It was another successful day for the Jr. Knighthawks at the 2024 Jr. NLL Tournament in Oakville, Ontario. Not only did all three teams reach the playoffs, but the Jr. Knighthawks were well represented at the inaugural Jr. NLL All-Star Game.
“I am proud of our teams making it to the semifinals,” said Jr. Knighthawks Director and Coach Brad Gillies. “They have shown a ton of growth all weekend and are excited to see what happens tomorrow.”
The U15 and U17 Jr. Knighthawks teams have advanced to the Semifinals on Championship Sunday. Both teams are currently 4-1 after finishing in second place in their respective divisions.
“I am super pumped to see the boy’s hard work pay off,” said coach Riley Hutchcraft. “You can tell both the U17s and U15s were determined to get back to Sunday’s games. Hopefully, we can pull through this year, make it to the finals, and hoist that cup.”
The U15 Jr. Knighthawks (4-1) will battle the Jr. Roughnecks (4-0) at 10:00 a.m. Sunday for the right to compete in the Championship Game. Rochester defeated the Jr. Swarm 19-10 in the Quarterfinals Saturday evening at the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre. In five games, Brayden Arber has led the way with 14 goals, while Dycen Nanticoke has a team-best 22 points.
The U17 team also finished with a 4-1 record after beating the Jr. Roughnecks and Jr. Thunderbirds on Saturday. The Jr. Knighthawks will play the Jr. Roughnecks at 11:00 a.m. in the Semifinals. Elyas John leads Rochester in goals (seven), assists (eight), and points (15).
The Jr. Knighthawks U13 team also played in the Quarterfinals on Saturday but lost a tough 9-8 decision to the Jr. Bandits. Rochester finished with a 3-2 record and just missed advancing to the semifinals. Marcus Schlak finished the playoff game with two goals and one assist, and Maddox Harding chipped in one goal and three assists. The Jr. Knighthawks led 5-4 at the half and tied the contest at eight on a goal by Landon Mack but fell one goal short.
“The U13s unfortunately lost in the quarters to the Bandits, but I’m super proud of how hard that group worked this weekend,” said Hutchcraft. “If they stick with the box game, they will definitely see success at the tournament in the future.”
The game’s future was on display Saturday night in the inaugural Jr. NLL All-Star Game. The Jr. Knighthawks and Jr. Bandits were tied for the most players on the American side, with 19 each. The contest featured a three-period All-Star Game, with players from American NLL franchises facing players from Canadian NLL franchises as the “Eagles” took on the “Beavers.” Each age group played a mini-All-Star game consisting of one 20-minute period as part of one 60-minute game. The Beavers defeated the Eagles 14-9.
The U13 Eagles team included Jr. Knighthawks Landon Mack, Maddox Harding, Walker Trew, Marcus Schalk, and Benjamin Miller, while Brayden Arber, Kiki Condon, Dycen Nanticoke, Travis Horton, and Rhys Reynolds played for the U15 team. The U17 Eagles’ roster was filled with nine members of the Jr. Knighthawks, featuring Jahyden Maiorani, Elias John, John Burrows, James Holbrough, Colin Wheeler, Darris Jones, River Porter, Juice Watts, and Logan Pyke.