U15 girls play first-time tourney in Barrie

The new U15 girls’ team of the Kahnawake Mohawks Minor Lacrosse Association (KMMLA) can cross another first of their inaugural season checklist after playing in their first tournament last weekend in Barrie, Ontario.

“They had a great time,” said their head coach Al Jones. Although they did not win any of their three games, Jones felt that team bonding was the most important part of the experience for a team that still does not have that much experience.

“To me, that’s important, as a team, to become a family as quick as possible, then on the floor, they’re more comfortable with each other,” said Jones.

That included doing some team bonding activities like a pizza party after their first game.

That being said, the girls were just happy to be playing, according to Jones.

“They want games. When we practice, they always ask when their next game is,” said Jones.

Team captain Ashtyn David was quite happy to be playing all weekend, as were her teammates.

“I love having games all day and being with my team all week,” said David.

The tournament was a mixed pool of B and C level teams, which meant facing very tough opponents for the Mohawks.

“It’s been quite a sink or swim experience for these girls. We’ve only had two games to prepare, and we’re thrown right in the deep end in a B-C tournament, which we are not a B team,” said Jones.

He and David were quite happy with how well they reacted to the challenge in their first game of the tournament, in which they lost a close game against the Peterborough Lakers 5-3.

“I think it gave our team a huge confidence boost, because we had a really close game that we were so close to winning and that made our team more aggressive,” said David, who scored her first two goals of the season against the Lakers.

“My team has become more confident when we have possession of the ball. We have also become more aggressive when it comes to getting the ball.”

Jones was very happy with their effort and willingness to put in the work, even against their opponents who play B lacrosse, and even in spite of two shutout losses in Barrie against Oakville and the host Bombers.

“I’m really impressed with their drive to succeed and get better and develop,” said Jones.

That drive will serve them well come provincials in August, which this tournament made them eligible for.

“At the rate we’re going, we’re in a very strong position, especially in our class,” said Jones. As the Ontario Lacrosse Association does not do mixed pools for provincials, they will play against teams of a similar calibre, and with how much they are improving week over week, he is confident in their ability to compete there.

In the meantime, the team’s schedule will begin to ramp up after having a bit of trouble finding opponents to start their season. They will be in Nepean for a few games this weekend, and teams from the West Island have also started to reach out to arrange game days.

Jones said the team has also added some more players recently, after the new recruits saw their friends play lacrosse for the girls’ team.

“We picked up at least four more girls since. The lack of participation is not there, so thankfully, it is growing,” said Jones.

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