Coquitlam Adanacs head coach Bob Salt got a call Tuesday morning from a former player he never imagined would be phoning at such a time.
On the dialing end was New Westminster Salmonbellies' star Ilija Gajic.
"He phoned to wish me good luck," said the ex-New West bench boss Salt, whose A's qualified for the Western Lacrosse Association semifinals despite dropping their last two regular-season games, including an 8-5 loss to the Burnaby Lakers in a rugged affair that featured 151 penalty minutes Saturday at Poirier Sports Complex.
As for the talent-laden Salmonbellies, they were shockingly beaten 12-6 Sunday by the last-place Burrards in Maple Ridge in a do-or-die battle and were thus bounced from playoff contention.
"What a league, huh?," said Salt, after a mere six points separated the first-place Langley Thunder from the fifth-place 'Bellies in the end. "The whole thing's up for grabs now."
The A's open their best-of-seven series in Victoria on Saturday, with Game 2 set for next Wednesday at Poirier, 7:45 p.m. The Thunder and Burnaby meet in the other semifinal.
The A's won their three-game regular-season series with the Shamrocks by winning twice -- back-to-back one-goal wins July 7 and 14 in Coquitlam.
Salt sees similar close, hard-fought contests forthcoming.
"They're a really fast, skilled team," he said. "We'll have our work cut out for us, for sure. Our 'D' end is the key. I'm sure Rosie [A's goalie Nick Rose] will be on his game and we'll just pluck away at the other end.
"I'm happy where we're at. I think we'll be up to the task."
A's captain and back-line leader Bruce Murray believes his team has what it takes to win as well, as long as they can shut down Victoria's high-powered attack, featuring Corey Small, Jeff Shattler and Ryan Benesch, who finished second, third and sixth in league scoring respectively.
"We have to be tough and strong in our defensive end," Murray told The Tri-City News. "Our 'D' end has to hold us in and give our offence a chance to do their stuff."
A's general manager Randy Delmonico was hardly concerned about his team dropping its final two regular-season outings, especially given his roster was missing nine regulars versus Burnaby, including team leading scorer Dane Dobbie, who sat out with a concussion.
"Having a week to rest will be a huge factor for us," he said.
LINE CHANGE: The Adanacs were saddened to announce the recent passing of long-time director George Young. "George's immeasurable generosity and great sense of humour will be sadly missed," it
