Shawn Slaght, All Lacrosse All The Time – A Division of the Edge of Philly Sports Network
The New Westminster Salmonbellies would topple the Nanaimo Timbermen 15-6 to open their WLA season on Thursday night.
After a disappointing season last year where they missed the playoffs, the Salmonbellies will be looking to prove something this season. Getting Kevin Crowley back in the lineup has paid dividends as he put up four goals and eight points. They also traded for Ryan Martel, who finished the game with two goals and four assists.
Cam MacLeod had a huge night between the pipes for the ‘Bellies. He stopped 34 of 40 shots in the victory.
This early season loss is a disappointment for a Timbermen team that snuck into the playoffs last year. While it was an off night, Zach Manns was the bright spot with two goals and four points.
High scoring first period
New Westminster jumped out to a quick 3-0 within the first five minutes of the game.
Jordan McBride opened the scoring 1:01 into the first followed by Crowley 25 seconds later. Will Malcom made it 3-0 at the 4:28 mark.
Manns got the Timbermen on the board with a shorthanded marker at 6:56. Malcom was still able to capitalize on the power play 36 seconds later to put the Salmonbellies up by three.
Kyle Playsted kept the Timbermen within striking distance at 8:37 but both teams would run into penalty troubles late in the period.
Haiden Dickson took advantage of the power play opportunity at 13:05 but Jon Phillips would strike back on the man advantage to make it 5-3 for New Westminster.
With 1:03 left to play, MItch Jones found the back of the net on the power play. With the extra attacker on the floor, Martel would score a buzzer-beater to make it 7-3 at the break.
Salmonbellies pull away in the second
Brandon Goodwin’s solo effort 2:19 into the second period put New Westminster up by five. Dickson followed that up at 3:33 to make it 9-3. Only 23 seconds later Crowley hit paydirt to extend the lead to seven and round out a five-goal run for the Salmonbellies.
Nanaimo’s special teams continued to play a key role. Taggart Clark scored on the power play at 7:43, but less than two minutes later Malcom scored on the power play. With 9:44 left in the quarter, Martel scored off a feed from Crowley to round out a two-goal run for New Westminster.
With the goaltender pulled for an extra attacker, Manns potted a goal with five seconds left on the clock to make it 12-5 heading into the final frame.
New Westminster wins their season opener
Taggart Clark opened the third-period scoring 5:18 into the frame, but that’s all she wrote for Nanaimo’s offense.
New Westminster finished off the game with a three-goal run to topple the Nanaimo Timbermen. Crowley had a pair of goals and Jones added a single marker.
Crowley joined Jake Elliott to comment on the game:
Three Stars
- Kevin Crowley, New Westminster
- Cam MacLeod, New Westminster
- Zach Manns, Nanaimo
Top Scorers
New Westminster Salmonbellies
Kevin Crowley, 4g 4a
Will Malcom, 3g 4a
Mitch Jones, 2g 4a
Ryan Martel, 2g 4a
Haiden Dickson, 2g 4a
Nanaimo Timbermen
Zach Manns, 2g 2a
Kyle Playsted, 1g 2a
Colton Lidstone, 3a
Taggart Clark, 2g 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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