Well, I thought I was over it, but watching the final moments of regulation play in Game 7 of the Mann Cup still makes me feel so sad.
But, that little mishap didn't need to be the end of the game--or the series. We still had 10 minutes of overtime. We just didn't use that time to our advantage.
In the end, though, it was an amazing series and the Bellies rocked. And every single year the team takes what they've learned and applies it to the next season, always with positive results. Perhaps next year will be the Bellies' turn to win the Mann Cup on the road.
It's been quite a rush watching this series between two such evenly matched teams.
In game four, the Bellies outshot the Excels 56 to 37, winnng 8 to 7 in regulation play and tying the series at two game each. In game five, Gill's hat trick led the Bellies to a 10-8 victory, and one game away from the Mann Cup. But Brampton put up a tremendous fight in game six and dashed the Bellies' hope for a Mann Cup championship in six games. And while a Brampton win was somewhat disappointing for fans, the game itself wasn't. The Bellies played well and Roik was outstanding in net, intuitively stopping shots, it seemed. In some cases, he had no way of seeing the actual play, with so many men in front of the net.
For a while there it looked as though the Bellies would take game six. Kyle Ross's tie-breaking goal seven minutes into the period brought tears to my daughter's eyes (I'm not exaggerating). But then, for reasons unbeknownst to me, the ref gave Brampton possession. Whether this call caught the Bellies off-guard or not, I don't know, but Bramptom's Mike Hominuck made a behind-the-back shot into the net, tying it up again. (This irked me somewhat because we've been commenting all series how Brampton's behind-the-back passes and shots have a really low success rate--bummer that this one went as planned). Then, with 15 seconds left in OT, Brampton called a time-out. I hate when that happens. I've seen too many game-altering shots in the last second or two of play. And of course, I was right to be concerned. Dan Dawson scored the game-ending goal with 1.5 seconds on the clock.
Tonight's game could go either way. But one thing's for sure: it's going to be one heck of a battle for the Mann Cup.
A few key points regarding the incident that kicked off the Game 1 brawl:
"After the game he [Don Scott] reviewed the game tape and the referees’ game sheet and as a result New Westminster’s Bobby Snider was assessed a three game suspension. Now it has been made known that while both teams and Scott agree that Ian Hawskbee was the actual player who hit Colin Doyle, the game sheet says it was Snider. New West could have appealed the decision but then they would have put Hawksbee on the hot seat and could have lost him for three games."
and more importantly:
"Scott also commented that in his mind, the check on Doyle was a legal shoulder to chest hit and that it was the resulting head on head collision that did the damage."
So a lousy call not only gets the wrong player suspended for three games for what was apparently a clean hit, but it also sets off the largest bench-clearing brawl in recent lacrosse history. Grrr.
On another note, Jenner also reports that Chris Gill will be retiring after the Mann Cup. This makes me sad. C'mon Bellies, win it for Chris!
Here are a few clips from game 2 in the Mann Cup series. The footage isn't as dramatic as the game 1 brawl, but there's some good stuff in there. (Video for both games by Kaede.)
As for the game, well, it was okay, I suppose. The first period was a good one for the Bellies, and they ended it with a 3-1 lead. Both teams went through a bit of sluggishness midway through the second period, but Brampton managed to emerge from it, while the Bellies seemed to have lost too much momentum. By the end of the second, the teams were tied at 7 apiece, then tied at 9 apiece by the end of the third. In OT, Brampton scored four more times, while the Bellies managed just one more goal. Final score 13-10 for Brampton.
Game 3 is Monday. Same time, same place. But different winner, I hope.
Well, I knew it was going to be a rough one, but I didn't expect a bench-clearing brawl. Here are a few clips of the fights that took place just after Colin Doyle went down. I didn't see what happened to Doyle, but the Bellies took a high-sticking penalty for whatever it was. But to be honest, Doyle seemed fine at first, then went down in an exaggerated manner (with what looked to be a lower body injury), got up again, then went down again. The high-sticking call and a leg injury don't match up, so I have no idea what really happened. But I'm thinking Doyle will be just fine tomorrow.
As for other observations: -Every time the Salmonbellies scored, the Excelsiors (Cosmo and another player) would jump on the scorer. -The heavy-set, neckless ref was lousy--to the point of giving Brampton two goals they shouldn't have gotten. The first one, the ref closest to the nets called it a non-goal, but the heavy one overode his decision from across the floor. And the other goal that Brampton was given didn't go in, plain and simple. Hope that guy doesn't come back to ref again this series. He's the worst yet. -The Excelsiors weren't nearly as good as I expected them to be. The Bellies didn't even play their best game, yet they totally dominated. Maybe Brampton's suffering from jet lag. -In all, there was about three hours' worth of penalties.
