The Burnaby Lakers fell four points off the pace for a possible playoff spot following a 14-10 loss to the Langley Thunder on Tuesday.
With the first-half of the B.C. Junior Lacrosse League season quickly approaching, Burnaby saw its record fall to 2-6-0 after the defeat in Langley.
The visitors took a 4-3 lead after the opening period on a three-goal rally headed by team captain Jaeden Gastaldo.
Gastaldo scored two goals, including his first of a pair of shorthanded markers in the match, while setting up Alex Millin on a power play for the other first-period score.
In the second period, Gastaldo knotted the score 6-6, but Langley's Brett Dobray scored a natural hat trick to put the home club in the lead for good.
Kris Liset, with his team-leading 12th goal of the season, shaved the deficit to 8-7 early in the final frame, but that was as close as the Lakers would come.
James Rahe tallied three times in a six-goal Thunder third period.
Colton Dow, with his second goal of the game, Adam Phillips and Gastaldo, with his fourth goal and team-high sixth point on a power play replied for Burnaby.
Gastaldo and Liset share the team scoring lead, both with 24 points.
Patrick Bayliss made 31 stops in the Burnaby net.
The Lakers will get a second chance against the Thunder this Sunday at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.
At Queen's Park Arena, the first-place Coquitlam Adanacs squeaked out a low-scoring 5-3 win over the New Westminster Salmonbellies on Tuesday.
The win improved the A's record to 8-1-0. New West fell to 6-3-0.
