The two-game sweep meant the T-men didn’t need to go back to Abbotsford Monday and instead got one day’s rest before they start their second-round series tonight (July 21) on the mainland against the Ladner Pioneers.Nanaimo generally steered clear of the penalty box and played good fundamental lacrosse against Valley.

“Everybody was moving, not standing still, and they just couldn’t keep up with us,” said Trevor Walton, T-men veteran.

In the decisive Game 2, Walton, Shane Chalker and Pat O’Dwyer all had two-goal games, Luke McNeil had a goal and three helpers and Jesse Kemp also tallied. Drew Dickie made 25 saves for the win.In Game 1, Walton’s hat trick led the way, O’Dwyer had two goals and two assists, Nic Collison scored twice and Chalker, Kemp and Travis Preston also scored. Dickie made 38 saves.

The degree of difficulty will go way up for the Timbermen (9-7) against Ladner (14-2). The Pioneers finished first in the WCSLA and led the league in both goals for and goals against.“They play the same tough game that we play,” said Shawn Swanson, Timbermen vet. “Our biggest thing is to keep our heads straight and play lacrosse rather than play UFC wrestling.”The Pioneers swept the season series, winning 18-9 and 14-6, but the DBL team expects the playoff series to be closer.

“If we stay out of the box against Ladner and we play defence like we have for [the Valley] series, we’ll be able to give them a good go, for sure,” said Jaron Dubyna, another veteran.

LACROSSE TALK … Ladner swept Nanaimo four games to none in last year’s first-round playoff series. This year’s rematch is a best-of-five … Game 2 is scheduled for Friday (July 24) at 7:30 p.m. at Frank Crane Arena.

sports@nanaimobulletin.com

The DBL T-Men took two steps forward and one step back in their last three games. The T-Men won two road games versus a strong Valley team and the upstart Chilliwack Mustangs only to follow it up with a home loss to the first place Ladner Pioneers. The first victory on the road was the T-Mens first win over a team with a winning record, as they beat Valley 9-6. The following day the T-Men had a slow start as they snuck past the young Chilliwack team 9-5. On Saturdays home loss the T-Men also got off to a slow start falling behind 8-1. The T-Men did regain their composure but they lead the Pioneers had built was too large and the T-Men suffered a difficult 13-6 loss.

The DBL Timbermen are going into their final weekend of regular season games as they play host to the winless Langley team and then travel to New West on Sunday to play the Royal City Captials. Sunday's game will have heavy playoff implications as a victory would ensure them the fifth playoff spot, a loss could potentially mean falling to the sixth and last playoff spot. If the T-Men manage to win on Sunday they will be facing the Valley Rebels, the team they defeated two weeks ago.

The DBL Timbermen fell to 4-5 Saturday night as the Tri-City Bandits beat the home squad 7-6. The T-Men fell behind early with the Bandits winning the first period 4-1 with the T-Mens lone marker being scored on the Powerplay with a behind the back shot from Matt Warren. The second saw the T-Men burst to life, rallying to tie the game 4-4 behind a goal from veteran Pat O'Dwyer and a pair from T-Men newcomer Luke Macneil. Macneil continued to tally in the third, scoring a shorthanded goal to put the locals up 5-4 but the Bandits banged off the next three goals. Macneil would add his fourth of the game with the goalie pulled to put the T-Men within one, but thats as close as they come. The T-men next game will be held at FRANK CRANE ARENA at 4 pm agaisnt the rival North Shore Indians, tickets are available at the door.

The Nanaimo DBL T-Men saw their win streak come to an end at 3 games as the Valley Rebels edged the T-Men 11-10 in Parksville Saturday night. The game was played in Parksville because the NIC was unavailable to the Hub city team. Despite the new surroundings the T-Men came out firing with Travis Preston scoring the first 2 markers of the game. However, following the early 2 goal lead the Rebels then capatalized on T-men errors and undiscipline play as they scored the next 7 goals. The teams exchanged goals and heading into the third period the home team trailed 10-5. The third period saw the T-Men wake up as they rallied to score the next 5 goals only to watch Valley score the winning goal with less then 30 seconds remaining. Goal scorers for Nanaimo were: Preston 2, Jaron Dubyna 2, O'Dwyer, Hall, Spence, Walton, Kemp, and Chalker. The T-Men return to the NIC this Saturday to face the defending BC champs, the Tri-City Bandits, game starts at 7:30.

