News
Akwesasne Thunder a national silver-medalist at Founders Cup in B.C. 8/19/2023
The Akwesasne Thunder, after a riveting recovery at the nationals and playing for a championship on Saturday night, battled a very strong Edmonton Warriors team and ultimately fell 9-7 in the final game at the Founders Cup.
The junior B Thunder had to settle for a silver medal, but it was very well-earned, after an 0-2 start at the six-team event that had Akwesasne in great danger of not getting a shot at any medal in Saturday’s finales.
But the Thunder, starting on Wednesday, ran off three straight victories to earn a second-place finish in the round-robin portion of the event, and the team seem poised to complete a stunning gold-medal performance, jumping out to a 4-1 lead against the Warriors in the first period.
All six teams were to play Saturday, but only four were competing for a medal. The day started with the Victoria Shamrocks – the fifth-place finisher in the preliminary round – defeating sixth-place Queen City from Regina 16-11.
The bronze clash had the Saints squaring off against Onondaga, and the home team scored a 12-8 victory.
The Founders Cup has been battled for by 17-21-year-old players from seven provinces and seven First Nations since 1972; prior to 1972, teams competed for the Castrol Cup.
Victoria beat Akwesasne 11-6 in the Thunder’s first game this week, on Monday. The next day, Akwesasne fell to 0-2 when it suffered a 14-6 setback against Edmonton.
The Thunder was just 11-9 in the regular season, but then it eliminated the defending Founders Cup-champion Nepean Knights in the Ontario Lacrosse Association second playoff round, and in the final almost completely shut down a Six Nations squad that was 20-0 in the regular campaign.
While Akwesasne got off to a very sluggish start in Port Coquitlam, it got on a roll and was arguably battle-tested for a long haul based on the series of games against Six Nations, that had four contests played in five days.
The Founders Cup schedule was even more punishing, with each team playing on six consecutive days.
Akwesasne Thunder picks up first win at Founders Cup nationals in B.C. 8/17/2023
The Thunder, which started out 0-2 at the six-team event, needed a victory on Wednesday to keep hopes of a berth in a top-tier final game Saturday alive, and the Raweras Michell-coached team came through in a big way, thrashing the Onondaga Redhawks from the Syracuse, N.Y.-area, 12-6 at the Port Coquitlam Community Centre’s Jon Baillie Arena.
The Thunder defeated Six Nations 6-2 two Mondays ago to win the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League championship series, three games to one.
The Jr. Redhawks, from the Onondaga Nation in New York State, are champions of the four-team First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League, defeating the Seneca WarChiefs from the Buffalo, N.Y.-area, 3-1 in the best-of-five final.
The Thunder was hoping to keep building momentum on Thursday when it took on the still-winless Queen City Kings, who are based in Regina, Sask. Akwesasne has a very tough test on Friday night in its last round-robin game when it meets the host squad, the Poco Saints, one of two teams, along with the Victoria Shamrocks, who are hoping to become the first squad ever from British Columbia to win the Founders Cup.
All six teams play Saturday, but only four will compete for a medal. The fifth seed meets the sixth seed in Saturday’s first game, followed by the third and fourth seed in the silver medal showdown, and then the top two seeds in the gold medal match on Saturday night.
As of Thursday morning, only the Thunder and 0-3 Kings had played three games. The standings were being led by the hosts, and Edmonton Warriors, both 2-0, with 2-1 Victoria in third spot and 1-2 Onondaga in fourth.
The Founders Cup has been battled for by 17-21-year-old players from seven provinces and seven First Nations since 1972; prior to 1972, teams competed for the Castrol Cup, and the B.C.-based Victoria McDonalds were the last team to win it, in 1972.
Victoria beat Akwesasne 11-6 in the Thunder’s first game this week, on Monday. The next day, Akwesasne fell to 0-2 when it suffered a 14-6 setback against Edmonton
Akwesasne’s offensive leaders two games into the event were Kyren Lazore (three goals, one assist) and Hawi Francis (two goals, two assists).
The Thunder with goalie Sakaronhiotane Thompson standing tall in a packed A’nowara’ko:wa Arena two Mondays ago defeated the Six Nations Rebels in Game 4 of the Ontario final.
