First place Snipers shoot down RiverWolves

The Six Nations Snipers have given themselves a little bit of breathing room atop their league standings. The Snipers soundly defeated the Paris RiverWolves 18-6 in a Sunday afternoon match staged at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena (ILA) in Hagersville. With the victory, the Six Nations squad is now sporting a 6-2 mark, good for top spot in the Ontario-based East Division of the Arena Lacrosse League (ALL).

 Sunday’s triumph was also significant for the Snipers as it meant the RiverWolves’ record dropped to 4-4. A Paris win would have meant the Snipers and RiverWolves would have been tied atop the standings with identical 5-3 records. Instead, Six Nations now has a four-point lead atop the circuit. And the RiverWolves have joined three other teams – Peterborough Timbermen, Oshawa Outlaws and Whitby Steelhawks – who are also all sporting 4-4 marks. 

Mike McLaughlin, who plays defence for the Snipers, heaped tons of praise upon Six Nations goaltender Dusty Hill for his Sunday’s performance. “He was an absolute wall,” McLaughlin said of Hill, who was chosen as the game’s first star. “It was one of the best games I’ve seen from a goalie in this league ever.” 

Sunday’s contest was never really in doubt. The Snipers scored the first three goals of the match and led 4-1 after the opening quarter. Six Nations then took command of the match by outscoring Paris 7-1 in the second quarter, thus enjoying a commanding 11-2 lead at the half. The Snipers also outscored the RiverWolves in both of the final two quarters, 5-3 and 2-1, to coast to their victory. 

McLaughlin said his teammates were not expecting to register such a lopsided win against the RiverWolves. That’s because the Paris squad had defeated the Snipers 18-16 back on Feb. 12. “We got off to a hot start and we were able to keep it together,” McLaughlin said of his team’s latest effort. 

Scott Del Zotto and Wes Whitlow led the Snipers offence as both players had eight-point performances. Del Zotto scored three goals and also earned five assists while Whitlow scored once and had a game-high seven helpers. 

Meanwhile, Daylen Hill had his biggest offensive production of the season, collecting six points, including three goals. Other Snipers’ scorers were Travis Longboat and Kevin Owen Hill with a pair each and Kahn General, Justin Martin, Jamie Downie, Tyler Brown, Jordan Goddard, Brent Longboat and Alec Tamas who all netted singles. 

“We’ve been playing pretty well recently,” McLaughlin said. “I don’t know if we’re happier than we were last week. But I think we’re playing better each week.” 

The Snipers’ next game will be this coming Saturday, Mar. 19, when they hit the road to square off against the Outlaws. The match, which will be played at Children’s Arena in Oshawa, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Six Nations’ next home match will be Mar. 27 versus the Timbermen. The opening faceoff for that tilt at the ILA is set for 4 p.m.