This is it. Tomorrow night is Game 1 in the 2009 Mann Cup Championship. In honour of the fact that New West is hosting its first Mann Cup series since 1995, I’ve come up with a list of 10 great things about WLA lacrosse in New West:
1 The wooden floor—What can I say? It’s sleek. It’s green. It has the Salmonbellies logo on it. And it’s the only wooden lacrosse floor in Canada and likely in all of North America.
2 Shaggy—Shaggy’s the floor wiper-upper and a heck of a cool character. He’s especially popular with the kids, even us big ones. Sometimes he gets louder cheers than the players—and he’s certainly more popular than the refs!
3 George—George sells the 50-50 tickets, and dang it, one of these days he’s going to sell me a winner.
4 The organ—Okay, I’m not a huge fan of Camptown Races and Little Brown Jug being played during a lacrosse game—and I definitely don’t like to hear the theme from Jaws when the Bellies are shorthanded in their own zone, but heck, the organ is retro, Queen’s Park Arena is retro, and the Salmonbellies are one of the oldest sports franchises around, so I’m willing to compromise for the sake of atmosphere.
5 The city itself. New Westminster is a lacrosse town. Not a day goes by in the summer when you don’t see at least one kid walking around in Salmonbellies shorts, and you often see several walking around with lacrosse sticks in their hands. The city’s also home to the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame and Museum, located just a few minutes (on foot) from QPA. If you’re in the neighbourhood, check it out.
6 The team. The guys are great. They’re active in the community, they volunteer their time to coach kids in the summer, they show up from Minor lacrosse registration and meet the kids, and they even sent lacrosse gear to the troops in Kandahar.
7 The staff. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the Coquitlam staff swear at Bellies fans, and how often I’ve seen one of their staff flip the bird. I can’t imagine the Bellies’ crew doing that.
8 The fans. Okay, sometimes we’re a bit rowdy and we really hate shoddy reffing, but we’re a good bunch—really we are (but please forgive us for booing the 50-50 winner of that one play-off game. That was totally uncalled for. Booing 50-50 winners definitely crosses the line. Booing Ref Radar, on the other hand, is totally acceptable and even expected in some sections of the stands).
9 Queen’s Park Arena aka The Barn. The building goes back to the 1930s. Originally intended to be a civic building, it soon became the venue for hockey and box lacrosse, which was invented in the 1930s. Pieces of the original tongue-and-groove wooden floor (which was installed in 1938) grace the back wall of the arena. (For more history on lacrosse in New West, check out my May 2007 article from The Walrus, An Upstream Battle.)
10 The calibre of play. The games are action-packed and even the teams that are lower in the standings put up a darned good fight and keep the fans entertained. But tomorrow night, we’ll be some amazing lacrosse between the Salmonbellies and the eastern division champs, the Brampton Excelsiors. Go Bellies!
What a game! The Bellies played great against the Adanacs tonight, taking game number 1 in the WLA finals 14 to 5. The entire team played well, and while Cliff Smith, Chris Gill, and Ilija Gajic took the first, second, and third stars of the game, the rest of the team was right up there with them. My personal star of the game goes to Bellies’ Peter McFetridge. He was all heart and soul out there. He got an assist on a great play he set up and even reached into the net to make a save when Richards wasn’t there to do it himself.
The Adanacs on the other hand, didn’t have a single player who stood out in terms of skill. Yeah, they’re a good team and the game was a lot closer than it looked on paper, but overall they were underwhelming except in the area in which they excel—mouthing off. I think they need to change their MO up a bit if they hope to take the series (or even a game). They need to get more of their shots onto the net (not missing by a foot or two). If they’d put half the effort they put into taunting into getting the ball into the net, there’d have been a different outcome.
What was interesting tonight was the difference in the two Adanacs’ goalies. Atherton, who started the game, managed to get himself worked up into a lather by the end of the second period. He was bickering with the ref, harassing other players, and just being an overall goof. In the third period, he looked like a toddler gearing up for a tantrum. Levis on the other hand, looked completely dejected after each shot he let in. It was rather sad and pathetic, yet comedic at the same time. Still, I don’t think tonight’s game came down to goaltending. Atherton made an amazing 43 saves. The Bellies just played a much better game, both offensively and defensively, and deserved to take this one. Way to go, guys!
