For a start, there is a deceiving element to 0-2 when it comes to the Burnaby junior A Lakers.
With their first two B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League games under their belts, the Lakers could feel the mix of disappointment and ‘here-we-go-again’ deja vu of past seasons.
But both games – 10-7 to New Westminster on Monday, and 13-10 to Victoria on Sunday – demonstrated how many strides they’ve made over many months.
“Definitely, 0-2 was not what we envisioned, but we’ve seen a positive contribution from our young players and they’re fitting into their roles quite well,” remarked head coach Jason Dallevalle.
Whether it was due to discipline or officials working out the early-season rust, both teams saw a flurry of traffic to the penalty box, and that proved costly to the Lakers.
Against New West, Burnaby matched them goal-for-goal in the first period. And while the ’Bellies shuttled ahead 6-3 by the midway point of the second frame, the Lakers turned up the push-back to knot the game 6-6 by the fourth minute of the final period.
Although New West, considered to be a contender for the league crown this season, gained control with three straight powerplay goals in the third, the take-away for Burnaby is the gap is narrowing.
“I think our strength, as we talked about before, is in transition and it’s looking to be showing already,” said Dallevalle. “I was impressed with our tenacity on defence and gaining loose balls.”
He noted that with seven players still away at college, the roster was young and relatively inexperienced. Most of those players bring offensive skills to the table. Four are expected back this week.
Kieran McKay, acquired in the off-season in a swap with Langley, scored twice and set up another, while single tallies were registered by Jacob Dowell, Mason Pomeroy, Damon Prince, Kurtis Shum and Milos Sukunda.
“We knew what we were getting with Kieran but he’s gone beyond our expectations,” said Dallevalle. “He’s also showing some leadership as a veteran, which, for a new player on the team, is great to see.”
Five of the team’s goals were on the powerplay, while New West counted six extra-man markers.
Netminder Elijah Uema-Martin turned aside 23 shots, while across the way New West’s Erik Kratz was called to make 31 stops.
A day earlier, McKay recorded a hat trick in a contest the Lakers briefly led 4-3. Victoria outscored Burnaby 7-1 in the middle frame to gain the upper hand, leading by six before the home team made it a three-goal game.
Also chipping in goals were Shum, with a pair, and singles by Mark Burns, Josh Dumont, Aiden Guld, Pomeroy and Prince.
A big step will be finding a way to limit the shorthand situations, said Dallevalle.
“I thought we matched up well, even out played (New West), at five-on-five,” he said. “If we can see growth from these games, I’ll be happy.”
The Lakers visit Delta for a game Saturday. On Sunday, Burnaby plays host to Nanaimo, 4 p.m. at the Copeland Sports Centre.
