It wasn't what he was called to do last year, but Graydon Bradley let it be known Wednesday that, yes, he can finish.
The Burnaby Lakers rookie registered his first hat trick, including his first goal in the Western Lacrosse Association, to help spark his team to a 12-7 victory over the Langley Thunder.
On a team that has it's share of goalscorers, Bradley's contributions, at least going from his junior career, were to be mostly on the defensive side.
However, the 21-year-old Coquitlam junior Adanacs grad got the ball rolling for Burnaby early in the first period with a shorthanded tally that tied the score 1-1. He'd notch his second of the period during a four-goal outburst as they pulled away from the Lakers by scoring seven of the next eight markers.
Bradley, who counted just four goals last season with the PoCo Saints before being a late acquisition by the Adanacs en route to the 2018 Minto Cup title, completed the hat trick with an empty-netter. Although tabbed as a defensive specialist when selected by Burnaby with the seventh pick overall at the 2019 WLA junior draft, Bradley did score 10 goals in 20 games in 2017 with the Saints. His hat trick was just proof of his versatility, and came just days after he drew rave reviews for his work on the defensive side in the team's season-opening win in Coquitlam.
The Lakers built on that victory by responding quickly and often after the Thunder opened the scoring on Wednesday, and did a good job of maintaining a comfortable lead. Although Langley pulled to within three goals in the second period, the visitors responded with a flurry of their own. Only some late frustration on the part of Langley's Preston Lupul, who instigated a fight at the final buzzer with Burnaby's Keegan Letourneau, put a blemish on the evening.
It proved to be a night for firsts, as rookies Laszlo Henning and Zach Gould put up goals -- with Henning tallying twice. Robert Church scored a pair and set up three others, while Scott Jones finished with a four-point night, including two goals. Adding singles were Coady Adamson and Dane Stevens, while Daryl Veltman drew four assists.
Turning aside 45 shots for his second straight win was Eric Penney.
The 2-0 Lakers play in Victoria on Friday, then head to Maple Ridge on Sunday.