I just got back from Game 3 of the semi-finals between New West and Langley, and am struck by how similar the three games have been. For the most part it goes like this: the Bellies start to completely dominate; the Thunder get upset and resort to petty altercations, jersey pulling, and all-out fights; and the Bellies win the game hands-down. You would think that the Thunder would start to realize that the fighting isn't getting them anywhere. They'd be better off trying to take a few more shots on net. Today was particularly pathetic, with the Thunder making only 32 shots to the Bellies' 58. You sure don't win games that way.
I feel sorry for the goalies. They're not doing a bad job at all. Joe Bell made 24 saves and Ray Hodgkinson made 20. It's the rest of the team that's letting the goalies down. In three games, not a single Thunder player made the three stars of the game. Tonight's stars were Dewolf (3rd), McFetridge (2nd), and Dave Morgan (1st).
I'm debating whether or not to go to game 4. It's very likely going to be much of the same. If it's not and Langley happens to take a win, then I'll be able to see the fifth game at Queen's Park.
Here's part of the fight between New West's Ilija Gajic and Langley's Rob Van Beek.
The Salmonbellies handily beat Langley Thunder tonight at Queen's Park Arena, with a final score of 12-5.
The game was close for about the first four minutes of play. Then Langley had a bit of a scoring drought, not getting one in the net until the sixth minute of the third period. Matt Roik (second star of the game) played really well for the first two periods, but started to look a little off in the third. In fact, goal number three actually went into the net off his back. He was also slow to get up a few times, so we thought that maybe he was injured or unwell. He picked it up again later in the period, though, so that was good.
Langley lost a bit of blood tonight--literally. Both Kyle McEwan and Steve Hay ending up bleeding after fights (with Rory Smith and Ilija Gajic, respectively). McEwan was especially deserving of his injuries sustained at the start of the third period. At the end of the second period, he downed Kyle Ross with a retaliatory check to the back of the head (So I was told. I didn't see it myself because I was watching the play taking place about 15 feet away. I heard the thud, though, and Ross was face down for several minutes).
The two other stars of the game were Gajic (first) and Cliff Smith (third). And the doofus-of-the-night award goes to Thunder's Matt Wilson for his post-game harassment of one of the refs. I imagine he'll face some disciplinary action for his abusive conduct.
The first annual Seats for Soldiers was a resounding success. About 1500 people came out to Queen's Park Arena to watch the Senior Salmonbellies defeat (for the first time this season!) the Victoria Shamrocks. Soldiers, sailors, and military brass were out in great numbers, and we even had a marching band playing the national anthem. I got all teary-eyed, especially since July has seen a record number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.
This past weekend, New Westminster and Burnaby co-hosted the provincial championship for girls' minor lacrosse. New Westminster did very well overall: gold in PeeWee; gold, silver, and bronze in Bantam; and silver and bronze in Midget. My daughter's team played their best game of the season in the bronze-medal match against Coquitlam. It was great to see them finally mesh as a team and apply all of the skills they'd learned throughout the season. It makes me wish the season were just a week or two longer...
Dang. Six Bellies in the penalty box and I forget my camera!
What a crazy game last night at the Barn, where the Bellies played host to the Nanaimo Timberman ("host" being a rather overly generous term, considering all the violence involved).
In all, the game saw 142 minutes in penalties handed out--from goofy "delay of game" calls for minor roughing to match penalties for spearing (Mike Morrison) and attempt to injure (Rory Smith). In the third period especially, it was like a little bit of lacrosse interspersed between penalties.
Tomorrow night the two teams meet again, this time in Nanaimo. I hope the players make it through relatively unscathed.
The Bellies moved into second place tonight with a solid (6 to 3) win against the Coquitlam Adanacs. Goalies for both teams (Tyler Richards for the Bellies and Chris Levis for the As) played extremely well, making 78 saves between them.
After a mediocre first period that saw the As gain a 2-nothing lead, the Bellies turned it on, scoring five goals in the second period (to Coquitlam's one) and yet another in the third period.
The second period was filled with violations, including a huge brawl for which four players (Campeau and Forget from Coquitlam, and Westwood and Ross from New West) got game misconducts.
New Westminster doesn't play again until next Thursday, when they take on Nanaimo at Queen's Park.
It was an interesting game in Burnaby on June 26. I was going to call it exciting, but it wasn't until the last period that the game really got going. In fact, during the first period, I became quite bored watching the Bellies give up so many points to the Lakers. We've seen this happen before with the Bellies, though. It's like they don't even try until they get themselves behind in the game, then they work towards a comeback. This is all very stressful for the fans, though, who wonder if they'll do it, or if they'll end up giving too little, too late.
