(October 20, 2012)… The Six Nations U-16 lacrosse team capped off a remarkable season with a Provincial “A” Bantam Field Championship. The youngsters edged Mimico 10-8 in overtime to complete a perfect 16-0 season.

“To bring 18 individuals together and come away with one team, one group that worked together to have that much success was a tremendous accomplishment,” said Knighthawks Mike Accursi, who was the team’s head coach. “Those kids should be very proud of what they accomplished.”

The gold medal was the sixth time in seven years that a team from Six Nations captured the U-16 Provincial “A” title. The team was coached by Accursi, Knighthawks star Matt Vinc, Knighthawks Assistant Coach Jason Johnson, Jay Smith and Kevin Mt. Pleasant. The kids learned from three members of the 2012 National Lacrosse League Championship team as part of Knighthawks' partnership with Arrow Express Sports to teach lacrosse to the Six Nations community.

Six Nations captured the West Division Championship and completed their unbeaten season in Oakville during the two-day event from October 6th to 7th. Six Nations earned its toughest victory of the season in the Provincial Finals.

Trailing 3-0 in the first quarter, goalie Layne Smith gave his team some momentum when he raced down the field and buried a bounce shot. That goal sparked a three-goal run to tie the contest. Yet, Mimico would regain the lead, which it held into the fourth quarter. Smith was also stellar in goal, making spectacular saves throughout the game. With solid goaltending, Six Nations stormed back with four goals to take an 8-7 advantage. Only a later Mimico goal forced the extra session. But Six Nations would not be denied a fitting ending to its spectacular season. Garrett Vyse and Austin Staats tallied in OT as Six Nations outscored its opponent 2-1 to secure the gold medal.

“We didn’t panic. We fell behind 3-0 early, but we knew we would get a run and once we did, we tied it up,” said Johnson.

All three coaches cited the play of Smith as the key to continuing its undefeated season. Smith, who was a converted lefty attackman, replaced injured Ty Quinlan midway through the season after the Six Nations’ starter broke his wrist. Quinlan was on the sidelines all season long supporting Smith.

“Lane stepped up in goal and was probably our MVP down the stretch making some huge saves for a kid who has never played the position,” said Vinc, who knows a little something about playing big in big games. “At practice when he went in he seemed natural so there was just some tweaking that went on in order to ensure he was game ready.”

“He was phenomenal and made some big saves to put us in a position to win,” added Accursi. “He was my MVP because here was a kid that was used to scoring lots of goals, putting himself in a defensive position – one that he never played – for the betterment of the team. You can’t ask for anything else.”

Austin Staats was one of the offensive stars, following in the footsteps of his brother Randy Staats and cousin Cody Jamieson. The attackman added an outdoor title to his Provincial “A” Bantam indoor championship, where he won MVP honors. The Six Nations team was also fueled by the play of midfielder Matthew Gaudet and defenseman Chayton King.

“There are very few teams that can say they have never been beaten,” said Accursi. “It was something special and I think that the kids realized how special it was after coming so close to losing (in the Finals).”

Johnson, who coached both Provincial “A” Bantam Six Nations’ U-16 teams, was excited to help the organization complete a sweep of the events this summer. He added his two gold medals to his bronze he earned with the Iroquois Nationals at the 2012 U-19 FIL World Lacrosse Championships. His latest, however, provided the much-accomplished coach with a career first.

“I can’t remember if I have ever had an undefeated season,” said Johnson. “I have come close a couple of times.”

Vinc joined the staff with a resume of accomplishments, as well, in the indoor and outdoor games. In the NLL, he stands as a two-time NLL Goalie of the Year and a perennial All-Pro. As a long-pole defenseman, he not only has won two medals with Team Canada, but was a standout at Canisius College and a mainstay in Major League Lacrosse. Working with the bantams was an opportunity to share his love for the field game.

“I have had some success coaching my high school team so I am familiar with the age group. Mike and I are both teachers so we know how to motivate them,” he said. “Having Jay Johnson is huge because he provides the calming voice on the bench who is great with the technical side of the game.”

For Vinc, winning the Championship was also a great way to finish up the fall schedule heading into Knighthawks Training Camp in November.

“Anytime you can win in the Finals, it is definitely a confidence boost,” he said. “The hardest thing about coaching is you can only put the guys in the positions to be successful. These kids stepped up, and similar to our Finals, we were down at half and overcame it for an OT win.”

2012 Six Nations Roster
PLAYERS
Matthew Gaudet
Ryan Johnson 
Chayton King
Steven Lee 
Travis Longboat 
Jonathan Martin 
Justin Martin 
Spencer Martin   
Zach Matthews
Isaiah Mt. Pleasant
Tyler Nagy 
Coleman Powless 
Ty Quinlan 
Cole Robillard 
Layne Smith
Austin Staats 
Jerry Staats  
Eric Stubbs 
Garrett Vyse-Square 
 
STAFF    
Head Coach: Mike Accursi 
Assistant Coach: Jason Johnson   
Assistant Coach: Kevin Mt. Pleasant  
Assistant Coach: Jay Smith
Assistant Coach: Matt Vinc
Athletic Trainer: Jeff  Martin