The Thunder was just 11-9 in the regular season, but then eliminated the defending Founders Cup-champion Nepean Knights in the second playoff round, and in the final almost completely shut down a Six Nations squad that was 20-0 in the regular campaign.
It was a punishing schedule with four games in five days, the series starting the previous Thursday night in Six Nations near Brantford.
The Founders Cup schedule is even more harsh, with each team playing on six consecutive days.
Akwesasne Thunder rolls on with OLA title, berth in Founders Cup
08/08/2023
AKWESASNE — A stifling defence, a virtual wall in goal and a thunderous home crowd all were key in a lacrosse championship captured in Akwesasne on Monday night.
The Akwesasne Thunder scored just six goals but that was as good as 16 with Sakaronhiotane Thompson standing tall in a packed A’nowara’ko:wa Arena, the netminder leading his team to a 6-2 win against the Six Nations Rebels in Game 4 of the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League best-of-five championship series
The Thunder won the series three games to one and will prepare for a quick turnaround – the team has a 5,000-kilometre trip to take in just a few days, having qualified for the Founders Cup junior B national championship event gets underway on Monday in Port Coquitlam, B.C., and concludes Aug. 20.
“It feels unbelievable,” Thunder captain Vance Adams said as players took turns parading on the arena floor with the Ontario Lacrosse Association championship banner.
Noticeably absent from the epicentre of the celebration? The championship trophy. The players didn’t touch the trophy, and they didn’t take their picture with it, the snub being equal parts tradition, superstition and statement.
“This isn’t over,” Adams said. “We still have the Founders Cup to win. And we’re going to win it, it’s as simple as that.”
Considering the Thunder was just 11-9 in the regular season, but then eliminated the defending Founders Cup-champion Nepean Knights in the second playoff round, and in the final almost completely shut down a Six Nations squad that was 20-0 in the regular campaign, it’s hard to challenge Adams’ assertion.
Especially the way goalie Saka Thompson is dialed in right now.
Thompson, 19, the son of National Lacrosse League championsip-winning goalie Mike Thompson who starred with the Buffalo Bandits, is heading into his sophomore season with the SUNY Potsdam Bears, and is, apparently, just as quiet and humble as his dad.
It was hard to imagine how the teenager could be so cool and collected after being under fire for two hours in a Turtle Dome sauna, the visitors out-shooting the home side 52-46.
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Akwesasne Thunder face Six Nations Rebels in Ontario Jr. B lacrosse final 08/02/2023
AKWESASNE — The Jr. B Thunder lacrosse team will start its Ontario championship series on Thursday, a rematch of sorts from the provincial final series held in 2019.
Akwesasne, playing in 2019 as the Indians, faced the Six Nations Rebels in that series losing the series 3-2 on Aug. 7. After beating out the Orangeville Northmen on Saturday, the Thunder are now set to face the Rebels in a best-of-five series that starts on Thursday in Six Nations of Grand River Territory.
The Eastern Conference final between Akwesasne and Orangeville featured a hiccup for the Thunder, after Orangeville protested Game 1 held in Akwesasne on July 22. The league ruled on the protest and voided the win, which now shows as a 1-0 win for the Northmen.
That had the Thunder tied 1-1 in the series heading to Orangeville on Friday, but they would technically end up still sweeping the series after winning Game 3 8-6 and Game 4 on Saturday by a score of 5-4.
The Ontario final series will be a quick one, with games scheduled between Thursday and Wednesday, Aug. 9.
Games 1 and 2 will play out at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Six Nations; Thursday play is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. and Friday at 7 p.m. The series then shifts to Akwesasne for the next two games, with play at the A’nowara’ko:wa Arena at 7 p.m. both Sunday, Aug. 6, and Monday, Aug. 7. If Game 5 is needed, the series would shift back to the ILA on Aug. 9 with an 8 p.m. start.
The Rebels had a perfect regular season this year, winning all 20 games to lead the Western Conference. The Rebels also topped the goal-scoring chart in the regular season, 278 goals for. Akwesasne had a tougher go in the regular season, finishing out with a 11-9 record in the far east division.
