Nanaimo's high level box lacrosse teams will all be looking for a fresh start in 2025. The WLA Timbermen missed the playoffs while the Senior B and Junior A squads suffered first round sweeps. (Gary Johansen)

By Dan Marshall

Early Exit

Top Nanaimo box lacrosse teams fall short in 2024 campaign

Aug 5, 2024 | 7:03 AM

NANAIMO — Results were tough to come by for the senior and junior lacrosse teams in the Harbour City this summer.

The Senior B and Junior A Timbermen both suffered playoff sweeps while the WLA T-men didn’t make the postseason for the first time since 2017.

It was a bizarre season for Nanaimo’s highest-level senior team with a sixth-place finish in a year six of the seven teams in the league finished .500 or below.

Senior A co-coach Brian Nikula said the results fell far below expectations.

“It was a season of challenges. Having said that I remain proud of our kids, the way they finished and the way they came together. You always want to make the playoffs but to look at this year as having no success, that wouldn’t be fair to the kids.”

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Despite a 6-11-1 record Zach Manns finished second in WLA scoring with 75 points and Manns, Nate Wade and Evan Messenger were chosen as second team all-stars.

The Junior Timbermen finished third in the BCJALL with an 11-7 record but lost in four straight games to Port Coquitlam in the opening round of the playoffs.

Co-coach Simon Stocks said heading into the season there was a belief the Timbermen could grab one of the two berths into the national tournament.

“The goal of the year was to be in the Minto Cup so to fall short of that was disappointing. In the playoffs I thought we were in every game but as competitive as it was I thought we got beat by a better team.”

A large part of the team’s core will remain intact in 2025 and Stocks knows the club needs to turn regular season success into playoff success.

“To be viewed as a contender we have to win in the playoffs. I think we will have to go more all out at the deadline. It’s been proven over the last three years that teams really going for it need to make additions.”

The Senior B Timbermen also had an eye on one of two BC entries into the President’s Cup national tournament.

They finished in third place in the WCSLA with a 7-8-1 record and lost out to the Victoria Shamrocks 3-0 in a best-of-five playoff series.

Nanaimo has a veteran laden team but first year lefty Grady Holmes had an excellent first year with the Tmen putting up a team high 25 goals and 36 points in the regular season.

One of the younger Timbermen teams did bring home a championship recently.

The Junior B2 Timbermen won the Island Championship in late July, sweeping both of their opponents.

Nanaimo will host the Junior B2 provincial tournament Aug 2-4 at Frank Crane Arena.

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