Protecting a lead appears to be one of the strengths of the Burnaby Lakers.
It’s just a matter of getting it that has made it a more thrilling ride so far.
The Western Lacrosse Association’s club improved to 2-1 on the year with a 9-8 victory over the Nanaimo Timbermen last Friday in the club’s home opener.
Powerplay goals by Eli McLaughlin and Cam Milligan erased a 6-5 deficit and were followed by two more to start the third period, as Burnaby continued to gather momentum and build chemistry to start the 2017 season.
All this while without core offensive players Robert Church and Josh Byrne, too.
While the Lakers began the game with two quick goals from Shaun Dhaliwal and Jason Jones just 2:16 into the contest, Nanaimo led 4-3 at the break, then went up 5-3 before Burnaby pushed back.
Scott Jones netted back-to-back markers to give the Lakers a brief edge, but once again the T-men replied and were ahead 6-5 before the final rally.
McLaughlin and Milligan scored 1:31 apart before the second period ended, and Milligan and Jones rounded out their hat tricks with goals to begin the third frame.
Although Nanaimo counted two of their own in the period, they were unable to bury the equalizer behind Laker netminder Zak Boychuk.
The former junior T-men goalie kicked out 37 shots to post the win, while Nanaimo’s Peter Dubenski turned aside 38 shots in the loss.
Burnaby’s next opponent is the New West Salmonbellies, who they play on Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at Queen’s Park Arena.
On Friday, the Lakers host Maple Ridge, 7:45 p.m. at Bill Copeland Sports Complex.
