Road woes have become road rolls for the New Westminster junior A Salmonbellies.
The 'Bellies have taken a 2-1 lead over the defending champion Coquitlam Adanacs in their best-of-seven final, thanks to back-to-back victories at the usually inhospitable Poirier Sports Centre in Coquitlam.
Prior to this weekend, the Adanacs lost only once this season on home floor, en route to a league-best 18-2-1 record. Consider that New West finished the regular season at 15-6-0, with a 6-5 record away from the Queen's Park confines, and had been out-scored in Coquitlam by a 23-11 margin over two regular season games. Add that the favoured Adanacs launched the final -- which will catapult the winner to the Minto Cup tournament -- with a polished 9-3 decision earlier in the week.
Those results naturally were tossed out of the window after the 'Bellies took the series lead with wins of 6-4 and 7-6 on the weekend.
Sunday's 7-6 decision was secured with 3:06 remaining in the third, when Ryan Jones sniped his third of the evening. Although New West never trailed, the Adanacs kept pace and pulled even three times, the last rally coming to start the third when ex-Bellie Larson Sundown and Ryland Rees scored 35 seconds apart to erase the visitors' two-goal advantage.
The two teams combined for eight first-period goals, with New West staking out a 4-2 lead before Coquitlam countered and tied it with a pair of late tallies, with Chase Scanlan knotting the score with just a second remaining in the period.
In the middle frame, the 'Bellies reclaimed a two-goal advantage on markers by Tre Leclaire and Jones, only to see Coquitlam respond to start the third.
Two days earlier, New West again never trailed but had to fend off a furious Adanac charge to collect a 6-4 victory, again in Coquitlam.
Will Malcom's second goal of the game proved to be the winner, coming 4:20 into the third. The Adanacs cut it to a one-goal game before Leclaire hit the empty net with three seconds on the clock.
Also scoring for New West were Cam Garlin, Nathaniel Kozevnikov and Charlie Kurtenbach.
Erik Kratz was sharp on both nights, stoppoing 29 on Friday and 36 on Sunday.
The series returns to Queen's Park Arena on Tuesday, 8 p.m. for Game 4. Game 5 is Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Coquitlam, while, if necessary, Games 6 and 7 will be played Aug. 5, in New West, and Aug. 7 in Coquitlam.
