OHSWEKEN—There was no stopping the Frog Pond Maulers who were clearly on a mission.
Competing at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena, the Maulers made history when on Sunday, November 30th they completed an undefeated run by defeating the Rebels 6-4 to win the 2019 Dreamcatcher Lacrosse Tournament.
“They were a tough opponent,” Frog Pond Maulers Gates Abrams said. “It feels great to defend the title.”
Overall, there was a lot on the line, as first place for the tournament received not a trophy but a cheque for $3,000.
“The tournament is considered a recreational tournament, but teams do want to win so it can get pretty competitive,” Delby Powless whose job title is Student-Athlete Services at Dreamcatchers.
A total of 10 teams were competing in what was the 6th Annual Dreamcatchers Lacrosse tournament which was three days ending with playoff Sunday. This was a much anticipated championship as it had a Rebels team looking for some revenge after being beaten earlier by the Frog Pond Maulers.
“I wanted to play them again,” Rebels Marshall Powless said. “They had player who have played junior at least. It’s all about having fun. It was fun playing against my other brother.”
Striving to keep that undefeated streak alive, Frog Pond Maulers got the early jump as Kessler Doolittle scored within the first minutes for a 1-0 lead.
In what was an intense fast paced game, the Rebels came within inches of tying things up as they clanked one of the post moments before Frog Pond Maulers Zach Hill celebrated a breakaway goal which doubled their lead.
“It (Dreamcatcher tournament) was exciting,” Maulers Josh Miller said. “Our team is made up of some of the best lacrosse players around. Not only that we are very close knit on and off the floor. I think that gives us a leg up on the competition.”
Moments after the Frog Pond Maulers just missed going up by three, the Rebels offence kicked into gear as they got consecutive goals from Maccoy Abrams and Marshall Powless which made it a brand-new game after a period of regulation.
“I enjoy getting to play alongside my friends, and playing for a good cause,” Miller said. “And most of all getting to play against some old friends on Rebels and it’s always fun to compete against friends.”
With first place on the line, Frog Pond broke things open in the second as they managed to shut out the explosive Rebels offence while taking control with three goals from Miller on a nice pass from Mitch Green followed by tallies from Wenster Green and Jordan Durston for the commanding 5-2 advantage.
“We just kept pushing and it was great to go undefeated,” Frog Pond Maulers Ashton Jacobs said. “It’s friendly competition with cousins even slashing each other.”
The Rebels would make things interesting by scoring early in the third, but there was no denying the Frog Pond Maulers who came right back on a goal from Abrams as they went on to capture this year’s Dreamcatcher Lacrosse Tournament championship.
“Dreamcatcher would like to congratulate the Frog Pond Maulers on winning the championship,” Dreamcatchers’ Josh Powless said. “We would also like to thank the fans, teams, refs, timekeepers, volunteers, and our sponsors for helping to make our 6th Annual Dreamcatcher Lacrosse Tournament a success. See everyone next year.”
