Rivermen continue winning ways with home victory against Rock

The Six Nations Rivermen winning streak has hit double digits. The Ontario Series Lacrosse club captured its tenth consecutive victory on Friday by downing the visiting Oakville Rock 11-8. The contest was held at the Six Nations Sports and Cultural Memorial Centre.

“We played really well and our team offensively stepped up and took care of business,” said Marshall Powless, who scored once and added an assist for the Rivermen. Powless, who also plays professionally with the National Lacrosse League’s Saskatchewan Rush, also praised other facets of the Rivermen game. “Our defence was solid like always and Dustin (Hill) played amazing in net, standing on his head.”

It took some time for either squad to get onto the scoresheet. Oakville opened the scoring with just under six minutes remaining in the opening period. But the Rivermen responded with a pair of quick goals, 21 seconds apart, to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Six Nations then outscored Oakville 4-3 in the middle frame to enjoy a 6-4 lead heading into the final 20 minutes of action. The Rivermen also outscored the Rock by a 5-4 margin in the third period.

Travis Longboat and Scott Del Zotto led the Rivermen offensively by scoring two goals each. Both also chipped in with an assist to end up with three-point nights. Vern Hill and Tyler Brown also registered three-point performances for Six Nations as they both netted a goal and had two helpers apiece. Also scoring for the Rivermen were Jordan Goddard, Justin Martin, Wes Whitlow and Rodd Squire

 The Six Nations squad won’t have long to savour its latest triumph. That’s because it will hit the road on Saturday for its next game against the Ennismore James Gang. That match, which will be staged at the Robert E. Young Recreation Complex in Ennismore, has an opening faceoff scheduled for 7 p.m.

“We're looking to carry this momentum into our game (Saturday),” Powless said following the Six Nations win on Friday.

Powless is now leading the Rivermen in scoring having racked up 43 points (18 goals and 25 assists) in nine games. Six Nations is atop the standings in the six-team OSL with its perfect 10-0 record. The Rivermen are five points ahead of the second-place Owen Sound North Stars, who are sporting a 7-5-1 mark. While the North Stars have just three regular season contests remaining, the Rivermen have six.

Powless believes his squad is capable of not only finishing the regular season on an upbeat note but also enjoying plenty of post-season success, which includes capturing the OSL championship this season. “If we play like this for the rest of the season, we will have a good shot at winning it,” he said.