The Burnaby juniors made their fathers proud with a character third win of the season on Sunday, June 21.
The last-place junior A Lakers looked anything but a pushover on Father’s Day, vanquishing the visiting Nanaimo Timbermen 14-8 at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.
Danny Spagnuolo, rookie Mitch McDole and team scoring leader Aidan Milburn led the charge, while goalie Graham Husick stopped 36 shots in the Burnaby cage for his second win of the year.
“It’s coming from our defence, it’s the nastiest I’ve seen them. I love it,” said Husick, who was picked up from New Westminster for Steven Mayervich at the end of May. “Our coach tells us we are a band of brothers. We don’t give up anything easy.”
Burnaby entered the third period with a slim two-goal lead after Nanaimo closed the deficit with three goals in the final three minutes of the middle frame.
But the Lakers showed a stature that was in short supply this season, re-establishing their dominance to start the third on Spagnuolo’s fourth goal of the game in the opening minute of the period.
Minutes later, McDole followed with his fourth counter of the contest.
Captain Corey Wong then sparked a three-goal mini run to put the Lakers in full control.
Milburn, who had a game-high six-point night, put the game away with back-to-back counters two minutes apart.
“It’s the best we’ve moved the ball this year,” said Lakers head coach Brad Parker.
A key was the offence holding up their end of the floor to give the back end time to catch its breath.
Spagnuolo opened the scoring and put Burnaby ahead 5-1 with his second of the game shorthanded.
After Nanaimo crept to within a goal midway through the second period, it was Spagnuolo again who got things going with his hat-trick marker.
McDole, with a pair to earn his hat trick, and Ryan Vogrig also scored in a three-minute span to bump the lead to a five-goal margin.
“It was a team win,” added Parker, “they didn’t squeak it. They took it over.”
With five games left on the schedule, Burnaby will have to pull off a few more surprises to match last season’s five-win output.
Burnaby met New Westminster at Queen’s Park Arena tonight (Tuesday). The Lakers will also host Victoria at the Copeland centre later this week on Sunday at 5 p.m.
