The New Westminster Salmonbellies rose to the top of the B.C. Junior Lacrosse League following an 8-4 win over the Langley Thunder at Queen's Park Arena on Tuesday.
The junior 'Bellies currently share the lead with the Coquitlam Adanacs, both with four wins.
First-year forward Steve Ferdinandi led the way for New West with a fourpoint game, including his first-ever junior A hat trick.
But it was the goals the team didn't score that made the outcome closer than it should have been.
"We played like for 10 minutes and then crashed for 10 minutes, and then in the third period we took some stupid penalties," said Ferdinandi, who has seven goals in his first four games with the 'Bellies and a sizzling 43.75 per cent shooting average.
Ferdinandi's second goal of the game sparked a three-goal scoring binge in a one-minute span in the middle frame for the home team.
But before the period was out Langley cut the lead in half and were unlucky to have a breakaway goal called back on a crease violation later in the period.
"We just got going and then we couldn't put them away. It is like we couldn't play a full period," Ferdinandi added.
New York product Josh Becker had a productive debut for the junior Salmonbellies, scoring two times, including his second of the game to start the third period from Lake Erie College teammate Reagan Harding.
The Salmonbellies next game is against the Port Coquitlam Saints at Queen's Park Arena on May 22 at 8 p.m.