But after being down 4 to 1 at the end of the first period and 7 to 4 at the end of the second, the Bellies did indeed manage to turn the game around. The last few minutes of the game were particularly thrilling.
"Trailing 7-5 in the final four minutes, Cliff Smith and Scott Stewart scored 24 seconds apart to tie the game. Kyle Ross got the winner less than a minute later with 1:46 left and then assisted on an insurance goal by [Chris Seller], his second of the game, with 35 seconds remaining." [The Newsleader account erroneously credited Kyle Ross for the final goal.]
Kudos to Lakers' goalie, Andrew Leyshon, for stopping 42 shots. I'm surprised he didn't get named one of the stars of the game for his stellar performance.
In other WLA action, Coquitlam hosted Victoria on Saturday in what turned out to be an incredibly high-scoring game. The Shamrocks strengthened their lead in the standings with an 18 to 11 win over the Adanacs. I wasn't able to make it to the game, but the WLA website has posted coverage of all but the first few minutes of the game. I might have to snuggle in bed with my laptop tonight to watch.
The following night Langley and Maple Ridge played a rough and tumble game that saw over 60 minutes in penalties handed out. Langley won 11 to 6 and is now very comfortably in fourth place. Langley also has the distinction of being the only team who has been able to beat Victoria this season, which could make for an interesting semi-final if the top four remain the same.
I enrolled my daughter in the Salmonbellies lacrosse camp. Today was the second day of camp, and she came home pretty excited that Jordon Hall had given her a few pointers on improving her shot and that Bellies' trainer, Keith Johnson, had taught her a few new stretches.
The camp is a great summer activity for kids: it keeps them out of trouble, gives them a good workout, and helps them improve their lacrosse skills just in time for Provincials.
The Bellies played the Adanacs in Coquitlam today. They lost, but they played much better than they've played in the last few home games I've seen. Honestly, I think that dang organ music in Queen's Park is sapping them of their energy. Heck, it's affecting the fans. Everyone in my section groans when the organist plays ditties from the past like Camptown Races and Three Blind Mice. Imagine playing lacrosse to Three Blind Mice.
Tonight's highlights were:
1) Seeing the Bellies score three goals in a minute at the bottom of the second period and two more at the top of the third, bringing the score to 10-8 for Coquitlam. Unfortunately, they couldn't get another one past Levis, and Coquitlam scored again, so the final result was 11-8.
2) Watching Cliff Smith fight. I know, I shouldn't be advocating violence, but Smith is just great to watch: so fast, so smooth, so accurate in his punches.
3) Seeing some life in the Bellies. Honestly, the last couple of games have been rather boring to watch. Even though they lost tonight, they played hard and looked good.
Lowlights:
1) Having the Bellies get a penalty for delay of game for throwing the ball over the back netting. Who knew the netting didn't go all the way to the ceiling? And really, why would a player deliberately delay a game in the first period, when the score is two all?
2) As always, the Veltman brothers and Dane Dobbie. Sorry, but I just don't like 'em. They're rude and obnoxious and completely unsportsmanlike.
3) Having to watch a goalie let in shot after shot, knowing that the coach won't pull him until it's too late to catch up. It's happening a bit too much with the Bellies this season (with each goalie).
Next week, the Bellies play host to Maple Ridge. If they don't play well, I'm going to blame it on the organ music.
Well, the New Westminster Salmonbellies are now down three games to none in the 2008 Mann Cup series against the Brampton Excelsiors. I was really hoping the Bellies would win tonight. In fact, at one point I thought they would.
But it all went downhill when a faulty 30-second call led to a resetting of the clock after an Excelsior's shot hit a NW player's helmet. And of course, at that point, the Excelsiors scored their second goal of the game. After that, a similarly faulty call was made and Brampton scored again (but this time the Bellies had a guy in the box as well).
Final score: 7-3.
I think the Bellies are getting a bit too frustrated. They've had to contend with bad calls before, and usually come out ahead and win the game, which is always the best revenge.
They're just not doing what they know they can do.
Salmonbellies lose their second game of the season
I was getting so used to the Bellies' winning that I didn't expect them to lose to Brampton in the first game of the Mann Cup challenge. But, after seeing them down 6-1 in the second period, I'm just relieved that they managed to bring the score up to a respectable 8-5. It's early days yet, so I'm not too worried.
I sure wish some TV station out there would broadcast the games to us folks in BC, though. But since no station is covering the series, we fans are following the excellent online coverage by Marksy at Lacrosse-Inside the Game. Check out game two tomorrow at 4:30 PST.
