Rivermen register fifth consecutive victory

Thanks to a Saturday afternoon road victory in Owen Sound, the Six Nations Rivermen continue to be the only undefeated team in Ontario Series Lacrosse action. The Rivermen boosted their 2022 regular season mark to a perfect 5-0 thanks to a convincing 15-8 win over the host North Stars in the match staged at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. 

“Overall it was a great game from everybody, front to back,” Six Nations head coach Darcy Powless said of his team members. “They couldn’t run with us. We kept the pace up and by the second and third they were out of gas and we just kept it rolling.” 

The Rivermen led 6-2 after the opening 20 minutes of action. Six Nations then outscored Owen Sound 5-3 in the middle period to take an 11-5 lead into the final period. The Rivermen also outscored the North Stars (4-3) in the third period. 

Powless was pleased to see his squad speed up the match whenever possible. “We played fast,” he said. “(Goaltender) Dusty (Hill) played well. And our defence played well.” 

While the clubs were at even strength, the Owen Sound squad was outclassed by the Rivermen. “They only scored two 5-on-5 goals,” Powless said of the North Stars. “Everything else was odd man, powerplay or with a man down.” 

The Rivermen showcased their speed at both ends of the floor. “Our transition was effective,” Powless added. “I think we had five or six goals off of transition.” 

The Six Nations bench boss also said the Rivermen were anticipating a rather physical outing. “The guys were expecting a chippy game,” he said. “But it was pretty clean over-all.” Six Nations ended up being assessed 11 minor penalties in the match while Owen Sound was called for five minors. “The reffing was pretty good,” Powless said. “They let us play.” 

Travis Longboat and Vern Hill paced the Rivermen attack as they both registered six-point efforts. They scored four goals each and both also earned a pair of assists. Wes Whitlow added a pair of goals for Six Nations while Wayne Hill, Marshall Powless, Rodd Squire, Hunter Aggus and Brooker Muir all provided singles. 

“We’re just hoping to keep everything rolling for next weekend,” Powless said, adding his team will return to the floor for a Wednesday night practice. “We’ll tweak a few things and get ready for the next one.” 

Six Nations returns to action this coming Saturday, June 4 with a road tilt against the Ennismore James Gang. The opening faceoff for that game, which will be staged at the Robert E. Young Recreation Complex, is scheduled for 7 p.m.