Slings and Arrows: Former Six Nations players disappointed with change of leagues
The Six Nations Arrows, perennial rivals to the Peterborough Merit Precision Jr. A Lakers in Ontario’s Junior A lacrosse league, have announced they are breaking ranks with their circuit and heading into unchartered territory.
In a Zoom call Monday with team players and media members, Arrows general manager Jake Henhawk revealed the Six Nations organization is no longer part of the Ontario Lacrosse Association.
Instead, the Arrows plan to compete in the newly formed Tewaaraton Lacrosse League (TLL), which was officially announced Tuesday.
Six Nations is the first club to publicly announce plans to compete in the inaugural season of the TLL, which is hoping to kick off with an Ontariobased Junior A circuit this June.
Henhawk said the TLL is planning to include an affiliated junior league in coming years, as well as divisions for midget, bantam and peewee players.
Henhawk said the Arrows are waiting for other Junior A franchises to make constitutional changes to their boards before they can join the TLL.
The new league will deviate from OLA regulations and will adopt all rules currently employed by the professional National Lacrosse League (NLL).
“This is something we’ve been discussing for the past number of years,” Henhawk said. “It’s no disrespect to the Ontario Lacrosse Association but they just can’t offer our players today and more importantly in the future what we want for our players and that’s the best chance possible to play in the National Lacrosse League.”
The Arrows organization has been around since 1974. The franchise, originally called the Six Nations Braves, played one season in the OLA’s Junior C ranks before making the jump to the Junior B level.
The organization was renamed Arrows in 1980 but didn’t make the move up to the Junior A league until ’90.
Since then, the Arrows have won the OLA championship nine times and also went on to capture the Minto Cup, the national Junior A crown, five times, most recently in 2017. The TLL has some lofty goals. Henhawk said, though it will commence as an Ontario-based league, a goal is to have a national championship as early as this year but more than likely starting in ’22.
Henhawk added the TLL plans to expand and include clubs from both Alberta and British Columbia as soon as possible.
Not all those from Six Nations are in favour of the Arrows leaving the OLA.
Cody Jamieson, an Arrows graduate who is now playing pro with the Halifax Thunderbirds and is one of the NLL’s most respected players, tweeted his displeasure on Tuesday.
“This news comes as a slap in the face to not only myself, but the alumni and community that has embraced the Arrows for decades,” Jamieson said on Twitter. “Ontario has been home to the best lacrosse talent for years, and our small community has stood against the likes of Orangeville, Whitby, Peterborough.”
Tyson Bomberry, who won the Minto Cup three times with the Arrows and is now a member of the NLL’s New York Riptide, tweeted: “Playing for the Arrows was never about preparing for the NLL. It was about winning the Minto for our community, with my childhood friends and teammates. All of us dreamed about the chance to be able to win one Minto. Sucks to see that kids won’t have that option with the Arrows.”