Well, the Bellies are off to Ontario next month to continue their quest for their 25th Mann Cup. They beat the Coquitlam Adanacs 11-8 tonight at the Coquitlam Sports Centre, again in front of a largely New West crowd.
Kudos to Bubba Westwood for his breakaway goal early on in the third period. Not only did it tie things up, but it gave the Bellies that extra push they needed to regain control of the game. Kudos also to Adanacs goalie Chris Levis for playing his best game of the finals. And of course, kudos to the Belly fans who threw fish out onto the floor in the final moments of play. Nice touch.
Boos and hisses to Andrew McBride for getting a game misconduct in the first period and to Adanacs' captain Bruce Murray for tossing the team's silver medal into the boards moments after accepting it. No wonder so many Adanacs fans don't stick around until the end of the game.
Wow, am I ever relieved that the New Westminster Salmonbellies beat the Coquitlam Adanacs in the second game of the WLA finals. You see, tonight the Adanacs had two extra players on their team: referees Todd Labranche and Keith Williams. Only once before have I seen such blatantly biased refereeing and that wasn't in a lacrosse game, nor was it at this high level of play. If the Salmonbellies had lost, this post would have read like a bad case of sour grapes. Since they won, however, I can call it as I saw it. The reffing stunk.
If you look at the scoresheet, New West spent far more time in the penalty box (24 minutes as opposed to 16 minutes for the As). In actual fact, however, the Bellies' minor infractions usually resulted in penalties while similar plays by the As were considered interference only. What's more, the Adanacs' blatant choking, high sticking (as in a stick audibly contacting a helmet), tripping, and holding went uncalled as was Ray Guze's incessant mouthing off to the refs, especially after each of his three penalties.
I was reminded tonight of the three things I hate the most about the Adanacs. They are (in no particular order): Ray Guze, Andrew McBride, and Peter Veltman (although I'll admit that Veltman was rather mellow tonight).
Way to show support for the Salmonbellies, New West fans. Bellies fans outnumbered Coquitlam fans about 3-1. Not bad for an away game. Mind you, if I lived in Coquitlam, I don't think I'd support the Adanacs. I prefer teams who play hard but play fair. I have yet to see the Adanacs play fair.
The New Westminster Salmonbellies put on a great show tonight at Queen's Park Arena. They were a well-oiled machine. I'm not sure what was wrong with the Adanacs, but the Bellies ran circles around them. Even during the pre-game warm-up, it was obvious which team was in the better position to win. The As looked defeated before the first face-off. And the Bellies' scoring three goals in the first three minutes of play didn't help the Adanacs any either.
The As did manage to score on a power play in the second period. It was too bad. I was hoping the Bellies would get a shut-out.
Final score: 10-1 for the Bellies. Game 2 in the best of 7 is Thursday night in Coquitlam.
Well, the Bellies took the third game in the WLA semi-finals against the Victoria Shamrocks. Despite the fact that the final score was 11-7, the game was extremely close. In fact, mid-way through the third period, we were thinking that the Bellies might just end up losing this one. At that point in the game, they were spending far too much time in the penalty box.
Then, when the score was 6-5 for the Bellies, Cliff Smith scored his second goal of the game, and followed up with two more shortly after that. Ilija Gajic added a couple more goals to bring the team to a respectable win over the Shamrocks.
The Shamrocks are fighting all the way. Game four in the best of seven takes place at Bear Mountain in Victoria. I wish I could be there.
Tonight's game against the Maple Ridge Burrards was extremely exciting. Even though I haven't missed many home games, this was my first time to see the Burrards play this season. They played hard and kept the Bellies on their toes. The Bellies were in fine form, too, except for several minutes in the third period when they seemed to lose their concentration.
The highlights of the game were: • watching the remaining three Salmonbellies get penalties for retaliating against a cheap shot by a Burrard (meaning the whole line minus the goalie was off, and four huge Bellies were squished into the penalty box) • seeing Bob Salt smile not that long after we discussed the fact that he never smiles--ever.
The Bellies' next game is Tuesday, when they meet the Victoria Shamrocks in the semi-finals at Queen's Park Arena. Be there. And wear red.
Here's a pretty good article from The Province on the local girls' lacrosse scene. I especially like what they say about New Westminster:
Girls' lacrosse is especially strong in New Westminster, one of the few B.C. cities where kids live and breathe lacrosse.
Last year, the Salmonbellies won the girls' peewee and bantam provincial championships, while the midgets placed second. The New West teams were so strong that both the peewee and bantam finals were contested between Royal City teams.
The peewee girls also went undefeated in a "Super Series" tournament in Hamilton, Ont., beating Toronto 8-1 in the championship game.
