Senior Salmonbellies net 5 new additions

It looks like the New West Salmonbellies’ Senior A team has made some pretty exciting moves ahead of the Western Lacrosse Association announcing its schedule for the upcoming season.

The senior Bellies announced the addition of five new players, three of whom are former junior Bellies. They were acquired through this year’s draft, which took place on Tuesday.

There were some league-related changes to this year’s Western Lacrosse Association’s Junior Draft: previously, teams could only protect one player through the Territorial Protection program. This year, all seven teams had the chance to protect two.

New West chose to protect Noah Armitage and Ben Stewart to the senior team, with the Bellies acknowledging on Tuesday their “distinguished careers with the junior Bellies.”

“Both players finished their 2022 season with the [Langley] Junior Thunder after a late season trade, but they were eligible for Territorial Protection because they played the majority of their junior careers in the Royal City,” a release from the club reads.

Armitage is described as a having played a part in a “stacked” Thunder offence, while Stewart is considered a player with “a scoring touch.”

The Salmonbellies have also added Stryker Roloff from the junior Thunder, Kip Guthrie from the junior Bellies, and Troy Cuzzetto, a goalie, also from the junior Thunder.

Senior Salmonbellies president Paul Horn had nothing but praise for the five young men.

“We’re gearing up for a Mann Cup-worthy season this year … [they] have a great deal to offer, and we welcome them with open arms to the Bellies family.”

Horn also added how proud he was to see a number of other New West junior players drafted to other clubs.

Tickets for the upcoming season have already gone on sale. The Bellies just missed the playoffs last year, ending their 2022 run with six wins and four losses.

According to Tourism New West, the Salmonbellies’ roots in New West go as far back as 1888, and while lacrosse made its way to our city before that, the team was only formed after Canadian Pacific Railway completed a line that moved through our city.

The team’s first game was held on June 8, 1889, though they were not technically called the Salmonbellies at the time—the name stemmed from taunts. The group has had a storied career, winning two dozen Mann Cup championships.