It wasn’t a masterpiece, but the Burnaby Lakers will gladly hang on to the two points earned Tuesday in the Western Lacrosse Association’s season opener.
By beating the Coquitlam Adanacs 8-6 at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre, Burnaby got an early jump on its playoffs-or-bust goal.
Jason Jones’ third tally of the night -- a shot from the right slot that just trickled behind Coquitlam’s Josh Phillips -- stood as the winner in a game where slick passes and dramatic breakouts were hard to come by.
“It was a little sloppy out there but we mainly focused on working hard and playing as a team, all the little things,” remarked Lakers senior statesman Dane Stevens, who contributed two goals and two assists. “The young guys did a great job of blending in and moving the ball and not trying to do too much.”
Without a handful of star staples in uniform, the Lakers were slow off the scoring mark despite outshooting the Adanacs 20-12 in the first period.
It took nearly 15 minutes before either team scored, as Coquitlam grabbed the initial lead. After Burnaby put a pair on the board, by Jones and junior A callup Evan Messenger, the two teams played cat-and-mouse with the lead until 2:49 into the third, when Messenger’s second tally triggered a three-goal run by the Lakers.
Coquitlam would try to bridge the gap, but just didn’t have the firepower to make a good charge.
“I was really happy with our start, we put up 21 shots in the first period and you’ve got to give their goalie a lot of credit, he came in and shut the door,” said Lakers coach Rory McDade. “We got to him in the second period, got on a little run and that was the difference.”
Jackson Decker counted the team’s other goal, while Scott Jones finished with four assists.
Zach Boychuk, making his first start as a member of the Lakers, kicked aside 33 shots for the win.
As the National Lacrosse League playoffs head into its final few weeks, the team can anticipate a few more players back in green -- Saskatchewan’s Robert Church, Calgary’s Tyler Digby and Peter McFetridge and New England’s Tye Belanger.
The team is also awaiting the end of the college season, when two new lefthanders -- 2016 first overall draft pick Josh Byrne and acquisition Eli McLaughlin -- come home.
The Lakers next game isn’t until May 29 when they visit Maple Ridge.