On the weekend, New West hosted the ninth annual Dorothy Robertson girls tournament. More than 450 players and 25 teams played on the wooden floor at historic Queen's Park Arena.
By the way, if you're wondering about the outcome of the game between this year's midget girls, our team lost by two points. The two teams meet again next week.
Tomorrow, my daughter has a game in a town about 25 km south of here. Not a huge deal, but we'd have to drive there in rush-hour traffic, which means it could take over an hour. Plus we have to be there 45 minutes in advance. But the main reason I don't want to do it is that tomorrow night is the first home game of the season for the Senior Salmonbellies. So, nasty, selfish mom that I am, I've arranged for the mother of another girl on the team to drive her there and back.
With the loss of some major high-scorers, the Bellies will have to rely on tighter defense this season, according to this article. Overall, I think there's going to be some pretty close games this season. Take the recent Salmonbellies vs. Burrards game. While the Bellies won 11-8, the game did go into overtime. The games between the two teams weren't that close last year.
I stumbled upon this blog post last night (scroll down to "Vancouver's Little Known Sports Legacy"). It's rather interesting that a musician/activist is writing about the Salmonbellies, but then again, Good did grow up in Coquitlam, New West's neighbouring city. Why oh why, then, could he not spell New Westminster correctly? I guess we all can't be editors, sigh.
Tonight the Salmonbellies took on Langley Thunder at Queen's Park. I was surprised at the amount of aggression out there. I didn't see the entire game but still managed to catch some pretty major fights. It looks like there might be quite the rivalry between the two teams this year.
The Bellies' new goalie, Tyler Richards, is really talented. He's big, flexible, and can pass well. You don't always get all three assets in one goalie. Schibald went in net for part of the second period and managed to maintain Richards' pace, which was good. Schibald didn't get to play much last year so at times was a bit nervous in net. But he did play an incredible game last summer against Coquitlam, so I know he's capable of great saves. Former Salmonbelly goalie Joe Bell, was in net tonight for the Thunder. I'm glad he's still around. I quite like Bell. I interviewed him for my article on lacrosse for The Walrus. He's passionate about the sport and especially the Salmonbellies (although that might have changed since they got rid of him), which led to some great quotes for my story.
Others who stood out for me tonight were the ultra-quick Cory Melville and new guy Brandon McNeil from Delta, who's pretty feisty playing off the boards and gathering up loose balls.
Iannucci wasn't there tonight, but his jersey was. I still haven't figured out who was wearing it.
Goalie Matt Disher is not around, likely due to a strained ligament; Shayne Bennet just got on with the fire department, which doesn't allow recruits to play lacrosse at this level during the first year of employment; Conn is out for the season; and I still don't know what to believe about Iannucci. There's an exhibition game tomorrow at Queen's Park. I'll see if I can find out more then.
Yesterday I read a well-written report on Ianucci's move to the St. Regis Indians. Today, however, when I went back to link to that particular article, I couldn't find it. Instead I found a story by the same writer, Paul Tutka, saying that the reports are premature.
I certainly hope this second version is closer to the truth.
So, not only are the Salmonbellies without Craig Conn for the 2008 season, but top scorer Athan Ianucci has decided to play for the St. Regis Indians in Cornwall, Ontario, according to this article.
Salmonbellies' GM Dan Richardson likens the situation to "getting hit with a 2x4." I'm sure a lot of fans (and players) feel the same way.
According to this Vancouver Sun story, WLA assistant commissioner Sohen Gill says the Bellies will prevail in 2008. From the article:
"I would think, on paper, the Salmonbellies should win," said Gill, whose son Chris plays for New Westminster but is otherwise unbiased. "The Adanacs are still right there, so who really knows? But again, on paper, I think the Salmonbellies are the better team."
The Salmonbellies' first game of the season is a May 18 away game against the Maple Ridge Burrards.
This is a great clip on the most heartbreaking loss I've seen. If you don't have time to view the entire clip, mostly a series of snapshots, go to 4 minutes 33 seconds and view the last 17 seconds of the 2007 Minto Cup semi-final game. To get a bit of commentary regarding the events leading up to this ending, read my post of August 30, 2007. Tell me that doesn't bring a tear to your eye...
What could be cooler than a lacrosse camp hosted by senior Salmonbellies? From July 7 to 11, the Bellies host their first annual lacrosse camp for kids. Imagine playing with Athan Iannucci, Craig Conn, and other great players at the Barn. I'll bet there are some pretty excited kids out there just counting down the days.
