Six Nations Chiefs deal their top scorer to the Rock

The Six Nations Chiefs have swung ade alto stock upon younger and quicker players as they attempt to regain an edge on the Major Series Lacrosse defending champion Peterborough Century 21 Lakers.

The Chiefs announced a blockbuster trade with the Oak v ill e Rock on Monday.

The Chiefs shipped veteran forwards Johnny Powless and Ryan Benesch, their top scorer, to the Rock, in exchange for Eric Fan ne ll, Ryan Wagner, Bryan Cole, Ian MacKay and a third-round pick in the MSL draft.

“This is an excellent deal for our organization,” Chiefs president Duane Jacobs stated. “All four players address voids we needed to fill and all four are young thoroughbreds.”

The Chiefs lost to their long-time rival Laker sin the MS L championship with some come-from-behind efforts by the Lakers, who have been bolstered with the addition of younger stars.

“To get this kind of speed and youth, you have to give something up ,” Jacobs stated .“We led in three of the five games in the MSL final and trailed by one goal after two periods in the other two games. We had nothing left in the tank for the third period. With the return of Jammer (Cody Jamieson), along with Kellen LeClair and Ethan O’Conner, we are younger, faster, stronger and again in contention for another Mann Cup run.”

Mac Kay is currently in his senior year at the University of Vermont. Cole is a former Hill Academy player from Oakville who plays at the University of Maryland. Wagner played 10 games for the Rock last season, while Fannell was a standout in the MSL semifinal against the Chiefs. He scored eight goals and 12 assists in nine regular season games.

“Ian McKay is a projected topthree pick in next year’s NLL (National Lacrosse League) draft and brings speed out our defensive end,” Jacobs stated.

“The same can be said for Bryan Cole, who was a top-five pick In the 2016 NLL draft. Ryan Wagner was a fourth-round pick in the 2016 NLL draft and has turned into a high-end transition defender. Eric Fannell is a top-five NLL pick in this years draft.”

In return, the Rock receive Powless and Benesch. Benesch led the Chiefs and was fifth in MSL scoring with 29 goals and 43 assists in 15 games. Powless only played three games with the Chiefs last season, scoring two goals and five assists.