SIX NATIONS – The St. Catharines Spartans gave the league leading Six Nations Rebels their closest game of the year so far Friday night at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena but the Jr. B Rebels held on for the 8-6 win, keeping their perfect 17-0 season intact.
The Rebels have not been defeated in regular season play since 2012.
The Rebels took a 2-0 lead with goals by Timothy Johnson assisted by Bo Henhawk and Dreyton Martin, and Dallas John, who buried one high to the stick side of Spartan goalie Craig Seneca, with an extra attacker on the floor. Layne Smith and Jacob Bomberry assisted.
The Spartans caught a break when Rebels goalie Chase Martin accidentally dropped the ball out of his stick right in front of his goal crease and onto the stick of Zack Calder who was quick to take advantage of the miscue.
Tehoka Nanticoke-Hill started the Rebels rolling in the second period when he was allowed in on Seneca with enough time for a triple fake before netting the 3-1 goal. Then, with the teams playing four men aside, Jacob Bomberry notched Six Nations forth goal, assisted by Kyle Isaacs and Nanticoke-Hill at 7:54.
Layne Smith increased the Six Nations lead to 5-1 at 9:38 and it began to look like it was going to be another Rebels rout until Danny Blocho ended the Six Nations string at 12:20. But Nanticoke-Hill responded for Six Nations 20 seconds later to end the second period with the Rebels winning 6-2.
The Spartans were not about to go home without a fight, and launched an all out counter attack against the Rebels in the third period. Chris Robertson added St Catharines’ third goal at 6:35, which Henhawk answered at 12:49 from Ashton Jacobs and Jacob Bomberry.
Rebels’ Alex Martin and Spartans’ Evan Scott had the dance card at 13:54 and did battle as the large crowd cheered for the eventual winner, Martin who took a few good punches thrown by Scott before the referees moved in to end it with both combatants on the floor.
The fight seemed to distract the Rebels from their game allowing the Spartans put together a three-goal string to draw within one of the leaders with less than two minutes remaining.
St Catharines pulled Seneca for the extra attacker but the move backfired when Bo Henhawk intercepted a Spartan pass and scored in the empty net to finish their opponents off, 8-6.
The Rebels see action again Thursday June 19th when they pay a visit to London to face the cross-divisional, Blue Devils of the Far West division. They will take the day off before returning to the ILA for a date with the 15-2 Mid West division leaders, the Elora Mohawks win what should be very exciting matchup.
