The Six Nations Girls Intermediate Warriors brought home gold medals after playing in the Lax Angels Tournament in Kitchener this past Sunday. With only two seasonal games before heading into the tournament, the team was cause for conversation as they finished with a 5-0 win streak.
The team won against Walaceburg 2-1 on Friday, Sarnia 6-3 and Arthur 3-2 on Saturday, Thunder Bay 3-1 in Semi-Finals and finally Walaceburg 2-1 on Sunday. This is the first time any Six Nations girls box team has won a tournament undefeated.
With an outstanding performance by goalie Maquoia General, exemplar offence and defence by Crystle “Biz” Hill, Fawn and Nia Porter, Dallas Lickers, Tianna Bomberry, Lizzie Bradley and Charlee Hill, the team fought hard with the guidance of their coaches to be named champions.
One of the strongest offensive players on the team, Fawn Porter explained that the new players “settled into family” over the weekend. Starting in the boys’ tyke division and finishing in novice, Porter continued to play in the girls’ divisions, totalling eight years of experience in the game.
“It was amazing to feel all of the hard work, all of the things we took from other teams, pay off with that gold wrapped around our neck,” said Porter. “Each game was close, but we made sure they knew who Six Nations was.”
Head Coach Charles “Chuck” Martin, MVP winner for the Old Timers League in 2014 and Hall of Fame Inductee in 1998 said he “remembers when they couldn’t win a game.” In 2013 the team barely had enough dedicated girls to pull together ten players for tournaments, including provincials. Along with problems finding a knowledgeable coach willing to coach a girls’ team, the team had been pooled into ‘C’ Division, where the victories were few and far between.
In a mere two years the team has moved into ‘B’ Division, with over fifteen determined and dedicated players and a fully committed bench staff to demand victory in their division. It has been speculated that the team could possibly be moved into the ‘A’ Division to play with the top teams in Ontario after their athletic performance this past weekend.