The season has come to an officials end for the WLA, but next stop is the Canadian Championship Mann Cup.
This year it’s hosted by the New Westminster Salmonbellies who take to the hardwood beginning Friday September 8th in Queen’s Park Arena at 7:30 pm
They will be facing the Ontario Champion Peterborough Lakers in the best of seven game series with the teams alternating as the home team, with the Salmonbellies having the advantage in game one. 
Advancing to this championship wasn’t an easy task, but they did have home floor advantage as they played host to the Victoria Shamrocks pulling out an impressive 13-11 win in front of just over 2,000 fans.
One thing you can never do is count the “Bellies” out and given that it’s a team sport, for this game everyone showed up and play they did considering less than 48 hours prior they were forced to play O/T pulling out the win in five games.
Lacrosse is sort of like a religion to New West and it’s almost as if they were re-living the “golden days” with New West Bruins and bench boss Ernie “Punch” McLean.
No different than the song “Takin Care of Business” by BTO that is exactly what they are looking at doing now knowing who they will be facing.
This is the “Bellies” first chance at the title since 2010, but their first home dates dating back to 2009 when they dropped the seven game series to eastern counterparts the Brampton Excelsiors.
In hopes of winning a record setting 25th Championship they know it’s not going to be an easy task as they haven’t danced at the prom till midnight dating back to 1991.
The team is a combination of talent, gifted players all of which are wearing their heart on the sleeve of their jersey in the form of a “Bellies” logo.
The first round of the WLA playoffs saw them play the Maple Ridge Burrards, then advancing to the league final against the Shamrocks – but now they move on facing a team that has Port Coquitlam player Curtis Dickson in the roster, who incidentally played his very first Senior A game with the “Bellies” as an underage player in 2007.
Dickeson now plays with the Calgary Roughnecks in the National Lacrosse League while Delta’s Logan Schuss plays with the Vancouver Stealth, so it’s possibly about bragging rights – just maybe??
The last time that Queens Park played host to the National Championship saw Brampton win four games – all of which were in O/T.
Fast forward to 2010 saw the Bellies lose the Mann Cup also against Peterborough in six games and as luck had it that loss ended a three-year stint in the National final Championship.
Moving forward the Bellies realize that the last time they won the coveted trophy was in 1991 when they defeated (swept) the Brooklin Redmen in four games that saw local product Randy Jones playing for Brooklin, who eventually returned home to the Bellies.
Ironically it must run in the family as Mitch, his Son is now one of the stars on the Bellies, so this series has a lifelong connection moving from Father to Son.
There is no doubt that the old wooden floor will see lots of action with both teams knowing what is at stake.
Either way – it’s going to be a great series.
