The junior A Nanaimo Timbermen are near the top of the B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League with a 6-1 record, and now they’ll see where they stand with games against the league’s best team. The junior T-men host the undefeated Coquitlam Adanacs on Friday and Saturday, May 31-June 1, at the Nanaimo Ice Centre.
Dave Bremner, coach of the junior A Timbermen, said his team has made some adjustments in anticipation of taking on the defending champions, knowing that the Adanacs have a talent level beyond what the T-men have faced so far.
But Nanaimo has a lot going for it, too, with a more skilled team this year, a more physical defence and belief shared by coaches and players.
“Basically what we’ve done is we’ve found a way to win those games that we lost last year…” Bremner said. “It’s such a neat feeling for these kids to get these results that they deserve from all the hard work they’ve put in.”
The culture around the team has changed, the coach said.
“These kids want to be Nanaimo Timbermen; they love playing for the Nanaimo Timbermen and that’s the biggest attribute that we have is that they want to be here,” Bremner said.
The T-men won both their games last weekend, beating the Langley Thunder 11-10 in Duncan and then beating the Port Coquitlam Saints 12-11 on the road.
In the first game, Thomas Vaesen completed a hat trick with four minutes left for the winning goal, and finished with six points. Ryan Sheridan had two goals and three assists and Justin Geddie made 37 saves.
The next day, Kyle Dawson scored his hat trick goal with five and a half minutes left to lift the Timbermen to victory. Vaeson scored four goals and Will Johansen and Levi Verch had two each. Colin Jeffrey and Geddie split time in the crease.
GAME ON … This Friday’s game against the Adanacs is a 7 p.m. faceoff at the Nanaimo Ice Centre, while Saturday’s game at the NIC starts at 4 p.m.
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