OHSWEKEN— The Six Nations Snipers are gearing up for what coach Darcy Powless believes will be an exciting, action packed Arena Lacrosse League season.
In showing that focus, the Snipers played two pre-season games on Saturday, December 14th at the I.L.A. where they battled the Paris Riverwolves to an 8-8 draw followed by a spirited 7-5 loss against the Toronto Monarchs which was called with 4:54 remaining.
“It was a good peak at what talent we have,” Powless said. “We were missing a handful of guys and we’re seeing what our new guys will add to our team.”
The Snipers will be looking to rebound after stringing together a 5-9 record last year before suffering an early playoff exit.
“We had a decent season last year,” Coach Powless said. “We lost a lot of one goal games. So we’re looking to turn those close games into wins and climb higher in the standings.”
In terms of what they still have to improve on before the season starts on Sunday, December 22nd 4 p.m. at the ILA, Powless stated, “We have to stay disciplined. There’s a fine line of intensity and undisciplined, as any team needs. We gotta stay out of the penalty box. I don’t mind the rough stuff, but gotta be smart about it.”
Looking to end the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL) showcase with a win, the Monarchs scored an early power play goal before the Snipers scored a late power play tally to make it a brand- new game.
“We played good lacrosse,” Snipers goalie Dougie Powless said. “We feel we did everything right.”
Once again, the Monarchs struck early as they scored at 1:05 of the second, as they went on to add some insurance in taking a 3-1 lead into the half.
Echoing the coaches’ words, Dougie Powless believes that heading into the season the Snipers need to work on, “Penalty kill and staying out of the box.”
Picking up the pace, the Snipers scored consecutive goals before Toronto once again seized momentum with three straight goals in taking a 6-3 lead into the fourth.
Down but not out, the Snipers began the fourth with consecutive goals but couldn’t come all the way back as Toronto held a 7-5 lead when with just under five minutes remaining, tempers were boiling and the game was officially called.
