SIX NATIONS – The Arena Lacrosse League’s Six Nations Snipers are nine games into the schedule and still have only two wins to show for it. Snipers’ coach Stew Monture has been waiting for his team of all-stars to come to the plate and start moving up the standings.
Saturday night in Oshawa, the Snipers took the short end of an 11-9 final score against the Oshawa Outlaws. Craig Point got things started from Reily Johnson with a powerplay goal early in the game, with the Outlaws charged with too-many-men on the floor three and a half minutes in.
That only poked the cage as the Outlaws roared back with four goals to complete the first quarter, Oshawa leading 4-1.
There was loads of action in the second quarter starting with Snipers’ Tyler Woodman who chipped a goal off the Outlaws’ lead. The Outlaws’ Cam Mancini quickly got that one back and it was 5-2. Chancy Johnson and Wayne VanEvery made it closer at 5-4 before TJ Sanders restored the two goal edge for Oshawa.
Point added his second of the night to stay close and Vern Hill pulled even at 6-6. With 33 seconds left in the half, Oshawa slipped one more in to take a 7-6 lead into the third quarter.
Josh Gilray made it 8-6, Outlaws, but Johnson cut that to 8-7 and Craig Point entered his hat-trick goal to draw alongside at 8-8 with 1:01 left in the quarter.
The Outlaws kept the pressure on and 31 seconds before the end of the third quarter Oshawa once again held the one goal lead.
VanEvery wrestled the Snipers to even the tide again, this time at 9-9, 1:10 into the fourth quarter. The Snipers could not hold off the Outlaws who scored twice more for the 11-9 Oshawa win.
Friday night at home, at the ILA, the Snipers lost a hard-fought 14-13 battle with the St. Catharines Shockwave which required OT to complete.
Josh Becker, was the first on the scoreboard for St. Kitts but Wenster Green and TylerWoodman responded to take a 2-1 first quarter lead. Tommy Montour added another early in the second frame which was erased by two quick goals both scored by Brandon Slate 1:10 apart to tie it up at 3-3.
Vern Hill scored from Warren Hill at 10:09, Ian Martin made it 5-3 at 9:38, and Layne Smith gave Six Nations a 6-3 lead to that point.
St. Kitts launched its own salvo of goals to even the score at 6-6.
Craig Point scored again from Cecil Montour and Smith for the 7-6 Snipers lead at the half.
St. Catharines evened the score at 7-7 to begin the third quarter. The Snipers created a four-goal string thanks to Vern Hill, Layne Smith, Reily Johnson and Wenster Green and with 8:10 left, the Snipers were leading 11-7.
Josh Miller carved one away for St. Catherines before the end of the quarter and it was 11-8. Caleb Wiles closed the gap further for St. Kitts to open the fourth quarter, but Luke Laszkiewicz answered for Six Nations 15 seconds later, to stay ahead of the ShockWave by three goals. But four more unanswered St. Catharines goals followed to eat up the Six Nations’ lead and overtake them 13-12 with 1:40 remaining.
The Snipers pulled goalie for an extra man as time ticked down and with two ticks left, Ian Martin sent the game to OT from Point and Danton Miller.
The ShockWave was declared the winner after Anthony Patterson ended it at 11:29.