Well, I have to admit that after watching my daughter's season opener on the weekend, I was a bit concerned by what the season might hold for us. The girls were sluggish, out of sync, and had to contend with a huge and talented goalie on the other team. Not that they can't overcome that and mesh as a team. But with the box lacrosse season so short, there's really not much time to spend meshing.
Tonight however, they played a great game--like they were a totally different team. They ran, they passed, and they made some incredible moves. The teamwork was phenomenal. The girls also spent a fair bit of time in the penalty box but, I'm pleased to say, not nearly as much time as the other team, who played most of the second period shorthanded.
The Salmonbellies kept a solid lead for the first and second periods, but Coquitlam picked up their game at the top of the third and almost caught up to the Bellies. After a well-timed time-out by the Bellies, though, the team regrouped and ended up winning 10 to 4. SS got a couple of hat tricks and CM got a hat trick as well. Well done, Midget girls.
I enjoyed this blog post by someone who has just watched his/her first lacrosse game. By the way, the Buffalo Bandits is Salmonbelly Craig Conn's new home. He's apparently still out from his knee injury of last summer.
I love it when local kids make it to the senior Salmonbellies team. And that's what happened with Jordan McBride, who played for the Junior 'Bellies last year. This article from the CanWest conglomerate quotes Jordan's dad as saying the following: "Jordan let all the teams that called him know that the only team he wanted to play for was New Westminster... He's really happy that he'll still be wearing a Salmonbellies jersey."
Congrats to Jordan and his family. See you when the season starts.
I was just surfing the net a bit today and came across Kerry Susheski's bio on the Calgary Roughnecks' website. Notice his worst lacrosse memory: being traded to Langley Thunder. Can't say that I blame him. I wasn't pleased with that decision myself. It was nice to see Susheski in the stands during the Mann Cup semi-finals, though, rooting for the Salmonbellies no doubt. They could have used Susheski's skill, that's for sure.
Well, the NLL is back for 2008 and Junior Salmonbelly goalie Craig Robertson has signed a contract to play for the Colorado Mammoth. Robertson, a stellar goalie, will be playing alongside senior Salmonbelly Nenad Gajic and former 'Belly Rich Catton, most recently of the Coquitlam Adanacs.
Okay, I'll admit I'm still not over the Bellies' loss to the Arrows in the Minto Cup semifinals. Here's a great account of the game by someone who is very obviously a loyal Bellies fan (uh, no, I didn't write it).
Six Nations Arrows Express 2007 Minto Cup Champions
The Lakers really didn't have a chance. Right from the start, Six Nations dominated in the final game. By the end of the first period, they were leading 8-1. The Lakers just couldn't seem to get much past Arrows' goalie, Ben VanEvery.
The Arrows are an amazingly strong and fast team, and Kent Squire-Hill is particularly fun to watch. I've never seen anyone hang onto a ball so well with so many coming at him. Shawn Evans kept his diving under control today, which was good. I got a chuckle out of seeing a Salmonbellies fan of about nine or ten hold up a hand-made poster as the Arrows filed through to the dressing room during an intermission. The poster read: "Evans No Diving."
Six Nations deserved today's win, there's no doubt about it. Congrats to them.
Congratulations also to Salmonbellies goalie, Craig Robertson, for getting awarded Best Goaltender for Minto Cup tournament play.
Here's a nice little piece on the Minto Cup from the Province newspaper. My favourite part: "The New Westminster Salmonbellies won their first cup in 1908 and, according to reports, the Royal City became 'seriously unhinged.'"
First off, I have to say that this was the most exciting lacrosse game I've ever seen. It was fast and furious. I sat on the edge of my seat, jumped up and down, participated in impromptu standing ovations, and chanted "New West" in response to the Six Nations fans' drumbeats. Heck, I even taunted the ref a bit.
The Salmonbellies trailed 2-1 at the end of the first period. Right from the start they hadn't taken as many shots as the Six Nations Arrows Express. Kyle Buchanan tied it up in the second period, and when Curtis Manning got a shorthanded goal five minutes later, the direction of the game changed. The Bellies managed to hold the 3-2 lead until the end of the second period.
Midway through the third period, Express took two in a row, which the Bellies didn't answer to until seven minutes later, when they took two as well.
At this point, though, Express's Shawn Evans, who's dived at least three times already without getting called on it, takes another dive and fakes an injury, prompting the refs to give a slashing penalty to Salmonbelly Eric Lewthwaite. Once Lewthwaite is en route to the box, Evans miraculously recovers (insert sarcasm here). And the next thing you know, the refs are checking Craig Robertson's equipment. Robertson gets a two-minute penalty for a split glove and a game misconduct, no doubt for questioning the call. Sean Tessarolo goes into net. With two in the penalty box, the Bellies let a goal slip by. Score: 5-5.
