The Coquitlam Adanacs’ defence of their Canadian junior lacrosse title got off to an ignominious start Sunday.
The Nanaimo Timbermen upset the A’s 7-5 at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex in the opening game of their best-of-seven BC Junior A Lacrosse League semifinal. Coquitlam finished first in the regular season with a 17-4 record, but two of the Adanacs’ losses came at the hands of the Timbermen.
Game 2 will be back at Poirier on Wednesday with the opening faceoff at 6:15 p.m.
The Adanacs had taken a 3-2 first-period lead on goals by Daylan Kellough, Dennon Armstrong and Max Semple. But then the Timbermen scored five consecutive goals to go ahead 7-3 with 13:13 left in the game. In all Nanaimo managed to keep Coquitlam off the scoresheet for 31 minutes and 34 seconds, from late in the first period to almost seven minutes into the third when Colin Munro and Armstrong managed to make it close.
Not that Coquitlam didn’t have its chances. Nanaimo goaltender Justin Geddie made 48 saves as the Adanacs outshot the Timbermen 53-43, including firing 20 shots in the second period when they were unable to score and Nanaimo got four on 14 shots at A’s goalie Nate Faccin.
Games 3 and 4 will be in Nanaimo this weekend with Game 5, if necessary, scheduled for Poirier on Friday, July 26, at noon, Game 6 the next day in Nanaimo and if the series goes the distance, Game 7 at Poirier on Sunday, July 28, also a noon start.
