Thunder Take Two in a Row Over Ironheads, Saints

By Andy Gardner.

AKWESASNE – The Akwesasne Thunder Junior B lacrosse team added three wins and two losses to their 2024 record in recent games against Brampton, Kahnawake, New Market, West Durham and Mississauga.

In back-to-back games, the Thunder defeated the West Durham Ironheads on the evening of Sunday, June 2, and the New Market Saints 10-8 on Saturday, June 1, both taking place on their home court at A'nowara'ko:wa Arena. Meanwhile, a nailbiter of a game the weekend prior unfortunately went to the Mountaineers.

Sunday, June 2, Thunder 15 - Ironheads 11: The Ironheads started off with a 4-3 lead after 20 minutes, but the Thunder took over in the second and third stanzas.

Landon Sinfield, Hawi Francis and Takaronhiotakie Thompson posted the first three goals of the game within the first 10 minutes. West Durham came back with four markers of their own. Kurt Action scored twice in a row, the second goal happening with one second before the intermission buzzer to push the competition ahead by one goal going into the middle frame.

The Thunder and the Ironheads traded goals throughout 14 minutes of the second period to make the scoreboard read 7-6 West Durham. Akwesasne attackers gained solid momentum and fired in three unanswered goals from Tehokwirathe Barreiro, Carter King, and Francis going into the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Akwesasne and West Durham each posted two quick goals in the first two minutes of the closing stanza before Trysen Sunday reeled off the game-winning goal on an unassisted play. Sinfield, scoring twice, and Thompson connected for a trio of insurance markers.

Francis paced the Thunder offense with three goals and four assists. Sinfield posted four goals with two helpers. Thompson also scored four times and helped set up another. Sunday scored twice and assisted twice. Vance Adams tallied a quartet of assists. Carter King connected for a goal and a helper. Barreiro netted a singleton. Kaleb Maylon and Lukas Rozon each fashioned a pair of assists. Warren Cook and Jensen White each had solo helpers.

For the Ironheads, Graeme MacLennan scored a game-high five goals and three assists. Acton scored twice and set up one goal. Jackson Wilkenson recorded three assists.

Akwesasne netminder Xavier Delormier added a win to his record, turning aside 41 of the 56 shots he faced. Ironhead Carson McLean was saddled with the loss and made 35 saves.

Saturday, June 1, Thunder 10 – Saints 8: a day earlier at A'nowara'ko:wa, the Thunder took control of the game in the initial 40 minutes and held on through the third period to secure a close win.

Francis, White, and Sinfield put the Thunder out to a 3-1 lead with 6:46 left on the clock. Sunday came through and reeled off a pair of goals, putting the home team ahead 5-2 after the first period. Sunday's second goal was shorthanded.

In the second frame, Thompson and Sunday sandwiched goals around another from the Saints' Aiden Hamilton. The third period saw some back-and-forth play, during which Sinfield came up with the game-winner at 6:03, assisted by Sunday and Rozon. Warren Oakes connected for an insurance marker with 9:16 left on the clock.

Sunday led all scorers with four goals and three assists. Sinfield scored twice and helped set up three other scoring plays. Francis and Oakes each netted a goal with three helpers. Thompson scored once with an assist. Rozon tallied a pair of assists. White scored once. Rorontakehte Thompson and Cook each had one assist.

On the New Market side, Colin Kurdyla scored four times with an assist. Aidan Knoetgen had five assists.

Thunder goalie Delormier made 38 saves from 46 shots on goal. In the Saints' net, Sillaby Harrison made 49 saves out of 59 shots he faced.

Wednesday, May 29, Hunters 16 – Thunder 8: Akwesasne struggled to gain ground after Kahnawake started out with a 4-2 lead after the first period, which increased to 11-5 after another 20 minutes of play at A'nowara'ko:wa Arena. Connor Gorman scored the last goal the Hunters would need with 7:16 left in the second period, assisted by Tehahente Albany and Mark Henderson.

