Momentum is a finicky matriarch.
For two games, the New Westminster junior Salmonbellies were holding the power-shifting edge, delivering a pair of back-to-back losses to defending B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League champion Coquitlam Adanacs to take a 2-1 lead in the league playoff final.
Coquitlam, however, found a way to reclaim the momentum in a forceful performance Tuesday, beating back the ’Bellies 12-5 to deadlock the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
“We didn’t get the response we needed tonight from the back end, and it got us into trouble in the first period. ... We’re going to reset, it’s a best of three now,” New West coach Rich Catton said. “We’ll watch some film, clear our minds and come out and battle again Friday.”
It started early, as the visiting Adanacs put in a pair of goals before the game was 1:30 old. While New West got within a goal, when Ryan Jones speared a shot past all-star Christian Del Bianco a couple of minutes later, Jalen Chaster restored the two-goal edge on a shorthanded effort.
Coquitlam would keep up the pressure and lead 7-2 after 20 minutes, and up it to 10-4 midway through the game. After scoring their fifth goal, New West had a golden opportunity to put some momentum into their own corner when the Adanacs’ Ryland Rees was tagged with a four-minute checking-from-behind penalty. Unfortunately, the ’Bellies couldn’t squeeze one past Del Bianco, who finished the game with 40 saves.
“(Del Bianco’s) a great goalie. We don’t expect we’ll score 10, 11 goals a game against him,” said Catton. “They’ve been tight games, the ones we battled through and won. He made some good saves tonight, and we got a little unlucky on a few posts from Tre (Leclaire) and (Keegan) Bell, that could have changed the run of the game in the second and third period. That’s the way lacrosse works.”
The biggest pattern, and likely the most irrelevant one, as well, is that neither team has won on its home floor to start the series.
New West, who dropped the series opener 9-3 last week, laid down back-to-back text book efforts in stopping Coquitlam 6-4 and 7-6 at the Poirier rink last weekend.
Both highlighted the ’Bellies’ balance and ability to back up some stellar play by netminder Erik Kratz. New West also outshot Coquitlam on both occasions, however, they trailed by a wide margin midway through the first period before starting to get back on course.
“I was really happy with our work ethic for the second and third period. We didn’t turn over but kept on battling and battling, which is a sign of a good team,” Catton added.
Chase Scanlan counted three goals for Coquitlam, while New West got goals from Cam Garlin, Erik Maas, Bell and Leclaire.
The Adanacs, who are looking to extend their 10-year streak of competing at the Minto Cup championships, converted when they had their best opportunities and looked clearly in control most of the night.
“I think that’s sort of what we’ve been looking for the whole time. Our offence really hadn’t had its mojo, but it felt like we did (Tuesday),” said Coquitlam coach Pat Coyle. “We knew we were really close. I give New West a ton of credit, the changes they made. They’re a really tough team, (but) there was a part of us who felt we were beating ourselves.”
The Adanacs captain Reid Bowering felt the turnaround was a key signal that they are nearing the peak that won them last year’s B.C. title, and carried them to a national title in 2016.
“We were pissed off the past two games, we knew it wasn’t our best play,” said Bowering. “We wanted to show them who we are as a team – we’re the best in the country here. We play confident. Those last two games wasn’t us.”
The series continues Friday, 7:30 p.m. in Coquitlam. Game 6 goes Sunday, 5 p.m., at Queen’s Park Arena, while a seventh game, if necessary, is on Aug. 7 in Coquitlam.
