Dennon Armstrong’s second goal of the game midway through the third period proved to be the difference as the Coquitlam Jr. Adanacs opened defence of their Minto Cup national junior A lacrosse championship with a 7-6 win over the Port Coquiltam Saints Monday at the PoCo Rec Centre.
Armstrong also had three assists.
The Saints, who lost their season opener against the Langley Thunder last Friday, 11-8, jumped to a 2-0 lead just past the midway point of the first period on goals by Daylin Kellough and Daniel Miller.
But the Adanacs, with a lineup comprised of more than a dozen Junior B call-ups, roared back with three straight goals of their own. The go-ahead goal, by Armstrong while his teammate Sam Andalis was serving a major penalty for boarding, came with just one second left before the intermission.
After the break, and with Andalis still cooling his heels in the penalty box, Port Coquitlam scored a pair of power play goals just over a minute apart to regain the advantage, 4-3.
The teams exchanged the lead again through the frame until Coquitlam’s Adam Noakes got the Adanacs back on even terms with 55 seconds remaining in the period.
The Adanacs fired 39 shots at Saints’ keeper Calvin Hafner, while Nate Faccin stopped 42 of the 48 shots he faced in Coquitlam’s net.
The next opponent for both teams will be the Victoria Shamrocks. They’ll host the Saints in their home opener at the Q Centre on Saturday before sailing to Coquitlam for a game on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
