A fresh coalition came together to make a bold statement on Sunday.
And the hope is it will eventually shake the foundations in Victoria and New Westminster.
No, Sunday’s act had nothing to do with provincial politics, but in the more mature, less treacherous arena known as the Western Lacrosse Association.
The cool-as-a-cucumber netminding of Eric Penney and sharp shooting of Eli McLaughlin were major pieces to the Burnaby Lakers’ first win of the season, as they bumped off the defending league champion Maple Ridge Burrards 9-5.
Penney, acquired last month in a trade with New West, kicked out 47 shots in his debut in green, while McLaughlin made his early arrival memorable, scoring four times in a well-rounded victory.
For new head coach Jim Milligan, the result was an impressive effort coming against a tough opponent.
“It’s tough to win (in Maple Ridge). It’s a very good team, and if we can play like that the majority of nights we will have a good chance of coming out on a winning end,” said Milligan.
Outshot 52-42, Burnaby didn’t waiver when pressed by an amped up Burrards lineup, playing in their home opener. While they trailed briefly in the early going, the Lakers took the reins on some fine offensive work by Scott Jones and Jackson Decker in the first period, then fended off Maple Ridge’s rally cry.
McLaughlin's second period shorthanded effort made it 6-4, while the defence and Penney slammed the door. Maple Ridge closed the gap early in the third with a short-man marker of their own, but McLaughlin tallied twice within a three-minute span to give Burnaby some breathing room.
“I felt pretty good, got four goals and helped the boys win,” said McLaughlin, who wrapped up his third year with the National Lacrosse League’s Colorado Mammoth two weeks ago. “It was nice to get a win on a Sunday, so nothing was wasted.”
Jason Jones tallied a pair, with Shaun Dhaliwal counting the other goal.
It followed a tough 11-6 loss Friday in Victoria, where the other 2016 WLA finalists rallied with five straight goals in the second period to erase a 5-3 Lakers lead.
“We got into some penalty trouble (in Victoria), which we had today in the second period, and Victoria capitalized on it,” said Milligan.
Victoria got four-goal efforts from Rhys Duch and Corey Small, firing 54 shots at Burnaby’s Zak Boychuk.
Jason and Scott Jones each potted a pair, while Dane Stevens and Justin Salt added singles. Contributing three assists in his debut with Burnaby was Cam Milligan, despite playing with what was later diagnosed as pneumonia.
Burnaby’s next test is Friday, 7 p.m. when they host the Nanaimo Timbermen at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.
