NANAIMO — Arenas across the city are switching from ice to the dry floor for box lacrosse.
All of the local senior and junior Timbermen teams are underway in their seasons with the highest level team, the WLA Timbermen, starting with a 12-9 road loss in New Westminster on Thursday, May 22.
After a 6-11-1 campaign in 2024, the Tmen are expecting a big turnaround.
The team has made significant changes trading away core players like Zach Manns, Jon Phillips, Nate Wade and Evan Messenger.
Coach Jon Nicholson said building chemistry quickly will be key.
“We need to make sure all the guys are clicking and it might take a few practices and a couple games. But I think with the guys coming in and the athletes we have, we’ve got some smart guys and I think we’re going to have a good group.”
New players include Thomas Vaesen and Noah Manning on offense and Bobby Kidd and Matt Abbott on the back end.
Nicholson said the he’s excited about the team’s defence and it starts with a returning tandem of goaltenders.
“We’ve got Colby Bowman and Devlin Shanahan back there. They’re both really steady. We want to be a threat out of the back end. When we’re at our best we’re playing with pace and we’re able to score out of the back end to augment our offense. I think we’ve added some guys that are able to do that and if we are able to do that I think we’ll be a really good team.”
While the Senior A squad is looking to rebound, the Junior A team has hopes of being a national championship contender.
With high end offensive, a solid defence and veteran goaltending coach Simon Stocks said his team is poised to make a long playoff run.
“With this team we’re a much older group than we’ve been the last couple of years. The skill level is high so making the playoffs is not the goal. Winning the west and being in the Minto Cup is the goal.”
The Tmen boast two of the best scorers in the league from 2024.
Matt Boas was fourth and Andrew Bowman finished sixth.
“They’ve had nice careers and this is their last year and both of them,” Stocks said. They are battle tested. They can both put up points and they both know the goal of the team. They are two of the best lefties in the league but we’re adding some pieces around them so we don’t have to rely on them as much.”
Nanaimo’s key offseason acquisitions were Jeremy Wudrick and Sam Strother on offense and Josh Verhagen and the return of Jordan Vincent on defence.
The Senior B Timbermen are game into their season with an 0-1 record.
Nanaimo has a mix of veterans, including several from their 2018 Presidents Cup appearance, and recent graduates of the junior program.
It’s year two for the Senior Women Timbermen who are off to a hot start in 2025.
They’re 3-0 with seven games still remaining on their schedule before provincials in mid July.
Next action for the Senior A Timbermen is May 28 in Langley while the Senior B’s host North Show on Friday, May 23 and visit Coquitlam on Sunday, May 25.
The Junior A squad plays at the Nanaimo Ice Centre on Saturday, May 24 and visits Coquitlam on Sunday, May 25.
The Senior Women have a home contest June 1 against Ridge Meadows at Frank Crane Arena.
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