The Lacrosse Blog

Bellies beat the Timbermen

The Bellies played a great game last night against the Nanaimo Timbermen, winning 12-5. I have to admit though, the player of the game was the Timberman goalie, Matt King. He put on an amazing show, twisting and dancing in the net to make almost 50 saves. Disher, on the other hand, had to fend off only half the number of shots.

King appeared visibly tired by the middle of the second period, and we began to wonder why the T-men coaches didn't pull him off for a break. He started to make a few dumb moves, like crushing a Bellies player into the boards behind the net, and getting a penalty for slashing. In the third period, he also looked like he purposely knocked the net off (several times), prompting fans to yell at the ref to give him a delay-of-game penalty. But refs aren't inclined to listen to fans...

Craig Conn got taken away by ambulance last night for a knee injury. From the stands, it was hard to tell what happened exactly. There was some sort of collision with a Nanaimo player, then Conn went to the ground, flopping like a dying fish. Fans couldn't tell who was injured (I ended up asking GM Dan Richardson) and for the longest time we didn't know if it was a neck injury or not. It turned out to be his knee, which will likely keep him away from the game for a long time. I hope it's not as bad as it seemed.

Apart from that, it was a good game, with lots of action. The two teams meet up again today in Nanaimo. I think the T-men are going to come out scrapping.

Labels: Craig Conn, Matt King, Salmonbellies, Timbermen

posted by Barbara K. Adamski @ 10:29 AM 0 Comments

Another win for the Salmonbellies

Tonight at Queen's Park Arena, the New Westminster Salmonbellies managed to beat the Nanaimo Timbermen. The game was far closer than anyone expected it to be, with a final score of 12-9. The Timbermen played well and kept up the pressure; the 'Bellies were sub-par. The best goals of the game were in the second period, when Athan Ianucci popped one over the shoulder of the Timbermen's goalie, and in the third period, when he scored unassisted on a breakaway. In total, Ianucci got six goals for the 'Bellies and was the first star of the game.

In net for the Salmonbellies was new alternate goalie Ron Schibild. He's spent most of the season on the bench (tonight was his second game) while the 'Bellies management decided whether to keep him or Bell on for the season. New Westminster native Joe Bell, Jr. was released earlier this week. I'm a bit sad about this. I interviewed both Bell and Kerry Susheski (2005 MVP) for my article for The Walrus magazine because they both grew up in New West. Both spoke of community pride, their friendship, and how much it would mean to them to win a Mann Cup for their hometown team. Susheski was traded in November 2006 in exchange for Langley Thunder's second first-round draft pick. He ended up not playing for The Thunder (and I'm not quite sure about the story behind that, but I sense a controversy).

On the lighter side of life, today is Shaggy's birthday. Shaggy (aka Ken Straw) is the Salmonbellies' most loyal fan and devoted volunteer. Happy Birthday, Shaggy.

Labels: Bell, Salmonbellies, Schibild, Shaggy, Susheski, Timbermen

posted by Barbara K. Adamski @ 10:42 PM 0 Comments