Junior B Hunters facing Bulldogs next
Kahnawake Hunters Backup goaltender Trennance Benedict prepares for Barrie Bombers defender Hunter Bricknell’s penalty shot at the end of game three of their first-round series. Benedict would make the save, and the Hunters won 16-7. Olivier Cadotte The Eastern Door
The third seed Kahnawake Junior B Hunters have a date with the second seed Halton Hills Bulldogs in the second round of the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League (OJBLL) playoffs.
The first two games of the best-of-five series will be home games for the Hunters, on July 4 at 8 p.m. and on July 5 at 1 p.m. at the Kahnawake Sports Complex.
Games three and, if necessary, four and five, will be played at the Mold-Masters SportsPlex in Halton Hills on July 10 (8 p.m.), July 11 (7 p.m.) and July 12 (1 p.m.).
Besting Barrie
After losing game one of their first-round series against the Barrie Bombers, the Hunters quickly took over the series, winning the following three games to advance to round two.
In those games, the Hunters played what Hunter Tehaianeráhkhwa Norton previously called “their game.”
That meant creating turnovers through physical contact, but also stickwork and awareness of where the ball was going to go; strong play by goaltender Kasey Lahache; and a dynamic offense carried by the creative play of Owen Rice and Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis Rice.
Both have showed an ability to score at will, taking advantage of small lapses in the defense and often taking the opportunity to score highlight reel goals: diving goals, behind the back passes or shots, goals scored from behind the net, all just a few examples of what both do on a regular basis when they are on the floor for Kahnawake.
As a result, the last two games of the series were all Hunters: Kahnawake won game three 16-7 and game four 16-2 to eliminate the Bombers.
By the numbers
The Hunters will find in the Bulldogs a team that is, on paper, at the top of its game. The Bulldogs have an extremely impressive 17-3 regular-season record which includes a 10-game winning streak. They then swept their first-round opponent, the Mimico Mountaineers.
Looking at some of the numbers, though, Halton Hills and Kahnawake are closer teams to each other than it may first seem thanks to their special teams play.
During the regular season, the Hunters actually hold the advantage in power play percentage (40 percent compared to 36.6 percent) with fewer opportunities with the man advantage. Kahnawake’s league-best penalty kill (79.2 percent) also dwarfs the Bulldogs’ eight-best mark (67.2 percent).
The Hunters also have the advantage on offense, scoring the second-most regular-season goals (207) compared to the Bulldogs’ fifth-best total (191).
The Bulldogs do hold the advantage in goals against, allowing the fewest in the East (128). Kahnawake had the fifth-best total (166).
That comes down to Halton Hills’ goaltender tandem: Connor Upshall and M.J. Schwager split the season evenly, playing 10 games each. Upshall had the best goals against average mark of any goaltender who played more than one game with a 5.32. Schwager’s 7.79 goals against average was 14th best.
Kasey Lahache was 13th best in the same category, giving the Hunters a solid option in net as he has shown through his Hunters career.
In the playoffs, Upshall has a 4.33 goals against average and a .817 save percentage in three games; Lahache meanwhile has a 6.17 goals against average and a .836 save percentage.
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Like the Hunters, Halton Hills has had contributions from many players offensively in the playoffs, with six players having a point or more per game. Leading them is Noah Kerney, who has 10 points (six goals and four assists) in three games.
For Kahnawake, who has played one more game and has scored many more goals so far in the playoffs than the Bulldogs, Owen Rice leads all OJBLL scorers with a whopping 27 points (11-16) in four playoff games. Four other players have 10 points or more so far.
