The Burnaby Lakers saw their B.C. Junior Lacrosse League record fall to 15-0 following a tough three-game swing that began last week in Coquitlam.
The juniors, 15-10 losers to the as yet unbeaten Adanacs, followed up that promising outing with a 9-7 loss to the Delta Islanders in Ladner on Saturday. Burnaby then fielded a short bench before dropping a 14-3 return match at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre against the A's.
In Delta, Bryan Gillis led the visitors with three goals in the final period in an attempted rally that fell just short.
Kris Liset and Cameron Clark also had four-point outings for the Lakers. Liset currently leads all Lakers with 11 goals and 17 total points.
At home, Burnaby was victiminzed off the opening faceoff by Reid Reinholdt and never fully recovered.
The first-place Adanacs scored five goals in each of the first two periods and then put the Lakers away in the closing stanza with four more.
Coquitlam's Vinny Ricci, who had just 13 points in his rookie year last season, had a career night, scoring three times and assisting on five other goals, including factoring in on seven of the team's nine goals in the final two periods.
"We wanted to get a good start. Ten goals was too much," said Ricci, in response to allowing double-figure goals to Burnaby last week at home. "We just wanted to keep going. It starts in intermediate. It's our motto - we just want to give our all for all 60 minutes."
League scoring leader Matthew Dinsdale and Cole Shafer chipped in with two goals and four helpers apiece, while Matt Symes also garnered a hat trick for the winners.
Burnaby keeper Xander McDonald was busy in goal, stopping 39 Coquitlam shots.
Coquitlam keeper Davide DiRuscio, who took the Six Nations Arrows to the Ontario junior league final in 2010, registered the win in goal, allowing just three goals on 28 shots to lead the league with a 4.90 goals against average.
Burnaby's only even-strength goal came in the third period from Alberta newcomer Adam Phillips, who slotted his first-ever junior A goal on transition from Matthew Simpson with the game well out of reach.
"Coquitlam's very good. Their systems are pretty flawless," said the 19-year-old former junior B Edmonton Warrior runner who was playing in just his second game for Burnaby. "But we work pretty well together. We have to get shots off at the right time and move the ball fast and smart. But it's early in the season."
Burnaby has a little time to regroup. The Lakers travel to Victoria on Saturday before skipping their usual Sunday home date because of Burnaby high school graduations taking place at the Copeland centre.
They are back at home on June 3 against the Langley Thunder.
