Shawn Slaght, All Lacrosse All The Time – A Division of the Edge of Philly Sports Network
After a slow start to the season, the New Westminster Salmonbellies upset the Thunder 9-6 in Langley on Wednesday night in WLA action.
Coming into the match with only two wins, the Salmonbellies were able to tie themselves for fourth place in the standings with a record of 3-5. Meanwhile, the loss drops Langley into that fourth-place tie with a 3-4 record.
New Westminster got a huge game out of Zach Higgins. He only allowed six goals, while facing 65 shots. Meanwhile, it was a rough night for Frank Scigliano as he stopped 37 of 46 shots in the loss.
Nathan Bell dominated on the faceoff dot for the Thunder, winning 13 of 18 draws, but it wasn’t enough for the win.
Keeping it close in the first period
Dane Dobbie opened the scoring 5:23 into the first period to get the Thunder on the board first. A run of goals by Park Corbett in transition and Tomas Jeck put the Salmonbellies up 2-1.
Curtis Dickson added the equalizer with 1:54 left in the period to tie up the game 2-2.
Right from the get-go, the Thunder were having problems solving Higgins as they only managed two goals off of 20 shots in the period.
Salmonbellies pull ahead in the second
New Westminster opened the second period with a pair of goals in the span of 1:46. Jordan McBride wasted no time in finding the back of the net 35 seconds into the period. Jeck scored his second of the game at 1:47 to give the Salmonbellies a 4-2 lead.
Robert Church would reply for Langley at 4:54, but the Thunder couldn’t sustain the momentum. Haiden Dickson scored at 11:55 to regain the Salmonbellies’ two-goal lead.
The Thunder’s Curtis Dickson would once again get Langley within one at the 14:10 mark. Cal Slade would find himself in the box at 15:48 and New Westminster would capitalize. Jordan McBride would put one past Scigliano to make it 6-4 for the Salmonbellies after two periods.
The Thunder continue chasing in the third
Curtis Dickson would again get the Thunder within one goal at 2:15 of the third period. However, a shorthanded marker by Jimmy McBride for New Westminster proved to be a demoralizing shot to the Langley squad.
Langley’s Erik Maas would make it 7-6 with a goal, but again the New Westminster defence and Higgins in goal would not allow the Thunder to get any momentum or runs.
Jason Jones added the insurance goal for the Salmonbellies at 13:15 and Mitch Jones added one more for good measure with 1:59 left to play to make the final 9-6.
Three Stars
- Zach Higgins, New Westminster Salmonbellies
- Curtis Dickson, Langley Thunder
- Jordan McBride, New Westminster Salmonbellies
Top scorers
New Westminster
Jordan McBride, 2g 1a
Jason Jones, 1g 2a
Mitch Jones, 1g 1a
Tomas Jeck, 2g
Jimmy McBride, 1g 1a
Haiden Dickson, 1g 1a
Langley Thunder
Curtis Dickson, 3g 1a
Dane Dobbie, 1g 3a
Thomas Vaesen, 2a
Robert Church, 1g 1a
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Shawn Slaght has been a sports reporter across the Canadian prairies for over 10 years and has experience covering everything from junior hockey to World Cup skiing to all levels of lacrosse. He is the Saskatchewan correspondent for All Lacrosse All The Time.
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