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Akwesasne Thunder up 2-0 in conference final series against Orangeville 07/24/2023
AKWESASNE — After surviving two-straight overtime playoff games, the Akwesasne Thunder powered their way Sunday to a surprising 16-6 victory over the Orangeville Northmen.
“No, I’ve never seen that (score differential) in a playoff game,” said Hawie Francis, who came up with one of best postseason games ever, scoring three times and adding four assists. Francis had something to prove in the second game of his team’s Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League semifinal.
“I came in here with a different mindset from last night,” Francis said, admitting, “I didn’t play too well last night, and I wanted to make a big impact.”
Thanokatha Elijah and Oneniotekowa Maracle each scored in OT to squeeze out the Thunder’s Saturday 11-9 win over Orangeville.
With the Thunder on the verge of a championship final, a packed A’nowara’ko:wa Arena had lots to cheer about on Sunday.
Most of Francis’ output came in the first two periods, helping his team get the eventual game-winning goal just seconds into the second period, by Warren Oakes.
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Akwesasne Thunder oust defending national champs in thrilling fashion 7/17/2023
AKWESASNE — The Akwesasne Thunder has won its second playoff series of the summer, and will run against the Orangeville Northmen in the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League’s Eastern Conference championship series.
The perennial powerhouse Thunder, under first-year head coach Raweras Mitchell, had to pull off a big upset to advance – they were in second-round action against the Nepean Knights, a dynamic squad that won the national crown – the Founders Cup – last August in the tournament held in Brampton, Ont.
The Knights in the regular season in the Far East Division of the conference posted an identical, first-place record to the one they had in 2022, going 18-2 in 20 contests, but the upstart Thunder (11-9, third place) finished on top when it mattered most, wrapping up the series at A’nowara’ko:wa Arena with a thrilling 9-8 win in overtime on Saturday – including a great comeback – to give Akwesasne a 3-1 series victory.
The home side was down 5-0 barely midway through the opening period, but the Thunder had trimmed the deficit to 6-4 after two sessions, and went ahead 7-6 well into the third period, before the Knights tied it up with under four minutes remaining in regulation time. With overtime required, the Knights scored 2:49 into the session, but the Thunder rallied to win it on goals from Trysen Sunday (4:27) and Hawi Francis (4:54).
Nepean outshot Akwesasne 67-64; Akwesasne netminder Sakaronhiotane Thompson – coach Mitchell said earlier this season he’s the best goaltender in the entire OJBLL – made 59 saves.
Francis had four goals and an assist in the series clincher. Oneniotekowa Maracle had two goals and three assists for five points. Carey Terrance and Zack Gignac each had a goal and two assists.
Akwesasne on the road had opened the series with a win last weekend and by the same 9-8 score in overtime as in Game 4. The Thunder took command of the series with a 6-5 OT win at home on July 10; the Knights staved off elimination with a 6-4 decision in Nepean on Thursday.
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'This game is our game:' opposing Akwesasne, Six Nations players join dances
08/08/2019
AKWESASNE — The barn-burner Ontario Lacrosse Association Jr. B championship series between the Akwesasne Indians and the Six Nations Rebels brought plenty highlights to remember, but one of the most-memorable scenes occurred right before the game.
Each game in Akwesasne and Six Nations begins with a smoke dance. Like the rest of the season in Akwesasne, the Jimerson family performed it for the packed crowd at the Turtle Dome. But during the final series against Six Nations, they had some special guests.
Opposing players Brett Logan and Gutch Salinas— of the Indians and Rebels, respectively— took off their gloves and helmets and laid down a firestorm of moves with the dance crew, who were dressed in regalia. The dance involves lightning-quick footwork of the feet mixed with heavy, thunderous stomps that slam to the beat of the drum.
In Game 1, it was Logan who joined the smoke dance on a whim. In Game 2, Salinas couldn’t help himself. From then on, the two performed before each of the remaining games.
“We are passionate about the game of lacrosse and our heritage, our language, our songs and our dances. As you can see, every single of us came together came for this series.” said Salinas.
