By Craig Rybczynski – May 24, 2012
In the biggest lacrosse game of his young NLL career, 19-year-old Johnny Powless scored two goals and added one assist as the Rochester Knighthawks rallied to win the Champion’s Cup Saturday.
 
Just two days after raising the Cup at The Blue Cross Arena, Powless was back at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena, scoring four goals and chipping in two assists for his community team on Six Nations. At his age, he still has two more seasons at the junior level. Most kids his age are focusing on a Minto Cup, not the Champion’s Cup.
 
That’s what makes this lean, slick-shooting, left-hander the envy of most NLL teams. Powless won three postseason awards, while turning just 19 in March. The Knighthawks’ Rookie of the Year finished fourth on the team in points, while adding NLL All-Rookie team honors and the NLL Sportsmanship Award to his resume. Powless finished the season with 50 points and only 10 penalty minutes in 16 games.
 
As an 18-year-old, he was named an East Division All-Star Reserve and scored a goal in his All-Star debut. In his playoff debut, he scored one goal and added one assist in the Knighthawks’ 14-13 win over the Philadelphia Wings in the East Division Semifinals.
 
“He is a really great kid who comes to the rink to learn as much as he can,” said Knighthawks Head Coach Mike Hasen. “He respects his teammates, respects the opposition and then goes on the floor and performs what you ask of him.”
 
Life has been moving fast for Johnny Powless ever since he was selected fifth overall in the September NLL Draft. Just a high school senior when Rochester acquired the potential star from Six Nations, Powless spent his second to last month in school hoisting the Champion’s Cup. Rochester used a dominating second half to erase a 5-1 deficit and win the Champion's Cup, 9-6. He developed quite the chemistry with Joe Walters down the stretch. Powless finished third on the team in playoff points with 11, which was only two behind Walters.
 
“Going into the season people had high expectations for Johnny, considering his age,” said Walters. “But you could tell from the first game that he belonged. He exceeded all those expectations and had a standout rookie year.
 
“He is a quiet kid that always has a smile on his face,” added Walters. “I enjoyed playing alongside him and getting to know him. We had good chemistry together.”
 
On Monday, Powless went back to his roots where he has excelled the past two seasons, while accumulating 180 points. Despite the time crunch, he squeezed in a Junior “A’ practice, then got dropped off on Fourth Line Road to join his Rochester teammates in the back of a pickup truck as they rode the parade route on Bread and Cheese Day. The people of Six Nations commemorate the gifts given to them by Queen Victoria every year, which symbolized their loyalty to the crown in the American Revolution and War of 1812.
 
“It was a good day,” said Powless, who sprinted to the truck, jersey in hand, to make the parade at 11:15 a.m. “We had practice in the morning, then the parade, and a game to top it all off. “It’s fun to be back with guys I grew up playing with through minors.”
 
Powless traveled with the team to the Gaylord Powless Arena, soaking in the applause and cheers from the thousands of onlookers that lined both sides of the street. While his teammates sampled the bread and cheese, Powless was off to prepare for the annual Bread and Cheese Game with the Six Nations Arrows.
 
The 4:00 p.m. game pitted the Arrows against the Barrie Lakeshores at the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena. The Arrows broke open a 6-4 game in the second period on Powless’ second goal of the season. He finished second with three points (2+1), which he duplicated in the third in a 14-6 win. The happy-go-lucky kid was delighted to be back at the ILA, while his Knighthawks teammates watched from the near-end of the arena, along with the Champion’s Cup. The Arrows are just as pleased to have No. 93 back in the lineup.
 
“He adds a lot of experience and it’s good to have that,” said Head Coach and former Knighthawk Marshall Abrams. “He brings something you cannot teach.”