2025 Mann Cup Preview: Six Nations Chiefs vs. New Westminster Salmonbellies
The 2025 Mann Cup will see the back-to-back champion Six Nations Chiefs of Major Series Lacrosse travel to British Columbia to take on the Western Lacrosse Association champs, the New Westminster Salmonbellies.
Mann Cup Schedule
Game 1: Friday, September 5, 10:30pm ET
Game 2: Saturday, September 6, 10:00pm ET
Game 3: Monday, September 8, 10:30pm ET
Game 4: Tuesday, September 9, 10:30pm ET
*Game 5: Wednesday, September 10, 10:30pm ET
*Game 6: Friday, September 12, 10:30pm ET
*Game 7: Saturday, September 13, 10:00pm ET
*If necessary
Who will win the 2025 Mann Cup? The Lax Mag looks at what it will take for either team to take this year’s title.
Six Nations Chiefs
Next-level roster, again
The Six Nations Chiefs are not an NLL-level roster. They’re better. A pro-caliber all-star team? Still, maybe better. This year’s Chiefs are arguably more top heavy in elite talent and possess more full-roster depth than either of their past two Mann Cup-winning sides. The team brings back most of the bodies that took the title last year, and is just loaded with past NLL Cup winners too, including four players from the Buffalo Bandits’ threepeat (Dhane Smith, Josh Byrne, Ian MacKay and Steve Priolo). Opponents can tell themselves what they want, but this is one of the most intimidating groups ever assembled at either the pro or senior level. Led by Head Coach John Tavares - the on-floor GOAT who is already one of the most successful Cup-winning coaches ever - teams like this…
Lyle Thompson and Cody Jamieson, 2024 Mann Cup (Photo: Ontario Lacrosse Association)
They don’t fumble finals, ever
…don’t lose. The Six Nations Chiefs, who were only established in 1993 (in comparison, New West was founded over 100 years earlier in 1888), have made it to eight Mann Cup Finals, where they’re gone 8-0. No one’s ever even come all that close to beating them in the Mann’s seven-game series, including the Salmonbellies on three separate occasions…
1994 – Six Nations 4-2 over New Westminster (Brantford, ON)
1995 – Six Nations 4-2 over New Westminster (New Westminster, BC)
1996 – Six Nations 4-0 over Victoria Shamrocks (Brantford, ON)
2013 – Six Nations 4-2 over Victoria (Victoria, BC)
2014 – Six Nations 4-2 over Victoria (Hagersville, ON)
2016 – Six Nations 4-1 over Maple Ridge (Hagersville, ON)
2023 – Six Nations 4-1 over New Westminster (New Westminster, BC)
2024 – Six Nations 4-1 over Victoria (Hagersville, ON)
That is a 32-11 record at the Mann Cup, and an unheard of .744 W% in the finals. New Westminster is 0-8 since their last Mann victory in 1991. It’s a modern Mann era of the Chiefs building a winning attitude, and the Salmonbellies doing, well, the exact opposite. History is handsomely on Six Nation’s side leading into this year’s highly anticipated Cup-concluding series between these two iconic clubs.
Six Nations Chiefs, 2014 Mann Cup Champions (Photo: Darryl Smart)
Dominant defense
While their stacked offense obviously receives a lot of media and fan accolades and attention online, the Chiefs defense and goaltending is what is winning them games most nights. Six Nations was allowing just 6.78 goals per game during the MSL playoffs, which easily led the league, and was even a half goal per playoff game less than they were allowing during last year’s dominant run. They’re big, mobile (put up big numbers on the press during the playoffs), and will make life a living hell for New West’s forwards. With Doug Jamieson and Warren Hill likely going back and forth in the Chiefs’ crease like they’ve done for years now, Six Nations is about as defensively formidable as they come.
Drew Belgrave, New Westminster Salmonbellies (Photo: Shelly Fey)
New Westminster Salmonbellies
They’re the best lineup the West has had in a while
Anyone you compare the Chiefs to are going to catch some serious shade, and the Bellies are no different, but this team is significantly better than most seem to be giving them credit for. After losing three times to Coquitlam (over an extremely short stretch) during the regular season, New West overcame the Adanacs when it mattered most. They are peaking at the most perfect time of the season, are playing at home in what is expected to be a very full Queen’s Park Arena, and like the Chiefs, have a top-to-bottom roster that would better most NLL teams. Plus, they’re kinda due, right? Like we mentioned above, although the Salmonbellies own by far the most Manns with 24, they have struggled since the early 90s to find any Cup-winning success when it comes time to meet Ontario’s top side.
Mitch Jones, New Westminster Salmonbellies (Photo: Shelly Fey)
Their offense does more than just score
While Dhane Smith, Ryan Smith and even Shayne Jackson carried much of Six Nations’ goal-scoring load in the playoffs, New Westminster’s offense was more balanced when it came to finding the back of the net over their nine post-season games: Mitch Jones (17), Will Malcom (15), Haiden Dickson (15), Tye Kurtz (13) and Tyler Pace (11). For the Chiefs, forwards like Smith, Byrne and Lyle Thompson especially, make playing a solid press again them extremely difficult, because those players can stay on the floor, stick their opponent’s press in the mud, and steal significant time off their O clock. Jones and Malcom are former 30/60/90 guys in the NLL (G/A/LB), Kurtz has just missed that status during his first two pro seasons, plus Pace can be a pest once his team is without the ball too. If they’re clicking and consistent, their O should be hard to run on. Plus they’ve got capable clutch twigs in Phil Caputo and Ryan Martel, Mann-adds Marcus Klarich and Ryan Sheridan up front (Elijah Gash and Owen Grant in the back), who all add to their impressive O-door depth. No Victoria Shamrocks forward that played in all five games against Six Nations last year averaged more than one goal per game. That trend is unlikely to repeat over the next week.
Frank Scigliano, New Westminster Salmonbellies (Photo: Shelly Fey)
Frank Scigliano +
After trading for Scigliano during the regular season, the Salmonbellies actually sunk in the standings, but as the season and playoffs progressed, the NLL’s reigning Goalie of the Year just kept getting better and better, eventually named the WLA’s Playoff MVP. Losing this past season’s NLL Cup to Dhane Smith and the Buffalo Bandits, Scigliano has something to prove over the next week for sure. “Frank is undeniably a top-tier goalie,” said New West Head Coach Jason Bishop soon after acquiring Scigliano. “But most people don’t realize that he is also a leader. He’s built for the summer game and has proven that he has the ability to inspire greatness in the playoffs. We really wanted to add more of that hunger and mindset to our roster.” Scigliano has arguably had the greatest single season of his career, and will need to be at that level or better if New West has a chance of toppling the mighty Chiefs. With a solid defensive unit in front of him, one which features a good mix of proven vets and hungry youngsters (Drew Belgrave was voted WLA Defensive Player of the Year), New West are no pushovers.