Indians lose first at home, respond in big way

One day after losing for the first time at the Turtle this year, 8-6 to Burlington, the Akwesasne Indians showcased their double-D’s in getting a 7-0 win over Brampton the very next day.

The aforementioned double-D’s were defense and Delormier as the goaltender was stellar in stopping 42 shots for the rare shutout.

“It was all Justin to preserve that shutout, especially late, he made 3 saves on odd-man rushes that were just huge,” reflected head coach Adam Thompson.

Brampton looked completely frustrated the entire game as the Indians defense, lead by Scott Cowie, Dwight Bero, Matt Noble, Pat Tallis, Neal Hopps, Jamie Downie, Cody Jacobs, Myan Adams and Sam Bradman were completely in sync the entire game. Whenever they failed, Delormier was there for a key save.

Although they only needed one the Indians pumped the net for seven goals, 2 of which were from Kyle Buchanan while Jeremy Thompson, Rick Acorn, Cody Jacobs, Dwight Bero and Blake Kenny all had goals of their own.

The win was quite a turnaround from the night before where the Indians were lackluster in falling to the Burlington Chiefs.

“There was no desire, no intensity,” said Thompson.  General Manager Don Moore added, “They [Burlington] just buried the opportunities they got and we didn’t.”

Buchanan netted a hat-trick in the loss while Jerome Thompson had 2 goals and an assist.  The two now sit 2nd and 11th in league scoring respectively.  Jeremy Thompson had the other goal.

The team is still playing without the services of four regulars, Peter Jacobs, James Cathers, Lyle Thompson and Miles Thompson who are all playing at the U-19 world championships in British Columbia.  The four are all expected back for the playoffs but will miss the Indians upcoming game against Six Nations on Saturday night.

The game will have huge playoff implications for the league’s final standings as Akwesasne, Six Nations and St. Catharines are all juggling between 2nd and 3rd place.  In their last meeting Akwesasne got down 7-1 after the first period only to come back and fall up just short 9-8 in a thriller. Fans won’t want to miss the matchup on Saturday at the Turtle at 7:00 p.m.