Dawson College Blues’ lacrosse team is looking to a quartet of quality Kanien’kehá:ka players in Tehonerahtathe Beauvais, Nic Styres, Kanerahtens Bush and Tehosterihens Deer. (Daniel J. Rowe, The Eastern Door)
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The Dawson College Blues missed an opportunity to pull into second place in the RSEQ standings Sunday against fellow middle-of-the-table team the St. Hyacinthe Laureats.
The Blues had just beat bottom-of-the-pack John Abbott College Islanders 9-7 Saturday, but had a poor third period where Hyacinthe scored five to pull ahead for the 12-8 win.
“It was close for a while, and then we lost it due to bad refs and getting frustrated,” said Blue Kanerahtens Bush, one of four Kahnawake boys on the Blues’ squad.
The team is now 2-3 on the season, and is looking to improve its fluidity as the regular season winds down.
“We need to work on our communication during our games, and dedication to practices,” said fellow Kahnawa’kehró:non Nic Styres.
Styres and Bush played together on Kahnawake Survival School’s field lacrosse team and enticed Tehonerahtathe Beauvais and Tehosterihens Deer to join the team for their first try at the field game.
Beauvais played box lacrosse with the Mohawks for years and said he’s had to adjust to NOT crosschecking and working with the bigger playing surface.
“It’s a lot more wide open on the field,” he said. “I find box faster.”
Deer played a year of box as well, and spoke about the change in dynamics on the field.
“The ball bounces all over, whereas here it’s like soccer, out of bounds,” said Deer. “It’s a different mind set, there are more players.”
Both said playing in CEGEP is a great opportunity to learn from the players that have more hours on the field and are at a higher skill level.
“Most of them are more experienced than we are,” said Deer. “One of our players has played a lot more than us per se.”
Bush spoke about the difference coming from the GMAA to the RSEQ.
“It is different in the part where we’re playing better teams and going up against better players,” said the multi-sport athlete. “Just need to adjust and work harder.”
Dawson plays Champlain College Lennoxville tomorrow away, and will come up against some familiar faces. The Cougars include local laxers Jayden Diabo, Iohseriio Diabo Dione, and Kanerahtens’ little brother Tehatkathonnions Bush.
Game on.
