Kahnawa’kehró:non head up major tournament 

It was a big week for Kahnawake at the Jr. National Lacrosse League (NLL) tournament, with 12 Kahnawa’kehró:non heading to the Toronto area last weekend.

Three players from Kahnawake were also named to the Canadian and US all-star teams for a special game at the tournament.

“My overall experience was great,” said Kanonwiiakon Dickson, who played with the U17 Jr. Buffalo Bandits, alongside Tioháhes Morris. “It felt good knowing there was people from Kahnawake there pushing forward with their lacrosse careers and doing the most to succeed.”

Like many on the roster, it was Dickson’s first time at the Jr. NLL tournament, which took place from August 16-18 in Toronto.

Part of the player increase comes from the Jr. Ottawa Black Bears, who have never played in the Jr. NLL, now a much closer team to Kahnawake than other teams in the league.

Eight Kahnawa’kehró:non joined Black Bears teams, with Joren Norton and Leland Lahache joining the U17 team, Tayten Nolan, Tehoweren’ha Thunderblanket, and Jaxton McComber joining the U15 team, and Ra’kerenhatatie Jacobs, Rahontsa:waks Albany, and Madden McComber joining the U13 team.

Both Nolan and Norton were at the tournament for the first time. Their mother, Skawenniioa Ashley Jacobs, said the boys had fun being a part of the Black Bears’ first ever Jr. NLL tournament.

“They never gave up. They played really hard and they played to the best of their abilities,” said Skawenniioa.

The Black Bears struggled in both the U17 and U15 divisions, though the U17 team did manage to pull off a sparkling 14-4 victory against the U17 Jr. Halifax Thunderbirds on Saturday.

In that game, Norton scored two goals, and he also led the team in assists throughout the tournament.

Unfortunately, Kahnawake’s Leland Lahache, who was a goalie for the U17 team, was injured in the team’s first game after being hit in the head and was therefore unable to play the rest of the tournament.

“He’s an amazing goalie, he played all summer with my son, and it was definitely a let down because we lost an amazing player,” Skawenniioa said.

The U15 Black Bears were also struck down by being new to the league, losing each of their games. Skawenniioa said that despite the losses, her sons had fun and are already talking about trying out for other teams next year.

The U13 Black Bears had a more successful tournament, making the final, which was televised.

In the opening game, Albany was particularly impressive, scoring a hattrick, which included the first Jr. Black Bears goal in franchise history, as well as the game-winning overtime goal for an 8-7 victory. His mother, Lacey Paul, said she was proud to watch her son’s achievement.

“It’s like a little part of Black Bears history,” she said. “It was an honour for him to be chosen to play for them, and he really showed his abilities and skills.”

The team finished second in their division with a 5-1 record, with Ra’kerenhatatie named to the Canadian Jr. NLL All-Star team. For the all-star game, players were selected throughout the tournament to represent Canada and the US, with each period played by a different age division, the score maintained as each new age category took over. Ra’kerenhatatie was one of three Kahnawa’kehró:non who made the cut, alongside Darris Jones and Morris, who both played for the US team.

The Canadian team ended up victorious with a 14-9 win, and Al Jones, Darris’s father, said it was a special end to Darris’s Jr. NLL career after playing six years with the Jr. Rochester Knighthawks. He will now be aging out of the league.

Darris made it to the final with the Knighthawks this year, joined on the team by fellow Kahnawa’kehró:non Wyatt Cross, who scored during the final against the Toronto Rock. Ultimately, Rochester missed out on the victory, losing 7-6 in a sudden-death overtime.

Al said the team had excellent teamwork and communication throughout the tournament.

“It was exciting, because these teams aren’t really together often, so for the boys to come in that quick and gel that fast is a really big step to see,” he said. “They moved the ball well, they were hitting, the defense became really strong towards the end too.”

For Morris and Dickson, on the U17 Jr. Bandits, the tournament was more mixed, with the team winning two and losing five games. They ultimately came fourth out of the six teams playing, with both Dickson and Morris scoring throughout the tournament.

“The highlights of the tournament were being in the locker rooms and joking and laughing with my teammates before the game,” said Dickson.

Each team was also coached by pro NLL players – Dickson was thrilled to get coached by some of his idols, including Zach Belter, Brandon Robinson, and Chase Frasier.

“It was very special having players from my favourite NLL team coaching me and giving me feedback that I can take and use in my own career,” said Dickson.

The final games of each division are available to watch on the NLL YouTube channel.

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