The Coquitlam Adanacs scored three unanswered goals in the first period and remained in control the rest of the game as they defeated the New Westminster Salmonbellies 9-3 Wednesday to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven BC Junior A Lacrosse League final.
The Adanacs looked right at home in New Westminster’s venerable old Queen’s Park Arena as they moved the ball with quick precision, especially on Chase Scanlan’s first of his three goals that culminated a nifty three-way passing play from Dylan Foulds and Dennon Armstrong.
Larson Sundown opened the scoring before the game was three minutes old and Colin Munro’s weak shot from the boards that seemed to handcuff Salmonbellies goalie Erik Kratz late in the period sent the Adanacs into the dressing room with a 3-0 advantage.
Adanacs’ goalie Christian Del Bianco looked impenetrable stopped all 14 shots he faced in the frame, including three breakaways.
The Salmonbellies finally found some holes in Del Bianco’s armour when Cam Garlin and Tre Leclaire scored in the second period to pull the home team to within a goal. But the Adanacs scored the next six goals to snuff any hope of New Westminster opening the series with an upset.
John Hofseth and Scanlan — with his second — scored in the latter half of the second period, then Munro, Hofseth and Scanlan again, as well as Foulds, added to the visitors’ margin in the third.
New West’s Nathaniel Kozevnikov made it 9-3 with just over four minutes left in the game.
After a clean first period in which only two minor penalties were assessed, the rivalry between the two teams that also played for the league championship last year erupted just over seven minutes into the middle frame when Coquitlam’s Matthew Kim and New Westminster’s Keegan Ball were ejected for fighting.
Tempers fared again late in the game when Bellies’ sniper Tre Leclaire exchanged blows with Coquitlam’s Tyson Kirkness. Both were sent to their dressing rooms for the rest of the night. Less than a minute later, the Adanacs’ Graydon Bradley and New Westminster’s Dalton Lupul got into a fracas as well for which they received roughing minor penalties and misconducts.
Coquitlam fired 47 shots at Kratz in the Salmonbellies’ net, while Del Bianco stopped 34 of the 37 shots he faced.
Game two will be played Friday, 7:30 p.m., at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex. That’s also where game three will be on Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
WLA Adanacs continue to wallow
The Coquitlam Adanacs are in Victoria Friday looking for just their third win of the Western Lacrosse Association season.
The Adanacs sustained their 15th loss in 17 games last Sunday in Nanaimo when they fell 11-6 to the Timbermen. The teams had been tied 6-6 at the end of the second period, but the hosts scored five times in the final frame to secure the win.
Coquitlam gave up the first two goals of the game, but then scored five straight to carry a 5-2 lead into the first intermission.
The Timbermen stormed back in the second period, outscoring the visitors 4-1.
Ty Klarner had a pair of goals for the Adanacs, while Matt Delmonico contributed three assists.
