Champagne corks weren’t popping on Tuesday, but the Burnaby Lakers certainly had something to celebrate.
By clinching a Western Lacrosse Association playoff berth Tuesday with a solid 9-7 victory over the Coquitlam Adanacs, the Lakers achieved a big goal.
Now, the list of goals expands as the squad prepares for the playoffs to begin.
Dane Stevens scored three times and Tyler Richards turned aside 27 shots in his first WLA start in nearly two years, as Burnaby improved to 9-6-1 and clinched a top-four finish.
The Adanacs put up a fierce fight with their season on the line, but were eliminated behind a barrage of shots and some timely shooting.
“It’s nice to get it done so we can go into the final few games a little more comfortable,” noted Lakers coach Rory McDade. “(Coquitlam) made it tough but we really had a strong second and if not for their goalie would have won by a bigger margin.”
Ex-Laker Dan Lewis faced 51 shots in the Coquitlam cage, including 25 in a momentous second period. That’s when Burnaby erased a 4-3 deficit and pulled even, planting the seeds for a big third.
Markers by Stevens and Robert Church just 1:06 apart early in the final frame put the Lakers in control. Richards, whose last game in Burnaby green was in the 2014 playoffs, made 13 saves in the third, with the only Adanac tally coming midway through the period with an extra attacker.
Satisfied with the playoff berth, McDade said the team's improved all-around results are part of an upward trend.
"It's nice to be playing our best right now, we've won four in a row, any pressure we've been feeling has been absorbed and the guys are really working hard at both ends of the floor."
He said having Richards get his first start of the year prior the start of the playoffs was important.
"You want to have two goalies who you can chuck in at any time," he said. "We're confident in both netminders; Zak Boychuk came in (from an off-season trade with Nanaimo) and stepped in to play a majority of games, and Tyler's a great addition."
Boychuk's consistent presence played a huge part in Burnaby's playoff push, as the burly Nanaimo native leads the league in both goals-against average, at 6.78, and save percentage, at .848.
While the Lakers still trail New Westminster and Victoria in the standings, the level of confidence and record of achievement shows that they can beat anyone.
Another element that has played a factor is how the defence came together quickly to start the season, and now is being accompanied by a strong offensive outburst. The Lakers averaged 11 goals a game over the current win streak.
"The defence and goaltending has been great all year long... The offence for the past four-and-a-quarter games has been going really well. We're getting goals from a steady group of guys, big games from Church -- it's all coming together."
Church now has 29 goals over 13 games, tying him for second-most in the league. Scott Jones, with 18 goals and 32 assists, sits eighth overall in the scoring race. Eli McLaughlin, with 41 points, and Stevens, with 22 goals, are others who are putting a crimp in the opposition's defensive plans.
A week ago, the team took a big step towards achieving its post-season berth when they handled the defending Mann Cup champion Shamrocks 12-10 at the Bill Copeland Arena.
The visiting ‘Rock were forced into playing catch-up most of the night, but behind another big effort from its young guns, the Lakers prevailed.
Josh Byrne counted a pair of goals – including the game winner midway through the third – and set up three others.
While Victoria opened the scoring, Burnaby replied with three markers from Gajic, Byrne and Church to take control.
The visitors would knot the score 3-3 on Jon Harnett’s shorthanded effort, but Church’s second of the day, with two seconds to play in the period and Boychuk on the bench for an extra attacker, restored the lead.
The Lakers would lead the rest of the way.
That’s not to say it wasn’t contested, as the Shamrocks closed the gap to 11-10 when Rhys Duch, with eight minutes left, and Jeff Shattler, with 1:16 to play with an extra attacker, scored.
But Boychuk and the defence kept Victoria at bay before Church capped it with an empty-net marker.
Boychuk would end up turning aside 29 shots.
“There have been a lot of positives lately, with our offence clicking and developing through continuity,” said McDade. “The guys are getting in a good rhythm and making the most of their chances.”
Church cashed in two powerplay tallies, while Byrne, the first overall selection at last February’s junior draft, continued to work well with McLaughlin.
Scoring two goals apiece were Scott Jones and Stevens. McLaughling finished with five assists on the day.
The Shamrocks got hat tricks from Shattler and Duch.
Coupled with a strapping 10-5 victory over Langley two weeks ago, where Jason Jones notched three goals, the squad has picked up the pieces and currently own a four-game win streak, after a disappointing loss to Nanaimo earlier in the month.
“That’s a big thing, learning to handle the ups and downs,” said McDade. “We want to keep getting better at that because it isn’t an easy thing to do with so much parity and so many lead changes in every game.”
For Burnaby, the wins and playoff clinching replace last year's sting from missing out on an extended season.
New Westminster, at 11-3-2, sit first overall in the WLA, four points up on Victoria, but the Shamrocks have four games left to the Bellies' two.
The Lakers, who could finish anywhere from second to fourth, play in Victoria on Friday and in Nanaimo on Saturday.
