Sometimes a minute can feel like a lifetime. In the case of the New Westminster Salmonbellies, the final minute of last Friday’s 13-12 loss to Victoria will likely last a lifetime.
The senior A Salmonbellies were well on their way to victory in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Western Lacrosse Association semifinal against the visting Shamrocks, leading 12-9 with a minute and two seconds left to play before the roof caved in.
The Shamrocks snatched victory from defeat, scoring four goals in that 62-second span to leave the Salmonbellies in disbelief and trailing 2-0 in the series heading back to Vancouver Island for Game 3 on Sunday.
New West captain Jordan McBride led off a promising first period, opening the scoring with a back-to-back pair less than half a minute apart in the second minute of play.
Keegan Bal made the score 3-1 with a great cut to the net.
But three giveaways to the Shamrocks in the first period were a foreshadowing of what was to come in the closing moments in clearly what was one of New Westminster’s best efforts this season.
The deflating loss also overshadowed the brilliant contributions of junior callups Nathan Stewart and lefthander Josh Byrne.
Stewart put New West ahead 4-3 late in the first half with his first WLA marker.
Byrne also scored a pair of go-ahead goals in the middle frame, including his first-ever senior A hat trick midway through the period. Byrne scored his fourth of the game shorthanded in the final period, coming off the bench on a transition to cap a five-point night. Stewart finished with four points.
The game was also highlighted by the play of rookie goalie Alexis Buque, who sparkled making 46 saves. But it was the last four of Victoria’s 59 shots on goal Buque would surely like to have back.
When Logan Schuss tallied his third goal of the game at 18:33 of the third period, the 12-9 Salmonbellie advantage looked safe.
But Victoria sniper Corey Small tallied his third and fourth goals of the game 40 seconds apart, and Chris Wardle sandwiched an unassisted marker between them, to tie the game at 12-12 with 22 seconds left on the clock.
Dhane Smith then proved the comeback hero for the ’Rocks, picking up a loose ball off the ensuing faceoff and charging in on goal from the right side to score the back-breaking counter.
“That’s a deflating game for them to be up by three and for us to pull that one out. That probably stings a little bit. But we got to expect them to come out real hard at us on Sunday and we got to win at home,” said Small, who has 11 goals in his first two playoff games against New West.
Game 4 of the semifinal series reverts back to Queen’s Park Arena on Wednesday at 7:45 p.m.
