The New Westminster Salmonbellies are back at .500 following a pair of wins with some of the B.C. Junior Lacrosse League lesser-lites.
The junior A Salmonbellies defeated the Langley Thunder at home 15-8 after dodging an earlier bullet in Port Coquitlam, where they eked out an 11-10 win with a four-goal third period against the 1-5-1 Saints.
At Queen’s Park, New West took their feet off and on the throttle against the visiting Thunder, giving up sizable leads in both the first and second periods before cruising to victory with a 5-1 final 20 minutes.
The ’Bellies opened up with a 5-0 start, including a back-to-back pair by rookie Preston Lupul.
Langley clawed back into it to close the period trailing 6-4 after Bryce Brochu’s hat trick.
In the second period, New West ballooned the score to 10-4 but again gave momentum away to the Thunder in the closing minutes of the period, with Thomas Moffat bagging two of Langley’s three goals.
Langley started the final stanza with an even-strength marker that closed the gap to 10-8.
But Connor Robinson’s pair midway through the frame put the Salmonbellie express back on the rails.
Robinson finished the game with a season-high four goals and five assists. Nathan Stewart, who tallied three goals and added four assists earlier against PoCo, had another hat trick in a six-point outing.
Adam Dickson also collected six points in the win.
Tyler Landry got the start for the Salmonbellies and stopped 27 shots for the win in goal.
The wins moved New West into a fourth-place tie with the Nanaimo Timbermen, both with 3-3 records.
The Delta Islanders continue to lead the pack at 6-0, while both Victoria and Coquitlam are tied for second place with 10 points apiece.
New Westminster is back in Langley on Tuesday.
