Image
Image Caption
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Windspeaker.com
The Six Nations Chiefs managed to fulfill one of their goals for the 2026 season.
Now the Senior A men’s lacrosse squad from Six Nations of the Grand River in Ontario can set its sights on reaching an even more meaningful accomplishment.
The Chiefs finished atop the standings in the seven-team Major Series Lacrosse (MSL) circuit on July 28 by winning 16 of their 18 regular season matches.
As the three-time defending national Mann Cup champions, the club is now hoping it can capture a fourth consecutive Canadian title on its home floor this September and make history.
“I think that was a goal of ours, to get first place for home field advantage,” said Duane Jacobs, who serves as the club’s general manager and the Chiefs’ assistant coach.
The Chiefs are waiting to see who they will square off against in a best-of-five, semi-final series. They will face either the Brooklin Lacrosse Club or the Cobourg Kodiaks.
Six Nations’ opponent will be determined on Aug. 1 during the final night of the MSL’s regular season schedule.
If the Kodiaks beat the Owen Sound North Stars, then Cobourg grabs the fourth and final playoff spot. But if the North Stars win, then Brooklin advances to meet the Chiefs.
The other MSL semi-final will feature the second-place Oakville Rock against the third-place Peterborough Lakers.
The eventual MSL champs will host the British Columbia-based Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) playoff winners in the best-of-seven Mann Cup series.
Regardless of their semi-final opponent, the Chiefs are expected to commence their semi-final series on Aug. 4 at their home rink, the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Six Nations.
Though he’s hoping his players have a mentality of one game at a time, Jacobs said there is no doubt that winning yet another Mann Cup this year is what the Chiefs are aiming for.
“I think that's our ultimate goal,” he said. “But we had different goals throughout the season and the one goal was to get first place. So, we've achieved that and now we're onto the next step, which is the playoffs.”
The Chiefs want to win their 10th national championship in franchise history.
If the Six Nations squad does win this year’s Mann Cup, it would mark the first time it has captured four straight national titles. The Chiefs won back-to-back-to-back championships in 1994, ’95 and ’96.
Based on its regular season play, the Six Nations club has to be considered the favourite.
“If you look at our roster, I think it's certainly the most talented,” Jacobs said. “It's probably the best team we've floored. But we'll see.”
Anything less than another Mann Cup championship would be viewed as a disappointment.
“Absolutely, 100 per cent,” Jacobs said.
Despite their first-place finish, the Six Nations club is not entering the post-season on an upbeat note. The Chiefs were edged 7-6 in overtime by Peterborough in their regular season finale.
The contest was much more meaningful for the Lakers, who were jockeying for position in the standings. Regardless of the outcome Six Nations was assured of its first-place finish.
“Standings-wise, it didn't mean much for us,” Jacobs said. “But we want to play and compete and win every game. It was a tough loss. But I think, in a way, it's good to be challenged. And I think it's humbling for our guys. And I think that's something that they'll take a step back and look and see that we're not invincible by any means.
“I don't think we think that way. But it was just something that we can learn from going forward.”
The Chiefs’ only other loss this season came via a boardroom decision. Six Nations had beaten Oakville 10-4 in a game on July 20. But a few days later, a ruling from the Ontario Lacrosse Association, which oversees the MSL, determined the Chiefs had used an ineligible player in the match, who had been suspended from a previous outing.
All Six Nations’ goals scored in the match were taken away and Oakville was officially awarded a 4-0 victory.