(July 13, 2012)... Johnny Powless and the Iroquois Nationals opened the U-19 World Lacrosse Championship with a dominating 24-2 victory over England this afternoon in Turku, Finland. (Photo by Frank David)

Powless, who plays for the Rochester Knighthawks, scored two goals in his international debut. Powless’ Six Nations Arrows teammates Randy Staats and Seth Oakes powered the Iroquois offense. Oakes scored five times and added two assists, while Staats chipped in with two goals and one assist. Akwesasne Junior “B” star Ky Tarbell scored four times, including three of the Nationals’ first five goals, as the Iroquois jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter.

When Powless scored his first goal of the World Championships it gave the Nationals a 16-1 lead in the second. He followed it up with another goal to give the Iroquois a 17-1 lead early in the third quarter.

Powless has had an amazing eight weeks, helping the Knighthawks win the Champion’s Cup in May and then powering the Arrows to the top seed in the Ontario Playoffs, and a berth in the league semifinals. He finished second on the Arrows with 77 points (37+40) in 14 games during the regular season. Six Nations swept the St. Catharines Athletics 3-0 in the first round of the Ontario Playoffs. Powless notched eight goals and seven assists in the series.

The Iroquois team has another Rochester connection with Knighthawks Assistant Coach Jason Johnson serving as an assistant for the Iroquois Nationals. Johnson has helped two teams win professional lacrosse titles. He was an assistant coach with the 2009 MLL Champion Toronto Nationals. In 2012, he was an assistant with the NLL Champion Rochester Knighthawks.

The 2012 U-19 World Championships run from July 12th to the 21st with 13 competing nations heading to Turku. The teams include Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Iroquois Nationals, Netherlands, Scotland, USA and Wales.

The Iroquois team is back in action on Sunday, July 15th when they take on Team Canada. To follow the tournament, click here to go to the official U-19 World Championship website.