The GOlden Boys

by Greg Horn

TeamKahnawake.com

August 8, 2008 - 11pm PDT.

COWICHAN, B.C. - It was a golden performance for the Eastern Door and the North juvenile lacrosse team as it downed Team Ontario to be crowned the 2008 North American Indigenous Games gold medalist. The all-Iroquois final was one of the best lacrosse games at the 2008 games.

The EDN team is made up of players from Akwesasne and Kahnawake, while the Ontario squad is from Six Nations. In the preliminary round the EDN boys fell to Team Ontario 6-5 and they were looking for a different result in the final.

Head Coach, Mike Bendict, Jr., said his strategy for this game was to press them hard and tire them out in the third period. Team Ontario showed up to Cowichan with only nine runners and a goalie, as the rest of the players are currently in Junior A or Junior B playoffs in the Ontario Lacrosse Association.

“I told them to press the ball and their gonna get tired,” Benedict told TeamKahnawake.com following the game. “We made it clear back home that we came here to win this thing.”

For the first two periods it was a good back-and-forth game. After the first period the score was locked at 2-2, and after the second it was tied 5-5. It was in the third period that Benedict’s game plan paid off and Team EDN took the lead and never looked back, winning the game 7-5.

Scoring for Team EDN was Kyle Alfred, with three goals; Tye Thompson, with two goals and two assists; and Owen Mitchell and Matt Thompson with a goal each. Alex Garrow also pitched in with an assist. All Team Ontario’s goals came of the stick of Craig Maracle. Assists came from Tony Doxtator, Aaron Porter and Klayton Maracle.

“I’m a proud man,” Benedict said. “To win a gold medal here, well, maybe this is my calling.”

Benedict had nothing but good things to say about Kahnawake’s Alfred. He said Alfred is a real up-and-coming lacrosse star and he hasn’t seen a player like him since his father, Mike Benedict, Sr.

“It feels real good,” Afred said of the gold medal victory. “I’ve been playing against them (his teammates) my whole life and I know what these guys are capable of. We have solid offense, a solid D and good goaltending.”

“It’s amazing,” Skaron Mayo said. “I can’t believe we beat them. They beat us in the first round 6-5. Tonight, we just wanted it more than they did.”

Coverage of the 2008 NAIG on www.teamkahnawake.com is brought to you by Goodleaf’s Auto and Recycling.

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