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By Sam Laskaris
Windspeaker Contributor
AKWESASNE
The Mohawk community of Akwesasne, which straddles the Canadian and American border, is getting a second Junior B lacrosse franchise. Akwesasne is unique as its territory is not only in Ontario and Quebec, but extends into the state of New York.
Akwesasne has had a Junior B franchise competing in the Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA) since 1996. The club was originally called the Akwesasne Lighting, but changed its nickname to Indians in 2014.
The team not only won the OLA crown, but also the Founders Cup, the Canadian Junior B title, in 2015. The yet-to-be-named second club from Akwesasne will be competing this season in the First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League.
This circuit, which has been around since 2014, featured four American entrants last season. Those that will be participating in the 2017 campaign will be confirmed this Saturday (Jan. 28) at a league meeting scheduled for the Onondaga First Nation near Syracuse.
The new club will be headed up by Kariwate Mitchell, a former local lacrosse star who is now working as a detective sergeant with the Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service. As a player, Mitchell won the Presidents Cup, the Canadian Senior B men’s crown, in 1995 and ’97 with the Akwesasne Thunder. He was also a star in the senior ranks with the Snake Island Muskies, members of the Three Nations Senior Lacrosse League.
“It’s been in discussion for a few years,” Mitchell said of the new franchise. “What kind of really sparked the interest was the fact the Akwesasne Indians had 60 kids trying out for their team last year. That’s an indication we have a wealth and depth of players in the area. And there’s more coming up every year.”
Mitchell said it makes sense for Akwesasne to have a second Junior B club.
“It was a no-brainer almost that another team would be a good idea,” he said. “Obviously, you’re not going to put them in the same league though.”
Mitchell is glad area players who do not crack the Indians’ roster will have another alternative of where to play. Last year some of those released from the Indians ended up playing at the Junior C level with the Cornwall Celtics. Others returned to suit up for their minor lacrosse associations.
“Then you see, what I don’t want to see, is some of them not playing for the summer,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell is hoping to announce the name of his club soon, possibly at some point next week.
“There’s a few we’ve been considering and that are on the table,” he said. “It’s not that hard to find a team name. And we also have to figure out if we’re going to call it Akwesasne or something to do with the area. You want the team name to flow nice too.”
The club has also yet to officially announce where it will be playing its home matches. The team might end up playing out of an arena in Massena, N.Y., about a 15-minute drive from Akwesasne. Mitchell doubts his squad will be able to play out of the Ontario-based A’nowara’ko:wa Arena, which is the Indians’ home facility.
Both squads will be playing the majority of their contests between Friday and Sunday.
“I don’t see it feasible having two teams in there on the weekend,” Mitchell said. “It would be nice but I don’t think it will work.”
Mitchell also believes it will take some time for his squad to become a league contender.
“Anytime you enter something new, you have to build the building blocks,” he said. “I don’t see us being a powerhouse right off the bat. I’m not coming in and saying we’re going for the Founders Cup and we’ll win the league championship this year. But in three years I want to be there.”
Mitchell anticipates his roster will feature players from both Canada and the U.S. He anticipates many of the American players will only have field lacrosse experience. But he’s not worried about them playing box lacrosse with his team.
“If they can catch and pass, there might be a few bumps along the way, but I think they’ll pick it up right away,” he said.
Though others have not been officially announced yet, Mitchell said he is hoping to have three assistant coaches. And though he is currently performing the squad’s managerial duties, he is also looking to hand over the GM responsibilities to another individual.
Meanwhile, those that competed in the First Nations Junior B Lacrosse League a year ago and expected to return this season were four New York-based clubs; Seneca WarChiefs, Onondaga Jr. Redhawks, Rochester J-Hawks and Tonawanda Jr. Braves.