Short playoff appearances and rebuilding were themes in the 2025 box lacrosse season for Nanaimo's local teams. (Gary Johansen)

By Dan Marshall

Box Out

Door closes on summer box lacrosse season in Nanaimo

Aug 3, 2025 | 6:01 AM

NANAIMO — It’s been more than fifty years since Nanaimo’s last major box lacrosse title.

The 1969 Nanaimo Luckies senior B team was the last national championship the Harbour City has had in Canada’s official summer sport.

At the highest level, Senior A, the last Nanaimo Mann Cup title was in 1956.

In 2025 the WLA Timbermen failed to make the playoffs while the Senior B’s and Junior A’s both lost opening series to their rivals from Victoria.

The Senior Women Timbermen completed their second season in a growing women’s league but lost out in their provincial tournament.

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The Senior A Tmen went through a major rebuild in 2025 and team president Chris Bowman said the youngest team in the WLA had their struggles with a 2-16 record.

“We were in every game but two. We have some really good core pieces and five early picks and two territorial picks in the next draft so we should get better quickly.”

Leading scorer Ryan Sheridan was a bright spot being named a WLA second team all-star.

“He missed over 400 days due to injury and came back and didn’t miss a beat. He’s a threat every time he’s on the floor. He’s exciting to watch and makes everyone around him better. He’s one of the premier players in the WLA.”

The Junior A squad had aspirations of a Minto Cup championship but lost in six games to the Shamrocks in the opening round of the post season.

Bowman said it was hard to take because Nanaimo was a veteran squad and more than a dozen players won’t have the chance to come back and play next year.

“It still stings. You have to overcome obstacles if you’re going to be one of the best teams in the country and it just didn’t come to fruition.”

The Senior B club had a third place regular season and then went down to Victoria in their best of five first round clash.

Veteran Andrew Miller led the team in scoring in the regular season and the playoffs.

Like the Senior A’s, the Senior B squad should get a boost of talent from a strong crop of graduating juniors.

The women’s program is continuing to grow under the leadership of coaches Aaron Vanderhorst and Mike Maughan.

Team member Sarah Ferguson said the senior team extends the options for female players to play beyond junior.

“This season was a lot of fun and full of opportunities for new players to learn and try different positions out on the floor. It is amazing how supportive and welcoming the senior.league is and it just keeps growing. They call this game the “medicine game” for a reason, helping more and more women in the sport.”.

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