The Elora Mohawks came on strong when it counted at the Founders Cup tournament last week, winning the national championship for Junior B lacrosse in convincing style.
Players and team staff received their gold medals at a ceremony Saturday night (Aug. 18), after defeating the Seneca WarChiefs 9-5 in a hard-fought game at the Turtle Dome in Akwesasne near Cornwall.
They were cheered on by a large contingent of supporters who travelled to the tournament, along with a crowd that gathered for a viewing party at the Elora Arena, organized as a food bank fundraiser by Centre Wellington Minor Lacrosse.
“Hey Elora, we did this for you,” tweeted Captain Klayton Hoelscher, who had seven goals and eight assists for the tournament. “No better feeling and no other town I’d rather bring this trophy home to.”
It was the first national title for the team since 2005. They had captured the Ontario Junior B Lacrosse League Championship on Aug. 9, defeating the Clarington Green Gaels in a best-of-five series.
The Mohawks won all five games in the eight-team national tournament, scoring 66 goals, but head coach Kyle Goss said they didn’t hit their full stride until the final two games.
“Our best guys were our best guys yesterday and today. We knew going into the medal round that we hadn’t played our best lacrosse yet,” said Goss, in an interview streamed live by the JVI Sports Network. Goss was with the team as a player from 2005 to 2010, and has been the head coach for the last two years.
“Our backbone has been our goaltending and D, but when the D and goaltending aren’t working, the offense is always there to bail us out, and likewise the other way.
“I’m so happy for the boys. I had some great years playing, and it’s just the icing on the cake. I’ve loved the Mohawks since I was a kid. I know these guys have loved the Mohawks since they were kids. It’s just awesome to see.”
It is a veteran team, with 11 players moving on at age 21, so it was the year to go hard for championship. Several players were only in their second year with Elora. Some could be moving on to play with Elora’s affiliate Junior A team, the Kitchener-Waterloo Braves.
“I had a fairly easy job,” said Goss, in an interview with the Advertiser. “We played with one system, and they all bought in. Just small tweaks – read and react.”
He paid tribute to long-time trainer Pat “Wheels” Mackenzie, who was there for the previous championship in 2005.
“She’s incredible, and as you get playing well into August, she is the most important piece to our staff in keeping those boys going.”
Goalie Landon Kells, who made some amazing saves against Seneca, was named Elora’s Player of the Game and Goalie of the Tournament.
Kurtis Woodland was the top scorer in the tournament with 16 goals and 24 assists. “It feels good, but you can’t do it without the D guys getting you the ball,” he said.
Cole Spear was the fourth leading scorer for the tournament with 11 goals and 12 assists. Hyatt Welsh and Tyrus Rehanek each racked up 15 points, Welsh with six goals and nine assists, and Rehanek with one goal and 14 assists.
“I watched them win it in ’05 – it’s pretty surreal right now,” said Welsh, who was once a ball boy for the team. “This is what you live for. This is a special team for sure.”
This is the sixth national box lacrosse championship in Mohawks history. The team was originally established as the Fergus Thistles. They became the Guelph Mohawks in 1963 and moved to Elora in 1967.
In the round robin games last week, the Elora Mohawks defeated the host Mohawk Medicine Men 16-8, the Manitoba Blizzard 17-8 and the Saskatchewan SWAT 9-5.
The Black and Gold poured on the power in the semi-final game Friday night, finishing the first period with a 9-0 lead over the Coquitlam Adanacs, and cruised to a 15-5 victory. The Adanacs went on to defeat the Manitoba Blizzard 9-8, taking the bronze medal.
In the championship game, Elora’s Zack Cameron opened the scoring with an unassisted effort, and with goals by Hoelscher, Spear and Rehanek, they led 4-1 after one period.
Seneca clawed back with two goals in the second to make it 4-3, but that was as close as they would get. Hoelscher added another to close the period.
Cameron broke things open in the third. Woodland added two more in just a minute and 25 seconds, and completed a hat trick late in the period.
Seneca scored two more, making the final score 9-5. They got into penalty trouble as the game slipped out of reach, with calls for unSportsmanlike conduct, fighting and misconduct. Seneca had penalties totalling 34 minutes on nine infractions during the game, while Elora had 10 minutes on five infractions.
The 2018 Founders Cup tournament was originally to have been played in the Seneca Nation territory in New York, but the plan was conditional on the hosts securing work visas by June 15 for all game officials to legally enter the U.S.
