It’s a Thursday night and the playoff battle is being fought on the green hardwood of Queen’s Park Arena. Should be advantage New Westminster Salmonbellies, right?
Didn’t turn out that way. And now the ’Bellies are out of wiggle room.
The Maple Ridge Burrards downed the Salmonbellies 9-6 Thursday (Aug, 10) to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Lacrosse Association semifinal series.
The Burrards can wrap up a spot in the final with a win at home Saturday. If a Game 6 is necessary it will be at Queen’s Park Arena on Monday (7:30 p.m.) with Game 7 in Maple Ridge on Wednesday.
It didn’t help that New West went without scoring for 25 minutes and 30 seconds, including going goalless the entire second period to trail 7-4 heading to the third period.
Goals in the first half of the final frame by Mitch Jones and Kevin Crowley crept the Salmonbellies closer but they were stymied from there as Maple Ridge scored a pair of empty-net goals, including one by former Salmonbellie Jeff Cornwall which was his second of the game, to seal the deal.
New Westminster had jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Joel McCready and Zach Herreweyers, but the Burrards bounced back with four in a row. Anthony Malcom and Connor Robinson, a call-up from the Jr. ’Bellies, tied the game before Zach Porter gave Maple Ridge a 5-4 lead prior to the first intermission.
After Robinson’s goal with 3:41 left in the first period, New West did not score again until Jones got his goal 1:49 into the third. Crowley followed with his at 9:38 to cut the deficit to one at 7-6, but the ’Bellies were blanked from there.
New West outshot Maple Ridge 49-47 with former Jr. Salmonbellie, Frank Scigliano, making 43 saves for the win. Alexis Buque stopped 38 of 45 shots for the ’Bellies.
The series winner will face either the Burnaby Lakers or Victoria Shamrocks in the final. Victoria leads that semifinal 3-1 heading into Game 5 in Burnaby on Friday (6 p.m.).
