Mohawks compete hard in tourney 

Two Kahnawake Minor Hockey Association (KMHA) teams were in St. Laurent last week for the Hockey Saint-Laurent provincial hockey tournament, with one team, the U13C Mohawks, making it all the way to the finals in an ultimately losing effort.

“They were playing well. They were working hard and having a good time. We had a few obstacles along the way, but nothing major that we didn't work through,” said Lou Ann Stacey, manager of the U13C team.

The U13C Mohawks started their tournament off on the right foot with a 3-2 win against the Vaudreuil Titans on January 15.

They followed up their opening win with a hard-fought tie with the Lachine Trappers, which was good enough to advance to the semifinals against the Shawville Lions on Sunday, January 19.

The game against Shawville was an offensive explosion for Kahnawake, with the Mohawks putting up 7 against the Lions in a 7-1 victory that qualified them for a finals rematch against Lachine.

“The team came out and they were hustling, they were working really hard, and they were able to score goals. They didn't back down. It was a really good game,” said Stacey.

But, the finals, which were played the same day as the semifinals, was a reversal of fortune for the U13C team, as the Trappers claimed gold in a 6-2 win.

Lachine scored two quick goals, and Kahnawake was unable to respond with offense of its own.

While they still secured a silver medal, Stacey said the players were not satisfied with the result.

“From what I heard from the coaches, they were very upset that they lost,” said Stacey.

The team had played a lot of games prior to the finals, with two league games being played along with the tournament. Stacey said that could have been a factor in the team’s play in the finals.

“It's very possible, because for the team, that's a lot of playing time,” said Stacey. “The other thing it could have been was playing the semifinal and the final a few hours apart. That's a lot for a C team. When you're A and B and double letter, you kind of train towards the intensity, that kind of game.”

Regardless of the result, Stacey said the team has been playing very well this season, with other good tournament results to look back upon and a very strong regular season performance so far.

“They've been working hard, they're learning a lot in practices, and you can see their development is getting better and better," said Stacey.

“That's one of the things when you go to tournaments that people don’t think about. It’s not just about winning, but it's about testing yourself against the other teams that you don’t usually play against. The teams they play against in tournaments, oftentimes they don't play in their division. It was kind of like a test, and I thought they did pretty well on that test.” 

The team is currently tied for first place in their division, and with no more tournaments for the rest of the year, they will be focusing on the battle for the lead.

Their next step? That same Lachine team that beat them in the finals, in a matchup Friday in Lachine at 7 p.m. 

“I think we'll see a lot there, and see how the team responds,” said Stacey.

The leading goalscorer for the U13C team during the tournament was Watio Jacobs, with four. Other scorers were Craig Standup, Lakelyn McComber, Ivy Cross, John Charles, Roterihwaienni Goodleaf, and Rohtehrasatse Jacobs.

The other team in the tournament, the U15B Mohawks, was unfortunately not as successful.

The team lost all three of its games, all by one goal.

In their opening game on January 15, the team lost 4-3 to the West Island Knights. On January 17, they lost another 4-3 game, this time to the Laval Stars. The next day, they were eliminated from the tournament with a 3-2 loss to the St. Laurent Warriors.

“They played very, very well. The teams they played were, I would say, a bit stronger than them. But they played really, really well,” said Stacey, who is also director of the U15 Mohawks.

She explained that many of the other teams have players who could play double letter B, while Kahnawake does not. Given that, their performance in the tournament, keeping the games competitive until the end, was admirable.

Amonte Horne and Rowan Diabo were the leading scorers for the U15B Mohawks, with two goals each.

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