A glimmer of hope after a devastating slap-down was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Now, the Burnaby Lakers could be on the receiving end of an important lifeline.
Burnaby’s 10-7 victory on Saturday over the Coquitlam Adanacs provided the defending Western Lacrosse Association regular season champions proof that yesterday is old news.
Coming on the heels of an overwhelming 18-2 loss to New Westminster a day earlier on the Lakers’ own floor, the win showed a display of resilience that was sorely needed.
At minimum, the bounce-back effort against the league’s cellar-dwelling Adanacs boosted team confidence and kept them within a game of .500.
Now, if the talk is true and team captain and the 2017 WLA MVP Robert Church pulls on the jersey this week for the first time this season, Burnaby can take the next step and get back in the hunt for a top-three spot.
Eli McLaughlin was an offensive powerhouse Saturday in Coquitlam, sparking a six-goal run that erased a 5-3 deficit midway through the game. The lefthander sniped a pair of goals in less than three minutes to tie the game, and in the third gave Burnaby the lead.
It was followed by powerplay markers from Scott Jones and Dane Stevens, giving the visitors control against the 1-6 Adanacs.
McLaughlin upped his team-leading total to 10 goals with three markers and four assists, while Jones collected a hat trick.
Also scoring were Nick Jensen, Brandon Luitwieler and Joel Matthews, while recently acquired Coady Adamson picked up three assists against his former team.
Adamson was acquired last week in a deal that saw the Lakers ship Brad Breadon to the Adanacs, along with a fourth-round pick in 2021.
“Coady will add some scoring depth, and that’s what we need right now,” Lakers general manager Kevin Hill said. “When we looked around the league we thought he’d be a good addition to our club and to our scoring depth.”
Originally from Ontario, Adamson made his debut in the New West debacle, scoring one of Burnaby’s two goals. That the team had an opportunity a day later to turn the page was important, as was their response, head coach Peter Tellis said.
“It was a tough game, but we knew we just put it behind us and went into Coquitlam with a fresh start. We came out and had a strong game,” said Tellis.
“We laid a real goose egg against the ’Bellies,” Hill added, “but I’m really glad we were able to play the next night and get that out of our system, get regrouped and refocused.”
They aim to build on that result but it won’t be easy, as the 5-2 Shamrocks pay a visit to the Copeland Sports Complex on Friday (7 p.m.).
Burnaby will have newcomer A.J. Kuck, who helped the University of Albany advance to the NCAA Final Four last month, make his debut with the club, while management continues to talk with both Matt Beers and Nik Bilic on possible roles this year.
Although the club has missed last year’s WLA Top Goaltender Eric Penney, out due to injury, the stellar play of Zak Boychuk, himself a former WLA first team all-star, has helped keep everything above water. He withstood a barrage from the ’Bellies on Friday and shook it off with a 41-save performance against Coquitlam 24 hours later.
“Zak’s a fantastic team guy. If you wanted to have a goalie who could be put into this situation it would be Zak. He’s got an even-keel temperament and is just fantastic in the room,” said Hill.
“I can’t say enough good things about him, and the guys just love him.”
Still, a 3-4 start to the season was not what people envisioned after last year’s breakthrough. It may take a good winning streak to catapult them back into the conversation of first or second place, but they currently are tied with Nanaimo for the fourth and final playoff spot.
“No one ever wants to be at 3-4, right? But we understand that we’ve had challenges to start the season,” said Tellis. “We’re continually working to get better, doing the right things and not concentrating on scores and standings but just going out and working to be better.”
