Burnaby Laker rookie Aidan Milburn recorded his sixth hat trick in eight B.C. Junior Lacrosse League games.
Milburn collected a goal in each of the three periods, while raining a game-high 22 shots on goal for Burnaby, which lost 11-7 to the Nanaimo Timbermen in the Hub City on Saturday.
Milburn moved into second place in league scoring with 36 points, including a league-best 24 tallies.
The loss was Burnaby’s fourth in a row, dropping the Lakers into a tie for sixth place with the Langley Thunder.
The Lakers outshot the T-Men 55-43 in their own barn, but Nanaimo keeper Peter Dubenski was on his game, stopping 48 of them. David Mather had 32 stops for the Lakers at the other end of the floor.
Randy Jones counted a pair of goals for Burnaby, while aged-up rookie Tyler Vogrig chipped in with a goal and two helpers.
Brett Hawrys led all scorers with four goals in a six-point outing, including the eventual game-winner in the final seconds of the second period. Nanaimo teammate Dane Sorensen added a hat trick after scoring the opening goal of the game on a shorthanded marker.
Burnaby has a tough week ahead, playing three games in a four-day span, beginning in Langley on Thursday.
The junior Lakers are back at home next Sunday, June 1 to host the Port Coquitlam Saints at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre. Game time is 7 p.m.
