Warriors repeat at provincials

The U11 Kanehsatake Warriors are provincial champions once again, after going undefeated in the Quebec Lacrosse end of season tournament.

“It feels great. The kids put in a lot of work and earned it. I’m super proud of them for winning for the second year in a row,” said Selena Beauvais, one of the U11 Warriors coaches.

The Warriors played three round robin games to start their tournament, competing on July 8 against Chambly.

Having played against them just days earlier in the finals of the Kanehsatake Warriors Lacrosse Jamboree, the Warriors knew they would be facing a tough opponent in the opening game.

“Chambly is a really strong team with great shooters,” said Beauvais.

“I was a little nervous, but our kids are going to find a way to win regardless. We had a really strong team this year.”

Indeed, while both teams were evenly matched, it was the Warriors who came out on top at the end of the contest - like at the Jamboree, only this time a 3-2 win.

Their other two round robin games were not as close. In their two games on Saturday, July 12, they beat the Longueuil Patriots 8-2 in the morning and the Roussillon association 11-2 in the afternoon.

The next day, they faced the host team, the Terrebonne Mustangs, in the semifinals. That too was a big win for the Warriors, as they punched their ticket to the finals with another 8-2 win.

The Laval Titans were their finals opponents, and being the team gave the Warriors their only regular season loss - winning 6-4 on June 25 - it was a finals game with some payback on the line for the Warriors.

They got that payback Sunday afternoon, taking down the Titans 7-4.

Beauvais said the final seconds before the whistle were filled with energy on the bench.

“There was about 40 seconds left in the game, and the kids were trying to run on the floor and go jump on their goalie with excitement. It was a proud moment for sure,” said Beauvais.

When they did get the chance, the celebration was worth the wait, according to John Harding, grandfather of U11 player Kayden Canatonquin.

“What a celebration they had! Gloves and helmets flew off as they cleared the bench and all rushed to tackle their goaltender at the final whistle,” said Harding.

Both Beauvais and Harding said they had the utmost confidence that the Warriors were capable of repeating as champions.

“By the way they were playing and working as a team, I knew they were going to take home first place again,” said Beauvais, who added that strong teamwork and collaboration were what propelled them to victory.

She gave an example of selfless play the team regularly did.

“When our team was up on the scoreboard, the players would move the ball around to try to get it to the players that didn’t score yet during the season and try to get them a goal. It was so great to watch,” said Beauvais.

“They were always like that. We would teach them and remind them of discipline, effort and just to have fun.”

Harding said that that coaching mentality was important to the players, and he could see that with his grandson.

“I felt they inspired the skills, grit and determination that the U11 players showed this season, and ultimately that’s what took them all the way to the championship,” said Harding.

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