Learning how to hold a lead is a pretty important lesson for a club seeking better days.
The Burnaby Lakers are studying that skill but are still short of mastering it.
The B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League squad led by three goals with half a period left but needed some overtime heroics to escape Nanaimo with a 10-10 tie on Saturday.
Josh Dumont’s third goal of the day earned the Lakers a draw against a similarly slotted opponent. It kept the two teams tied for fifth place in the standings.
“It was definitely a rollercoaster in ebbs and flows,” remarked Burnaby coach Jason Dallavalle.
“What it came down to is we just couldn’t bear down when we needed it. We just didn’t have that killer instinct, and as a young team, that’s something we’ve got to learn.”
The game could have been defined easily after Burnaby surrendered three straight markers – Nanaimo tied it 9-9 with 2:07 remaining in the third – to face overtime.
The host Timbermen held momentum and actually struck first in the 10-minute extra session, when Cody Clark made it 10-9 with less than three minutes gone.
But Dumont capped a strong game by beating Kain Stewart, with assists to Tyler Leloup and Brandon Fitzgerald, to knot the game with 2:09 left.
Jordan Gabriele counted two goals and set up two others, while Mason Pomeroy also tallied twice.
Aidan Baker, Brad Rowbotham and Pearson Willis also scored.
Turning aside 35 shots was Elijah Uema-Martin.
A few days earlier was a different lesson, as the reigning Minto Cup champions served up a 14-6 thumping.
Burnaby faced an uphill battle against Coquitlam, trailing 8-2 after 20 minutes.
While the game was less slanted over the final two periods, the Lakers were always in a big hole.
Willis led the way with a hat trick. Dylan Kaminski, Dumont and Rowbotham counted singles for Burnaby.
The squad, which expects Patrick Shoemay back next week from his first year at RIT, visits the New Westminster Salmonbellies on May 30.
