No one said it would be easy.
The Burnaby Lakers remain fixated on winning their next game and getting some sustainable momentum going in their best-of-seven semifinal series with the Victoria Shamrocks.
Trouble is, on the heels of Wednesday’s 12-10 loss in Victoria, the Lakers are now on the clock – there is no wiggle room left.
Trailing the Shamrocks 3-1 in the series, Burnaby must win Friday’s showdown at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre (6 p.m.) or see a promising season go down the drain.
If Wednesday is any indication, the squad still has plenty of fight left.
“There’s no excuses,” said team president Ed Safarik. “When we want it, we can do it. We just had a few defensive lapses, lapses that ended up costing us.”
The Lakers spent a good portion of the game in the B.C. capital playing catch-up after seeing a 2-0 start evaporate behind six straight Victoria tallies.
Just 38 seconds into Game 4, Lakers’ captain Robert Church put the visitors up 1-0, and was extended to 2-0 on Eli McLaughlin’s marker midway through the period. But Victoria surged into the fray, spurred on by 1,600 local fans, with three goals in a span of 3:10 – including a shorthanded tally by Chris Wardle – to claim the lead after 20 minutes.
In the second period, the home team upped its advantage to 6-2 and looked to be in charge, as Sheldon Burns and former Laker Casey Jackson popped in goals just nine seconds apart. It was met by Burnaby’s run, with McLaughlin, Matt Spanger and Church making it a one-goal game. After Victoria’s Mike Triolo made it 7-5, the Lakers’ Josh Byrne unloaded for a pair just 14 seconds apart to tie it all up heading into the third.
McLaughlin gave Burnaby the lead 2:26 into the period and created cause for optimism, only to see Victoria reply
with another three-goal swing, followed by the two teams trading goals over the final four-and-a-half minutes.
Church’s fourth goal of the game, with 1:12 on the clock, opened the door as Burnaby pressed forward for the equalizer. The ’Rocks, who finished fourth in the regular season, iced it with 15 seconds left.
Church finished with five points, and sits atop the playoff scoring list
with 13 goals and 22 points.
Burnaby outshot Victoria 51-48.
The two teams meet Friday, 6 p.m. at the Copeland arena. If the Lakers force a sixth game, it will go Sunday in Victoria. A potential seventh game would be played Tuesday in Burnaby.