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Akwesasne Thunder push Nepean to overtime, lose 6-5
AKWESASNE — New head coach Raweras Mitchell sees a lot of silver linings that could lead to a gold mine for the Akwesasne Thunder Jr. B lacrosse team.
“You know what? This team has a mentality that they don’t quit. They keep working,” Mitchell said, after the Thunder dropped the first two games of their 2023 campaign over the weekend. Mitchell also has a valuable ally on his side – the home fans at A’nowara’ko:wa Arena on Kawehno:ke. “It is all about part of wanting to win. We have a new brand, new name,” he said of club that used to play as the Indians.
“Look at the arena, it’s packed in here,” he said, of the crowd that was also supplemented with a healthy contingent of fans supporting their Sunday foes, the Nepean Knights. “Akwesasne is the best lacrosse community to play for.”
The Akwesasne Junior "B" Lacrosse Organization Announces
Change for Head Coaching Position
Akwesasne, NY – After being known for the past ten years as the Akwesasne Indians, the Akwesasne Junior “B” Lacrosse organization is proud to announce their new team name: The Akwesasne Junior “B” Thunder.
“Greg is an amazing member of the Akwesasne community who, with his wealth of lacrosse knowledge, helps build our youth in their game to compete competitively. On behalf of the Akwesasne Junior “B”, we wish him much success in his future endeavors,” noted Turner Thomas, Akwesasne Thunder General Manager.
The Akwesasne Junior “B” Thunder welcome Raweras Mitchell as their head coach for the upcoming season. Mitchell is a former-Akwesasne Senior “A” Thunder lacrosse player that participated in Major Series Lacrosse League. He served various capacities at the minor lacrosse level before being selected on
Coaching staff for Team Ontario during the 2022 Canada Summer Games held in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
“I consider myself a student of the game, as I continue to learn from my colleagues and help to evolve the game. My goal is to build a team that will compete at the highest level every night and to foster a team culture that is proud to represent the community of Akwesasne. In addition to being the best lacrosse players, we encourage our players to “give back” by participating in community functions and passing along their knowledge of the game,” says Head Coach Raweras Mitchell.
“The full coaching staff will be announced in the upcoming weeks, but we are already excited for the 2023 lacrosse season as we prepare to announce new programming, staff, and other elements that will help rekindle our community’s pride for the Akwesasne Thunder,” added General Manager Thomas.
If you are interested in applying for the position of Assistant Coach for the Akwesasne Junior “B” Thunder, please visit https://caamgmt.com/application-form-coaching/ to download and complete an application. Interested individuals can also pickup an application at CAA Management Offices located at 76 Geronimo Lane in Akwesasne, NY.
The deadline to apply is March 15, 2023; as Level 1 Certification courses begin April 1st in Cornwall.
New Name, New Logo
“We are thrilled to introduce our new name and logo,” said Akwesasne Junior “B” General Manager Turner Thomas. “We have new changes in our season programming that will create a more exciting environment to cheer on Akwesasne’s team.”
The Thunder name has a long-standing history for Akwesasne residents. It recalls the days of the Senior “A” team known as the Akwesasne Thunder, who played out of the now-demolished Water Street Arena in Cornwall Ontario. “The logo is an interpretation of our thunder beings,” explained Thomas. “It also provides a bit of nostalgia for many of our elders.”
The Akwesasne Junior “B” organization has many exciting changes coming for the fans this coming season, including specialty nights benefiting local organizations and a new partnership with the Akwesasne Minor Storm Lacrosse Program.
“Our youth aspire to be future Jr. B Thunder players and provide continuity for the Akwesasne Minor organization. I really want to have a strong partnership between the Juniors and the Minors. I want to make sure we are creating a strong development program, creating the best possible players to transition into the Junior program,” says Rhonda Aldrich, President Akwesasne Minor Association.
The Akwesasne Junior “B” Thunder will officially debut their new look during the 2023 season against Gloucester on Friday, April 28th and a home celebration on Sunday, April 30that against Nepean 8:00 p.m. EST at the Anowarakowa Arena on Cornwall island, Ont. Fans can expect to see some exciting changes; including new uniforms, logos, merchandise and programming.
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