The past few seasons the Burnaby Lakers’ fate rested a lot on the final game of the season. Last year, they clinched the organization’s first Western Lacrosse Association league title.
Two years ago, it was whether they’d be third or fourth.
This season, however, is going out with a whimper and not the preferred bang as the squad plays out the string in a disappointing run.
Wednesday’s 11-9 loss in Langley was a symptom of the team’s year-long woes, where a cold start and some key absences proved too much to overcome.
Without the services of on-floor leaders Robert Church and Eli McLaughlin, the squad did its best to scratch out a win. But they fell behind early, battled back to pull even after 20 minutes, but faced a deficit most of the night.
Langley opened up a three-goal lead to start the second, putting Burnaby in chase mode. And chase they did, but catch up they couldn’t.
Dane Stevens netted four goals and two assists in the loss, while Scott Jones picked up a hat trick. Chipping in singles were Athan Iannucci and Pearson Willis.
Netminder Zak Boychuk was sharp in turning back 47 of 57 shots.
Burnaby’s chase for one of the league’s four playoff berths was officially squelched last weekend when the club was mathematically eliminated, thanks to the Nanaimo Timbermen’s 11-6 win over Coquitlam.
That, along with the Lakers’ 13-12 overtime loss to New West 10 days ago , left the squad searching for answers and golf tee times, and outside the WLA playoff picture.
Although the Lakers did edge the Langley Thunder 16-14 last week, thanks to a third-period rally, Burnaby needed Nanaimo to get nothing more than a tie over its final few games. Unfortunately for the Lakers, the upstart T-men ended a 10-year-long playoff drought with their triumph last Sunday, locking Burnaby out of the playoff picture.
In the Lakers’ win over the Thunder, Burnaby trailed 14-11 with 12 minutes left in the third but stormed back on the strength of five unanswered goals. Brandon Luitwieler and Nik Bilic sandwiched goals around three straight goals from Church.
Church ended the game with six goals and two assists, while Stevens and Luitwieler cashed in two apiece.
Eric Penney entered the contest after Langley’s 14th goal and turned aside all seven shots he faced to pick up the win.
At 6-10-1, no one in Laker colours was too eager to talk following Wednesday’s loss. The last game Saturday in Nanaimo, which will mean nothing in the standings, will be a tough note to end the season on.
The biggest challenge for that one game – with sixth place assured -- is if they can get a decent complement of players to make the ferry trip and return with their heads’ high.
“This year has been a pretty difficult year for us,” remarked general manager Kevin Hill. “We’ve already been making calls to make sure we have enough players. It’s always tough at the end of the season to go to the Island, but we’ll put the best team on the floor that we can.”
