p.m. in Akwesasne against the Thunder.
