Tale of the Tape: T-Men at Bellies

The New Westminster Salmonbellies are back in action this Thursday night, welcoming the Nanaimo Timbermen to Queen’s Park Arena for what promises to be another tightly contested matchup in the Western Lacrosse Association.

While the standings may currently show the Salmonbellies in second place, their record tells the real story. Sitting at a perfect 6-0-0, they are the only undefeated team in the league. The Coquitlam Adanacs have one more point in the table, but they’ve also played two additional games. In other words, the Salmonbellies are in a class of their own at the moment.

Nanaimo, meanwhile, continues to look for traction. The Timbermen are 1-6, struggling to translate their individual talent into team success. Their offense features rising stars like Ryan Sheridan, Colton Lidstone, and Thomas Vaesen. They also boast former Bellie Luke Pilcher. But despite the names, the numbers haven’t been there: the Timbermen average just 7.7 goals per game and carry a goal differential of -20 through seven contests.

Their special teams have been a mixed bag—only 36% efficiency on the power play, with a 60% success rate on the penalty kill. In goal, Devlin Shanahan and Colby Bowman have shared the load, with Bowman earning the team’s only win so far. Both netminders have struggled to keep goals-against below double digits, which has made it difficult for Nanaimo to hold onto leads.

Still, fans should remember that in the season opener between these two teams, it wasn’t until the third period that the Salmonbellies managed to pull ahead. That’s become a recurring theme for New Westminster this season: stay tight, wear teams down, and take over late.

Even with some notable absences in recent games, the Salmonbellies continue to roll. Tyler Pace, away recently on business, is expected to return this week, adding even more firepower alongside league leader Mitch Jones, who currently tops the WLA in goals, total points, and points per game. Will Malcom and Tye Kurtz have both been major contributors, and we’re hoping to see both back soon. Fortunately, New West’s depth has been on full display—Logan Schuss, Haiden Dickson and Ryan Martel were instrumental last week, and young guns Armitage and Ducommun have stepped up as well. Indeed, the Bellies have enough back gate depth that they were able to use both Jacob Ruest and Brandon Goodwin out the front door last week, and both showed they can help out on offense.

Thursday’s game wil be an odd one for defender Adam Wiedemann, who will suit up against his former team for the first time. Traded in a one-year deal for Tysen Nielsen, Wiedemann is entering his third game with New Westminster and has already made his presence known on the back end.

With first place on the line and their perfect record intact, the Salmonbellies will be looking to make another statement. The Timbermen, for their part, will be desperate to flip their fortunes—and they’ve got just enough firepower to do it if New West isn’t sharp from the start.

Face-off is at 7:00 p.m. at Queen’s Park Arena.

Be there early and grab a Triple O’s burger and a Bellies Lager. Better yet, head over to Stonehaus Realty at 5:30 for free food, cold Bellies beers and prizes. The party walks to Queens Park a few minutes before each game!