Lacrosse prognosticators are likely not surprised to see the Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs at the top of the standings going into the post-season, but how the team has gone about getting there has definitely turned some heads.
The A’s don’t just win — they dominate their opponents and have racked up the largest goal differential in the B.C. Jr. ‘A’ Lacrosse League.
Evidence of the team’s prowess at both ends of the rink can be found in the fact they have scored 290 goals, while only allowing 125, outscoring all opponents by 165.
The team with the second highest goal differential? The Delta Islanders at 52.
Delta was the latest victim of the Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs, as they were demolished on home turf Sunday night at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
Within 3:44 of the first period, the visitors were already up by five goals when Delta finally got on the board with a marker from Jordan Gilles.
The marker did little to spur the Islanders offence and may have only worked to upset the A’s. By the time Delta was able to put another ball past Coquitlam goalie Christian Del Bianco, the Adanacs had scored seven more.
When the final buzzer sounded, the A’s were up 26-6, with Tyler Pace racking up a whopping 10 points (three goals and seven assists), while Jean-Luc Chetner and Chris Cloutier both had nine points.
Cole Shafer had five goals and three assists, while Tyler Vogrig had a hat trick and two helpers.
Sunday night’s beating was not a one-off event.
Forty-eight hours earlier the Adanacs took down another opponent by a large margin, this time the New Westminster Salmonbellies, who the club will meet in the first round of the playoffs this week.
Once again, Coquitlam established an early lead, piling up five goals before the Bellies could get on the board.
Another seven goal run put the game out of reach before the third period even started, with the team going into the final frame with a 13-3 advantage.
But the team still kept up the pressure, adding a few more in the third to notch their 19th win of the season.
The A’s start their opening-round playoff series agains the New Westminster Salmonbellies on Wednesday, July 8 at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex. The face off is at 7:30 p.m.
The series will move back to New Westminster for a 2:30 p.m. showdown at the Queen’s Park Arena.