With 29 seconds left in the game, the Six Nations overthrow a pass and the Bellies gain possession and call a time-out. They're unable to score and lose possession with just 17 seconds left in the game. Six Nations then call a time-out and come up with a plan. On the buzzer, Mitch Nanticoke drills one into the net, assisted by Cody Jamieson and Shawn Evans--yes, the same Shawn Evans who got hurt just minutes earlier. Game over--literally.
So, there you have it. Six Nations advance on a technicality. Now, had they called the equipment violation earlier, and not at the same time as Evans' Academy Award-winning performance, I'd have a lot more respect for the team. Because they went about it the way they did, I can only conclude that they were being opportunistic and doing whatever they could to take a win. But, they seem proud of themselves...
As for the Robertson, well, I don't know. I'll have to withhold judgment until I get more details. He did save the Bellies from a serious thrashing, though. The Express had 67 shots on net compared to the Bellies' 35. And I certainly don't blame Tessarolo, either. Had the Bellies taken more shots and placed them better, the game would have had a different outcome.
The New Westminster Salmonbellies beat the Edmonton Miners 9-2 tonight at Queen's Park Arena. The game remained scoreless until the eleventh minute of the first period, when Alex Turner placed one in the Miners' net, assisted by Curtis Manning and Eric Ross. By the top of the second period, the Bellies were leading 4-1. This score made me nervous, for in the game against Burnaby a few days ago, Bellies started going downhill in the second period, when the score was 4-1. (Not that I'm superstitious or anything...). By the end of the second period, the score was 5-2, but the Bellies were playing poorly, prompting goalie Craig Robertson to storm out of the arena yelling, "Let's wake the f*** up!" It just might have worked. At the top of the third period, when Robertson came off with a knee injury and back-up Sean Tessarolo went into net, the rest of the team picked up their game, getting four goals in three minutes and a final goal with just 12.4 seconds left in the game.
MVP for the Bellies was Jordan McBride (three goals and an assist), while Cole Howell, with a shorthanded goal and an assist, was MVP for the Miners.
And in the almost-irrelevant-but-highly-interesting department, kudos to the young guy who sang O Canada at the start of the game. We have no idea who he is, but the fans sitting in my section were all extremely impressed by his talent. Well done.
Tomorrow night, the Bellies take on third-place Six Nations Arrows Express. Stay tuned...
It's a pity the Junior A Salmonbellies couldn't hold the strong lead they had on the Burnaby Lakers in the first period. By the end of the first the Bellies had 4 points to the Lakers' 1, with both teams having taken 15 shots on net. In the second period, the Bellies managed to gain one more point, while the Lakers moved up to 4. What was shocking, though, was the number of shots on net by the end of the second (23 for the Bellies; 41 for the Lakers). The Bellies couldn't score at all in the third period (and took only 10 shots on net), while the Lakers managed to gain another 3 points, including the winning goal in the final two minutes of play. Final score: Lakers 7, Bellies 6.
MVP for the Burnaby team was runner Dane Dobbie, while goalie Craig Robertson took the MVP award for the Salmonbellies.
Cliff Sepka, member of the 1953 Minto Cup winning team, the New Westminster Salmonacs (Salmonbellies + Adanacs), performed an honorary face-off at the start of the game. Members from the 1953 Salmonacs and the 1960 and 1994 Minto-winning Salmonbellies teams took part in a brief ceremony and photo op during the first intermission. The 1953 team was the first New Westminster team to ever win the Minto Cup.
At the time of his retirement from the sport, Sepka was the all-time WLA scorer with 746 goals, 581 assists (a total of 1327 points over 484 games). His jersey, number 19, is retired. His brother Don, who also played '53, was present tonight as well.
The Adanacs are officially the 2007 WLA champions, having beaten the Salmonbellies 8-7 tonight in Coquitlam. The Bellies put up a good fight tonight and their fans appreciated it.
While the entire team played well, I was most impressed by Jordan Hall with two goals and three assists; Cory Melville, with an assist and some mighty fast running; and Ian Hawksbee, with an assist and some great defensive moves.
Annoying-player-of-the-game award goes to Adanacs' Geoff Snider, whom the Adanacs' website ironically refers to as mild-mannered and soft-spoken. Hmmm.
All in all, though, it was a good game. It's too bad the Bellies didn't play like this in the other three games. They'd still be in the running for the Mann Cup. Maybe next year?