Thanaokatha Elijah led the Thunder with four goals and an assist. Warren Cook made four assists. Landen Sinfield scored once with two helpers. Warren Oakes scored a goal with an assist. Jensen White made two assists. Solo helpers came from Daniel Mahoney, Kaleb Maylon and Ryan Oakes.

The Hunters' Owen Rice scored a game-high four goals with six assists. Shakononhkwahtsheronniennis Rice scored two goals and generated five assists. Gorman scored four times and helped set up three other goals.

Akwesasne goalie Xavier Delormier blocked 34 of 48 shots. Lucas Diabo also spent time in the Thunder net, making two saves out of four shots lobbed at him. Kasey Lahache made 52 saves out of 60 shots on the Kahnawake goal. Michael Benedict spent a short time in the net, blocking the only shot he faced.

Sunday, May 26, Thunder 17 – Excelsiors 4: The Akwesasne Thunder made quick work of the Brampton Excelsiors, scoring all the goals they would need plus three insurance points in the opening 20 minutes. Going into the second period with an 8-0 lead, the home team turned that into a 13-1 advantage after the second period and outscored the visitors 4-3 in the third stanza.

Ryan Oakes netted the eventual game-winner with 4:06 remaining in the first period, assisted by Warren Oakes. Sinfield, Sunday, and Mason Cree connected for insurance markers before the intermission.

Sinfield and Sunday each scored four goals and one assist. Warren Oakes netted two goals with three helpers. Lukas Rozon tallied three assists. Tehokwirathe Barreiro made two assists. Maylon and Ryan Oakes each scored once with an assist. Cree and Takaronhiotakie Thompson scored two goals apiece. White scored once and assisted once. Carter King had two assists.

Brampton's Myles Tessier scored twice with one assist. Ethan Viveiros scored a goal with two helpers.

In the nets, Akwesasne's Delormier made 23 saves out of 26 shots he faced. Lucas Diabo made five saves from six shots on goal. Excelsiors goaltender Niky Lowe made 35 saves out of 43 shots. Anthony Cedilotte made seven saves out of 16 shots made at him.

Saturday, May 25, Mountaineers 8 – Thunder 7: Akwesasne narrowly lost to Mississauga in a hard-fought tilt at A'nowara'ko:wa Arena.

Warren Oakes scored twice for the Thunder in the first period, with Mountaineers Zach Abu-Ali netting a pair himself. Vance Adams, Elijah and Thompson assisted for Akwesasne.

Hayden McIsaacc, Finn Wotton, and Abu-Ali all scored for Mississauga in the second period, two of them occurring on power plays. Rorontakehte Thompson, assisted by Ryan Oakes, was the only goal Akwesasne managed during the middle frame, leaving the scoreboard at 5-3 going into the break.

The third period turned into anybody's game. Sinfield took advantage of a powerplay at 2:18 and pushed the Thunder to within one goal of a tie, assisted by Cook and Elijah. Colin Brazel scored for Mississagua unassisted, shorthanded, just under four minutes later to bring the county to 6-4.

Elijah, Sinfield, and White countered with a 1-2-3 attack between 7:54 and 10:33, tying the game at 7-all. Helpers came off the sticks of Mahoney, Elijah, Maylon and Sinfield. Exactly two minutes later, the Mountaineers' Abu-Ali scored what would hold up through the next 7:17 as the gamewinning goal, assisted by Wotton.

Elijah led the Thunder offense with a goal and three assists. Sinfield scored a pair of goals with a single assist. Warren Oakes scored twice. Rorontakehte Thompson and White each netted solo markers. Players contributing one assist each were Mahoney, Maylon, Ryan Oakes, Cook, Takaronhiotake Thompson, and Adams.

Abu-Ali led Missisaugua with four goals and an assist. Wotton and McIsaacc each scored a goal with a pair of helpers.

Akwesasne goalkeeper Delormier turned aside 34 out of 42 shots. In the visitors' net, Jesse Morrison made 54 saves out of 61 shots.