The New Westminster Salmonbellies won an early season must-win matchup 11-10 over the Langley Thunder on Tuesday.
Earlier last week, the junior A Salmonbellies were knocked off 13-9 in overtime by the Thunder in Langley and were in jeopardy of falling below .500 heading into Queen's Park against the No. 2 nationally ranked visitors.
But a strong first New Westminster period set the tone for an all-important B.C. Junior Lacrosse League win.
"We knew we had to come out with a good first period and that's what we did. It paid off," said New West's Quinn Smith, who sparked the opening surge with his first hat trick of the season.
Anthony Malcom, who led all scorers with seven points, opened the scoring with his first of two tallies on the power play.
Quinn, a Kamloops product in his final year of junior A, then made the score 2-0 less than two minutes in, scoring off a screened shot from the left side on former Salmonbellie keeper Spencer England.
Langley quickly replied with a pair in the ensuing minute, but New West built up a 6-2 lead before the period's end on four unanswered markers, including a heads-up goal by Daniel Perreault on a rebound off a breakaway shot on goal by Justin Goodwin.
But both teams tightened up a bit defensively in the middle period, allowing Langley to creep to within 9-6 despite the 'Bellies outshooting the visitors by nearly two-to-one.
Langley opened the third with two goals from long range on starter Frank Scigliano, but a quick answer by Perreault off the ensuing faceoff silenced any signficant momentum shift.
"You could feel a bit of momentum going (Langley's) way. That was a big goal. We needed that one from Daniel. Yeah, that was big," said Smith.
Jimmy McBride eventually got the game-winner at 18: 21 on the power play, burying his second of the game from the right crease to give the Salmonbellies a three-point bulge.
Langley got two goals back in the final minute of play with England on the bench for a sixth attacker.
The win drew the 5-4 Salmonbellies to within two points of first place in a five-team logjam atop the B.C. junior lead-derboard.
Victoria, Coquitlam and Delta all sit atop the eight-team loop with six wins and 12 points.
"All the top teams in B.C. are close," Smith said. "We know we are a good team. We can't just beat the botttom feeders. We have to win the games that count and hopefully we can build off this one."
New Westminster has another big game this Saturday in Victoria, when it takes on the Shamrocks at Bear Mountain Arena.
The junior 'Bellies are back at home for a tilt against the last-place Burnaby Lakers at Queen's Park Arena on Tuesday, June 4.
