Junior B Hunters playing strong so far

Although the Kahnawake Junior B Hunters are 3-2 at time of writing - they will have played against the Nepean Knights on Thursday night after The Eastern Door’s publishing deadline - the team has not been out of any games, with both losses decided by two or fewer goals.

Here’s what happened in the Hunters’ last four games since The Eastern Door covered their season-opening win.

April 30: 11-10 win vs. Nepean Knights

The Hunters made the local crowd very happy to start the first period of their home opener, ending the period up 7-2 thanks to a hat trick by Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis Rice, two goals from Owen Rice, and one each from Reese Nugent and Rakawineh Elijah.

But the Knights put up four goals of their own behind Hunters netminder Kasey Lahache in the second, cutting the lead to 8-6 going into the third.

Gabriel Young’s fourth of the game for the Knights tied it at eight midway through the third, but the Hunters put two more on the board, including Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis’ fourth of the game, to go up 10-8. After the Knights scored their ninth, Owen put the game out of reach with less than a minute left to send the Kahnawake crowd home happy.

Tehahente Albany and Shatekaienthokwen Van Dommelen were the other Hunters scorers.

May 2: 9-7 loss vs. Barrie Bombers

After Jackson Norton opened the scoring for the visiting Hunters, Barrie proceeded to score six straight goals to lead 6-1 midway through the second.

The Hunters, however, rallied back to tie the game at six in the third period thanks to three power play goals by Elijah.

Barrie responded while shorthanded less than a minute later to take the lead, which they would not give back. Both teams traded goals down the stretch, but Kahnawake was unable to tie it again.

Other goal scorers for the Hunters were Jenson White with two and Owen Rice, while Lahache took the loss in nets.

May 3: 10-7 win vs. Orillia Kings

In his return to the Junior B Hunters, Buffalo Bandits draft pick Waukiigan Shognosh made 35 saves on 42 shots to put Kahnawake back into the win column.

The first period was marked by five different goal scorers finding the back of Orillia’s net, with White, Owen, and Rowehrenhatie Jacobs scoring at even strength, while Elijah and Nugent each scored on the power play to make it 5-3 after one.

The second period was all Hunters, as Owen completed his hat trick and Nugent scored his second of the game; Shognosh turned away all of the Kings’ shots that period.

While Orillia scored four in the third, that was not enough to take the lead away from the Hunters, with Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis and Arahkwenhawe Two-Axe each scoring once.

May 5: 8-7 loss vs. Akwesasne Thunder

A season-high 56 shots was not enough to down goaltender Xavier Delormier and the still-undefeated Akwesasne Thunder, who moved to 5-0 following the win on Tuesday.

It was an extremely evenly matched game through the first two periods, with the score 5-4 Hunters after goals from Nugent, Van Dommelen, Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis, Tiohahes Morris, and Winter Rivera.

But, in the third, the Thunder scored four times in less than eight minutes, including the eventual game winner. Owen and Logan Gabriel each scored after that, but Delormier and the Thunder defense stymied the comeback attempt to seal the win for Akwesasne.

Statistical Leaders

After five games, Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis Rice leads the Hunters in goals (11) and points (18). Owen is second in both categories, with nine goals and 17 points. Albany leads the team in assists with 12. Elijah has the most power play goals (three) and points (six), while White leads the way shorthanded, with a goal and two assists with a man down.

In four games, Lahache has amassed a 0.774 save percentage and 8.25 goals against average; Shognosh’s single-game statistics are 7 goals against average and an 0.883 save percentage.

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