Mohawks look to make Final Six in A Qualifiers
Courtesy Ontario Lacrosse Association
With two wins and four losses in the opening weekend of the Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA)’s A Qualifiers, the U17 Kahnawake Mohawks 1 will have to dig deep to climb the rankings and make the Final Six.
The Mohawks are currently eighth of 10 teams with three round-robin games left to play against the Akwesasne Storm (0-6), the Guelph Regals (3-3), and the Orangeville Northmen (4-2).
Kahnawake lost its opening game 13-2 to the Whitby Warriors on July 10 but bounced back with a 6-4 win against the Nepean Knights later that day. The next day, the Mohawks kept it close with the Burlington Blaze and the St. Catharines Athletics but lost both games - 6-5 against Burlington and 8-6 against St. Catharines.
July 12 saw them lose 12-6 to the Sarnia Pacers, before closing their weekend with a 4-3 win against the Halton Hills Bulldogs.
“I thought the team handled it very well,” said Mohawks’ coach Curtis Diabo of how his team fared playing against the best teams in Ontario.
“Three of our four losses could have gone either way but didn’t.”
Getting the win against Nepean, a team they had not beaten in two years, was a highlight for them, said Diabo.
“It was a pretty sweet win for the boys, they were full of smiles,” said Diabo.
So too was having Burlington, the number one U17 team in Ontario prior to the A Qualifiers, on the ropes for the entire game, losing by just one goal scored in the final minutes.
Overall, Diabo said it has been a great experience playing in this kind of competitive environment.
“The feeling of being in the A Qualifiers is unbelievable, to finally see these guys make it, and compete with the best,” said Diabo.
“It is definitely a great experience for them to play in these high-level, competitive games. They proved to everyone they were there to compete and earned the right to be there and deserved a great opportunity.”
The last games of the round-robin will be played in Whitby, Ontario from July 24-26. If, after those games, the Mohawks finish those sixth overall or better, they will make the Final Six. Those six teams will compete for the crown of best U17 lacrosse team in Ontario at the Ontario Summer Games from July 30-August 2.
“I’m confident the boys can pull it off,” said Diabo.
“Either way, whatever the outcome is next weekend, I am very proud of these guys. To get where they are takes a lot of dedication and hard work. I couldn’t ask for a better way for some of these guys to finish off their minor careers - as well as my own.
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The leading scorer for the Mohawks so far is Rome Delisle, who has 15 points (nine goals and six assists) in six games. That total also puts him in a five-way tie for sixth most points in the A Qualifiers so far among all U17 players.
Ronwatsitsaienni Diabo is second with 14 (six goals, eight assists), and Rowehrenhatie Jacobs is third with 13 (10 goals, three assists). Jacobs’ goal total puts him in a six-way tie for fourth amongst all U17 goal scorers.
