Thunder close season with loss

Chase Scanlan finished the regular season as the leading scorer for the Langley Thunder with 28 goals and 61 points. Ryan Molag file photo

For the first time in the last four seasons, the Langley Thunder’s season ended on the outside looking in.

A 9-2 loss on July 24 in New Westminster to the playoff-bound Salmonbellies ended Langley’s Western Lacrosse Association season with a 5-13-0 record, which placed them fifth out of the seven teams. The top four make the post-season.

Jon Phillips and Nathaniel Kozevnikov had the lone Thunder goals in the loss with Nate Faccin stopping 50 of 59 shots. Mitch Jones (2-3) and Will Malcom (2-2) had a pair of goals apiece for the ‘Bellies with goaltender Justin Geddie saving 38 of the 40 Langley shots on goal.

For the season, Chase Scanlan led Langley in scoring with 28 goals and 61 points while suiting up in all 18 games with captain Connor Robinson leading the team in points per game at 3.5 following a 16-goal, 46-point campaign in 13 games.

Phillips – an off-season acquisition – was second with 21 goals and third with 33 points.

Both Scanlan and Robinson also reached significant milestones this season as they each surpassed the 100-goal plateau for regular season goals in the WLA. Scanlan is now tied for seventh in organization history with 107 goals while Robinson – who has 101 goals – is one back of cracking the top 10. Robinson is also seventh all-time for the team in both assists (153) and points (254).

Goaltender Caleb Khan – who played all season with the team as a junior call-up – is fourth in career regular season save percentage (minimum 600 saves) at .819.

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