The Burnaby Lakers won’t be going to a Western Lacrosse Association final for a least one more season.
The senior A Lakers lost Game 6 10-8 to the Maple Ridge Burrards at the Cam Neely Arena on Saturday and were eliminated in six games in best-of-seven Western Lacrosse Association semifinals.
“It’s definitely disappointing. Nobody is happy, but all you can do is take this and learn from it,” said Burnaby head coach Rory McDade. “The guys worked hard and hopefully learned a lesson about discipline and playing through difficult things.”
After coming back to even the series at 2-2 early last week, Burnaby fell behind for a second time in the semifinals following a lackluster 10-7 loss at home on Thursday. The Lakers were outshot 42-35 in a game Maple Ridge appeared to control for the most part.
Penalties cost the Lakers dearly in the contest, with the Burrards making good on five-of-nine opportunities on the extra man.
In Maple Ridge, Shaun Dhaliwal tied the game 3-3 in the opening minute of the second period and team scoring leader Dane Stevens gave Burnaby a 5-4 lead midway through the frame before the Burrards stole the momentum away with a three-goal run.
Ben McIntosh knotted the contest before Brandon Bertoia and Curtis Dickson, who returned to the Maple Ridge lineup in Game 5, both scored approximately half-a-minute apart.
“That was a really big turning point in the game,” said McDade. “(Maple Ridge) played tough defence and it gets even tougher in the playoffs.”
The Burrards increased their lead to 10-6 with three more goals in a four-minute span to start the final period.
Dickson was the game’s first star with three goals and three assists.
Burnaby junior A callup Peyton Lupul was also a named a game star, registering a four-goal game in his WLA playoff debut, including a first-period hat trick.
“He’s definitely a good kid and it was definitely a special moment for him,” said McDade, who will have to answer some tough questions over how his team performed this season and in the playoffs.
Burnaby, who had the league’s best power play and strong special teams during the regular season, failed to produce at even near its potential in the playoffs.
The power play sputtered to a meager 27 per cent and its penalty kill was just slightly over 50 per cent, despite four shorthanded counters.
The Lakers also had just one player who averaged more than three points per game in the six-game semifinal.
“I think with the additions we made, we definitely should have been (better). But no (Matt) Beers and no Ilija (Gajic) definitely hurt,” he said. “I think we have to address what players are fitting in and what don’t.”
Clearly the Lakers’ back end is an area that needs an immediate refit.
“When you lose to a team that pushes you around a lot, you may need more muscle. But we’ll talk about that,” McDade added.
Maple Ridge and Victoria kickoff the WLA final at the Q Centre in Victoria on Wednesday. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Friday at the Cam Neely Arena at 6 p.m.
