Kevin Crowley is back. And, man o’ man, was he ever a welcome sight for patrons at Queen’s Park Arena to see the hometown boy wearing the flopping fish on the front of a red, white and blue jersey again.
In his first game of the season, Crowley scored two goals and three assists as the New Westminster Salmonbellies downed the first-place Maple Ridge Burrards 10-8 Thursday night. He didn’t waste time putting his skill on display with three points in the first six minutes. He scored on his first foray down the floor 52 seconds into the game for a 1-1 tie. Four minutes later he set up Logan Schuss for a goal and then a minute after that Curtis Hodgson as the ’Bellies broke out to a 4-1 lead.
The stick wizard is back in town for his summer lacrosse camps following his National Lacrosse League season with the New England Black Wolves and in between his duties with the Charlotte Hounds of the Major Lacrosse League.
Hodgson and Mike Messenger scored twice for New West. Mitch Jones, Anthony Malcom and Joel McCready had singles. Schuss, Malcom and McCready also added two assists. Alex Buque make 43 saves for the Salmonbellies. Former ’Bellie Frank Scigliano took the loss for the Burrards making 40 saves.
New West held a 9-5 lead after two periods and had to withstand a 19-shot Burrard barrage in the third as well as the only four penalties of the period, including a five-minute slashing major to defender Ian Hawksbee that put the ’Bellies two-men short for 97 seconds. Maple Ridge managed to score twice on the power play in the period and were 4-for-8 on the night.
New West also was tabbed for two majors in the second period, a charging major to Justin Goodwin and a checking-from-behind penalty to Brett Mydske, who was also assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a game misconduct on the play. Maple Ridge’s Colton Porter was thrown out of the game in the second period after receiving a match penalty for roughing.
The Salmonbellies did not score on either of their two man advantages.
The victory gives New West a 6-4-1 record. Although the ’Bellies are in fourth place they are five points clear of fifth-place Coquitlam Adanacs (4-6-0) for the final Western Lacrosse Association playoff spot.
The next action for New West is tonight (Friday, July 7) against the second-place Burnaby Lakers (7-3-1) at Bill Copeland Arena (7:45). The ’Bellies will be in Langley to play the last-place Thunder (2-9-0) Wednesday. The next night they will play host to the Lakers (7:30).
