SIX NATIONS – Monday night the first place Six Nations Arrows Express Jr A’s went to Peterborough, sinking the Peterborough Lakers 12-5. Kason Tarbell and Josh Johnson led the Arrows with a pair of goals and three assists each. Quinn Powless scored one and assisted on four to take home a five point night, and goaltender Doug Jamieson registered the win.
After defeating the Barrie Lakeshores 16-7 in a run-and-gun game on Friday night, the Six Nations Arrows Express were forced into a defensive battle Sunday night against the Kitchener/Waterloo Braves at the ILA, which they lost by the score of 8-6.
The Braves set the pace for the game and all but canceled the high-powered Arrows with close checking, hard work and fine goaltending. The Arrows’ defense stepped up as well to keep the score more like the kind you would find at a hockey game rather than one at a lacrosse game.
The Braves recorded the first two goals of the game scored by Wyatt Barfoot and Joel Tinny. Josh Johnson took advantage of a powerplay to put the Arrows’ first mark on the score sheet at 13:45 from Quinn Powless and Austin Staats. Connor Cole answered for the Braves with an unassisted marker at 16:28, but Jordan Durston scored Six Nations’ second goal of the game on a powerplay at 17:38 from AP player Kai Turbell and Staats.
With KW leading 3-2 heading into the second period, the Braves slowed the game down, seeming to throw off the timing for the usual run-and-gun style Arrows, who seemed a bit out of their element all night.
Ian Martin tied the game up on a power play at 3:27 from Josh Johnson and Marcus Elvin. Joel Tinney took the lead back for the Braves at 8:26, but Anthony Patterson caught a break when he plucked the ball right out of the stick of a KW player and ran the length of the floor unimpeded to tie the game at 4-4.
The Arrows’ defense let the Braves set up in their end and after a series of passes Chris Cloutier gave the Braves a 5-4 lead to end the second period.
Haodais Maracle tied it up again at 3:38 of the third from Tarbell and Staats. Drake Smith answered for KW before Patterson scored his second of the game on a breakaway to tie it up for the last time, at 6-6.
The Arrows were caught in their own end for the remaining 3 minutes of the game and could not seem to break out. David Prince scored the game winner low to the glove side of Don Alton in the Six Nations net.
Then with under a minute left, the ball turned over to the Braves, who took a time out to set up a play. With Alton on the bench for the extra man, the Arrows sent two men in to cover KW’s Joel Tinney who was given the ball in his own end zone by the ref after the time out. That opened the floor for a down court lead pass at centre, which was completed, sending Cole in on the empty Arrows’ net. He scored the final goal at 19:44.
Friday in Barrie it was more like the usual Arrows’ game as they overwhelmed the Lakeshores, 16-7 outshooting them 51-37. Austin Staats recorded a 10-point game with 5 goals and 5 assists. Josh Johnson went 2 and 5 for a 7-pointer and Jordan Durston scored one and assisted on six for his 7-point game.
The Arrows will see the Braves again in the last game of the regular season on Thursday, July 10 in KW at 8 pm. The Arrows Express have already clinched first place overall, giving them home floor advantage throughout the OLA playoffs.
