Caught in a sudden shootout, the New Westminster junior Salmonbellies at first looked surprised. Then they fired back.
Facing a desperate PoCo Saints crew, the ’Bellies took its share of hits before storming back for a 13-10 victory on Tuesday, wrapping up the best-of-five semifinal with a 3-0 sweep.
The Saints, with their backs against the wall, made a valiant push and grabbed leads of 6-3 and 8-5 but couldn’t stop the high flyin’ Salmonbellies, who counted five straight goals in a wild second period where momentum changed hands like coins at a laundromat.
“We had to grind it out, and like we told the boys before the game, the last win is always the hardest,” remarked New West coach Todd Stockdale. “We had some nerves in the first and PoCo really pressed us, but we eventually got back to our system and got it under control.”
Trailing 3-0 early in the first period, New West countered and tied it up early in the second before the Saints went on another three-goal run.
Just when it looked like the ’Bellies were reeling, they responded with a couple of goals to make it a one-goal contest. It all came in a flurry when the two teams peeled off seven goals in a span of 3:42.
Late in the frame, the hosts scored five straight markers in just 2:38, including two by 20-year-old Larson Sundown that set the tone for the rest of the game.
A first-year import from Buffalo, New York, Sundown said while PoCo made it difficult, his club knew what it needed to do.
“We started the series knowing it would be tough, but we always knew if we stuck to our system and played the way we know we can play, we’d make it,” said Sundown, a member of the Tonawanda Band.
Having played much of his lacrosse in Ontario and New York, Sundown said the transition to the west coast has been great.
“I love it. This is my first set of playoff series, and I can easily say there’s no better place to play than in New West.”
The team’s eastern imports played a huge role in Tuesday’s victory, with second-year ’Bellie and Kahnawake First Nation’s Brine Rice scoring twice and setting up four others, while Barrie’s Nick Chaykowsky, like Sundown, registered a hat trick.
Connor Robinson chipped in a goal and four assists, and currently sits second in league playoff scoring.
It came on the heels of last Friday’s 10-7 triumph in Game 2, when Rice tallied three times and Robinson a pair.
Unlike Chaykowsky, who joined the team four weeks ago, Sundown has spent much of the season in New West, although missing some games due to injury. He said his teammates and the game have made the adjustment that much easier.
“I knew there is a rich, rich lacrosse culture that was deep; it was very old,” said Sundown, who in 12 regular season games tallied 20 times. “That was one of the things that really brought me in, being surrounded in a strong lacrosse community, as a lacrosse player there’s nothing better than being in the heart of New West.”
The Salmonbellies now await a winner from the Coquitlam-Victoria series, where the defending Minto Cup champion Adanacs hold a 2-0 lead entering the weekend. In their head-to-head action, New West lost all three games to Coquitlam by three or less; against Victoria, the ’Bellies had a 2-1 edge.
Both Sundown and Stockdale feel the important thing will be to focus on their own effort, and not get too wrapped up on what happened before or what the other team can do.
“I think the mentality is going to be the same we bring to every game. If we play the way New West junior can play it is obviously going to be a good match and hopefully we come out on top,” said Sundown.
