Nanaimo Timbermen bantam players Courtney Branchi and Rhys Winchell check an opponent during action at B.C. Lacrosse Association provincials in Port Coquitlam this past weekend. The Nanaimo girls won gold. (Photo submitted)

Nanaimo Timbermen bantam players Courtney Branchi and Rhys Winchell check an opponent during action at B.C. Lacrosse Association provincials in Port Coquitlam this past weekend. The Nanaimo girls won gold. (Photo submitted)

Nanaimo Timbermen bantam girls win B.C. championship

Lacrosse team wins gold-medal game 6-3 to earn provincial title in Port Coquitlam

Nanaimo can boast a B.C. lacrosse championship.

The Timbermen bantam girls’ team won the B.C. Lacrosse Association provincial championship this past weekend in Port Coquitlam.

Nanaimo defeated Langley 6-3 in the gold-medal matchup Sunday to complete the tournament undefeated at 6-0.

“They kept building off the momentum and stepping up to the challenge every game…” said Toni Angell, the team’s coach. “They knew that their talent alone wouldn’t win it; they did have to definitely work hard for it and they did.”

The final was close, 3-2 for a long stretch of the game before the Timbermen girls went on a bit of a run and didn’t allow the opponents to muster much offence.

“It was still back and forth the whole game…” Angell said. “The kids worked hard and pulled it off.”

Keira Martin scored a hat trick in the gold-medal game and Veronica Jones was the winning goalie. Chantelle Lee was chosen both tournament MVP and an all-star and Jayde Wassell was chosen the Fair Play award winner.

The coach said a reason why the Timbermen won was because they were a team on and off the floor and had the right kind of focus, setting their goals one at a time and taking each game as it came.

“I think with this group, they just grew throughout the whole season as teammates and friends,” Angell said. “The girls, every practice, would be working their hardest. They had their goals set from the very beginning.”

sports@nanaimobulletin.com

Nanaimo News Bulletin