Snipers outgun the Steelhawks

Six Nations Snipers’ high-powered offence was once again on display in Arena Lacrosse League action on Saturday. The Snipers built up a commanding 13-5 halftime lead and then cruised to a 19-12 triumph over the Whitby Steelhawks in the match, which was staged at Children’s Arena in Oshawa. 

Some of the usual suspects handled a good chunk of the offence for the Snipers. For starters, Scott Del Zotto scored five goals in the opening half. Though he didn’t add another goal in the second half, Del Zotto did earn a pair of assists in the final 30 minutes. 

Also, Travis Longboat had another impressive outing, racking up six points this time, including a pair of goals. And Justin Martin scored a hat trick and also chipped in with an assist. Snipers’ defender Daris Anderson also displayed a bit of offensive prowess, scoring once and adding a pair of assists. 

“As a D-guy it’s always good to get a goal in there and help the O-guys out,” Anderson said. Anderson’s goal was the first one of the fourth quarter. And it helped his squad keep the momentum going after building up a 15-9 lead after the third quarter. 

“A D-guy scoring definitely brings the team up a lot because you obviously don’t expect a D-guy to score,” Anderson said. “So, when a D-guy runs up and scores a nice one it gets the team elevated definitely.” 

The Snipers were also uplifted by an outstanding performance from goaltender Dylan Sprentz, who made countless acrobatic saves. Sprentz was pleased to also see an energized effort from his teammates. 

“I think we came out and were focused right off the bat,” he said. “We got ourselves up to a big lead early and kept it going through the game.” Like many others, Sprentz marvels at the Snipers’ offence. “We definitely move the ball nice east to west and then we’ve got a lot of guys that can bury too, so that’s nice to have that support up front,” he said. Sprentz also praised the club’s defence. “It feels good to be playing my game and I think the boys helped me out a lot there so lots of credit to our D as well,” he said. 

Kahn General added a pair of goals for the Snipers while Tye Argent, Brent Longboat, Vern Hill, MacGregor Allen, Daylen Hill and Jordan Goddard added singles. 

With the win, the Six Nations squad improved its record to 5-2. And the Snipers got some more good news a couple of hours after their W. That’s because the Paris Riverwolves defeated the Peterborough Timbermen 15-12 in a match, also held at Children’s Arena. As a result, the Snipers find themselves atop the league standings with 10 points. The now 4-2 Timbermen are in second place with eight points. The Snipers are now off until Sunday Mar. 13 when they host the Paris RiverWolves. That match, which will be staged at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena in Hagersville, has an opening faceoff set for 4 p.m.