The DBL Timbermen continued to roll Tuesday night against the upstart Langley Warriors with a 12-4 win in Langley. The win moves the club to 4-3 and is their third win in a row. Pat O'Dwyer lead the team with 3 goals, while Terry Hall and Jesse Kemp each added 2. Singles went to Bryan Norby and Matt Warren, both their first as a Timbermen, David Issak, Shawn Swanson and Matt Maughan. Matt Oldroyd got the win in net for the T-Men making 21 stops on the night. The Timbermen look to expand this win streak Saturday, May 30th at 7pm in PARKSVILLE! The game will be played at Oceanside place versus the Valley Rebels who sit ahead of the T-men in the standings. Let's get out and support the DBL T-Men as they make their Parksville debut!

The DBL Timbermen have won their past two games, blowing out their opponents. The team travelled to North Shore Friday night and came away with a blowout victory. The team had an offensive outburst scoring 19 goals while holding the North Shore Indians to 8. The following day the T-Men took on the expansion Chilliwack Mustangs at the Nanaimo Ice Center. In front of the home crowd the T-Men pulled out a decisive victory winning 13-4. Newly acquired goalie Drew Dickie got the start for the home team only allowing 4 goals on 35 shots.

The Timbermen's next home game will be held in Parksville at Oceanside place versus the Valley Rebels on Saturday May 30th, game starts at 7

The DBL Timbermen went toe to toe with the rival Ladner Pioneers Thursday night in Ladner. The Timbermen once again had a short bench with only 12 runners and managed to put up a fight for two periods of lacrosse. The teams were tied 5-5 after the first but then exhaustion took over and the T-Men found themselves trailing 10-7 after two. The wheels fell off in the third as Nanaimo was outscored 8-2 in the frame making an 18-9 final. Goals were spread out throughout the team, Chalker, Kemp, Spence and Walton all had two apiece while Jaron Dubyna added a single. Tom Wray saw the start in goal but time was shared with Matt Oldroyd as both goalies faced a barrage of shots during the outing. The T-Men look to get back into the win column next Friday as they travel to North Shore to take on the Indians. The Timbermens next home game is May 22nd vs. the Chilliwack Mustangs, doors open at 7 pm.  

The DBL Timbermen had no excuses for their 13-8 loss Saturday night at the NIC. The team had a full roster and home floor advantage but were unable to come away with a win against the undefeated Burnaby Burrards. The Timbermen did get strong games from the speedy Shane Chalker who scored 5 goals and Trevor Walton who had 2 and Aaron White had 1. Both Tom Wray and Matt Oldroyd seen time between the pipes and faced a plethora of shots from the Burrards. The T-Men will try and re-group and get a win in Ladner Thursday night against the rival Pioneers.

The Sr. B Timbermen were handed their first loss of the season by the Burnaby Burrards Wednesday night in Burnaby. The T-Men played the game with 13 runners, 3 of whom were call-ups and lost 14-7. Goal scorers for the T-Men were Trevor Walton with 2, call-up Chris Roberts with 2, while singles went to Jaron Dubyna, rookie David Isaak and junior call-up Brent Holness. Brad Lytle went down to injury early in the game which left the T-Men with 12 runners but they never quit. The score was actually tied 4-4 midway through the second period but the short bench eventually wore down, giving the Burrards their second win of the year. The T-Men will get their chance for revenge this Saturday, as they play the same Burrards here in Nanaimo, 7:30 at the NIC. The Canucks game will be in on in the Lounge.

The DBL Sr. B Timbermen have started their season with an 8-5 win against the Royal City Capitals. The scoring charge was led by Shane Chalker who had 3 goals, Trevor Walton with 2 and singles went to Travis Preston, Shawn Swanson and Alton Davis. Defensively Jaron Dubyna was a force on the back end and in the face-off circle winning the majority of his draws cleanly. Jesse Kemp and new comer David Isaak were good in transition each having break away opportunities but neither were able to capitalize. Tom Wray was a wall in net and looked great in the pipes. Be sure to come by the NIC Saturday, May 9th to watch the team take on Burnaby, doors open at 7!

The DBL Timbermen have just completed another successful Lacrosse camp for Nanaimo's youth. The camp was held April 27th and had about 30 young lacrosse players par-take. The camp was run by veterans Jason Dubyna, Jaron Dubyna, Jesse Kemp and Brad Lytle while new comers Julian Spence also aided. The camp was a complete success as all had fun! The minors were all given game tickets to see the Sr. B Timbermen in action and two lucky players won new lacrosse sticks! Thanks to Reaction Sports for their donation and to all those that made this years camp a success!